Abrasion Factor
“Non Illegitimus Carborundum.” (Latin)
Don’t let the Bastards wear you down!
Is there a business, a career, a life that doesn’t wear you down?
There’s a certain amount of “sand in the syrup” wherever you work or live. We have to respect the dull but required procedures which, if adhered to, may inoculate you against reprisals by Accounting or Legal. They serve no actual purpose in the betterment of the company or life in general, but serve to keep the mosquitoes away… That’s value for sure, but what a drag!
Instead of shrugging (or shirking), consider it as an “Abrasion Ratio” — so much productivity (or pleasure) balanced against “a bearable level” of pain.
So much excitement balanced against so much grinding boredom.
Pleasure/Pain: it’s a ratio. The trick is to keep the ratio within tolerable limits.
An “All Hands-on Deck Emergency” countered by Jury Duty.
Time flies when you’re fighting fires and slows to molasses in the Jury Room… So much time spent sailing against time in the hotel conference room discussing taxes.
An increment of glorious pleasure against the obligatory counterpoint of agony and decay. That’s life. Without suffering, how can we recognize joy?
When considering your choices, seek to Optimize the “Abrasion Factor” of the undertaking, which can make all the difference!
Can you arrange your life to produce a more optimum ratio — a more favorable balance?
Can you take time off for a perfect weekend with the family?
Can a corporate meeting be held at the beach, instead of the conference room? Can you bring great food and a novel to jury duty?
What about a little TaiJi time on the lawn at the Accounting Conference?
Betterment. Is there room for a “finite incremental improvement” here?
An “Absolute Victory Over Abrasion” may not be possible. Yet, the never-ending battle for optimal balance is what keeps us getting up in the morning!
Life may never be perfect, but we can always optimize.
Applications
1. Personally
Optimize the Abrasion Factor by building a catalog of personal pleasantries that can balance the sand in your day-to-day life. Perhaps you have a favorite lunch item which, with a thirty-minute lunch break can give you a few minutes of freedom each day. Is there a “new pathway home” to break the monotony of the commute? Maybe there’s a “Great Course” series to make the commute a learning experience. The Gym is an old standard, but maybe it’s time to start a discipline in Yoga or TaiJi to do more than sweat — maybe you can recharge.
2. At Home
Work can be abrasive, so can school and family life — unless…
You can make the rules at home. Optimize! Institute “Family Night” at the Movies, Story Time, iPad Free Zones and any other crazy, wonderful traditions which your children will teach their own, while rhapsodizing about their incredible, unreasonable, and demanding parents — God Bless Them! Sometimes, parenting is about building a tradition despite the whines and upsets of those who don’t yet know any better. Become the parent about whom your children will tell loving stories!
3. At Work
Road Warriors sometimes devolve down to “Road Wimps” when it comes to finishing the meeting and going right upstairs for a beer and burger. Think of travel as an All-Expenses Paid World Tour. Take the opportunity to catch a cab and have your burger with atmosphere! Find a gallery with late Thursday hours to give you some pleasure before crashing at the Hilton. Stop by the Jazz Place. Catch Vespers at the local cathedral whether or not you’re religious — the architecture alone is healing. Visit that tall, modern building and absorb the best of new age architecture. Find the local park and watch the sun go down. (A hidden value of business travel: When watching a movie, I’m likely to know where it was filmed. I’ve been there.)
Life has its abrasions, which can be countered if you manage the Abrasion Factor. You are the Architect of Optimization! Add some adventure everywhere you can. And Don’t Let ‘em Wear You Down!
Subscribe to our Newsletter
