Captain Michael: WORK THE PROBLEM
The best time to work some problems is before you have them.
Offshore, you learn that lesson pretty q
WORK THE PROBLEM
The best time to work some problems is before you have them.
Offshore, you learn that lesson pretty quickly.
You don’t wait until the steering cable parts to wonder where the emergency tiller is.
You don’t start looking for the wooden plugs after a through-hull fails.
You don’t wait for the lights to go out to discover whether the flashlight has batteries.
Because a problem that’s manageable in daylight and calm water can become something entirely different at 0200 in heavy seas.
Seneca spent a surprising amount of time thinking about trouble before it arrived.
Not because he wanted to live afraid of everything that might go wrong.
Quite the opposite.
He believed preparation took some of the power away from fear.
Consider the possibility.
Prepare what you reasonably can.
Then get on with living.
There’s an important distinction there.
Preparation is not worry.
Worry endlessly rehearses disaster.
Preparation asks:
If this happens, what will I do?
Then it puts the emergency tiller somewhere you can actually find the damn thing.
The same principle works ashore.
Build some margin into the finances.
Have the difficult conversation before resentment becomes a crisis.
Back up the files.
Learn the skill before you desperately need it.
Take care of the small maintenance before it becomes the big repair.
We can’t prepare for everything.
And trying to would be its own kind of madness.
But experience has a way of showing us which failures matter.
Pay attention to those.
Because sometimes working the problem means solving part of it before it ever becomes one.
Then, when something eventually does go wrong—and something always will—
you’ll still have to work the problem.
But at least you won’t be searching for the emergency tiller in the dark.
#WorkTheProblem, #Stoicism, #Seneca, #StoicWisdom, #Preparedness, #Resilience, #ProblemSolving, #LifeWellLived, #SeekingAWellLivedLife, #CrypTok
Captain Michael: WORK THE PROBLEM The best time to work some problems is before you have them. Offshore, you learn that lesson pretty qui
WORK THE PROBLEM The best time to work some problems is before you have them. Offshore, you learn that lesson pretty quickly. You don’t wait until the steering cable parts to wonder where the emergency tiller is. You don’t start looking for the wooden plugs after a through-hull fails. You don’t wait for the lights to go out to discover whether the flashlight has batteries. Because a problem that’s manageable in daylight and calm water can become something entirely different at 0200 in heavy seas. Seneca spent a surprising amount of time thinking about trouble before it arrived. Not because he wanted to live afraid of everything that might go wrong. Quite the opposite. He believed preparation took some of the power away from fear. Consider the possibility. Prepare what you reasonably can. Then get on with living. There’s an important distinction there. Preparation is not worry. Worry endlessly rehearses disaster. Preparation asks: If this happens, what will I do? Then it puts the emergency tiller somewhere you can actually find the damn thing. The same principle works ashore. Build some margin into the finances. Have the difficult conversation before resentment becomes a crisis. Back up the files. Learn the skill before you desperately need it. Take care of the small maintenance before it becomes the big repair. We can’t prepare for everything. And trying to would be its own kind of madness. But experience has a way of showing us which failures matter. Pay attention to those. Because sometimes working the problem means solving part of it before it ever becomes one. Then, when something eventually does go wrong—and something always will— you’ll still have to work the problem. But at least you won’t be searching for the emergency tiller in the dark. #WorkTheProblem, #Stoicism, #Seneca, #StoicWisdom, #Preparedness, #Resilience, #ProblemSolving, #LifeWellLived, #SeekingAWellLivedLife, #CrypTok
WORK THE PROBLEM The best time to work some problems is before you have them. Offshore, you learn that lesson pretty quickly. You don’t wait until the steering cable parts to wonder where the emergency tiller is. You don’t start looking for the wooden plugs after a through-hull fails. You don’t wait for the lights to go out to discover whether the flashlight has batteries. Because a problem that’s manageable in daylight and calm water can become something entirely different at 0200 in heavy seas. Seneca spent a surprising amount of time thinking about trouble before it arrived. Not because he wanted to live afraid of everything that might go wrong. Quite the opposite. He believed preparation took some of the power away from fear. Consider the possibility. Prepare what you reasonably can. Then get on with living. There’s an important distinction there. Preparation is not worry. Worry endlessly rehearses disaster. Preparation asks: If this happens, what will I do? Then it puts the emergency tiller somewhere you can actually find the damn thing. The same principle works ashore. Build some margin into the finances. Have the difficult conversation before resentment becomes a crisis. Back up the files. Learn the skill before you desperately need it. Take care of the small maintenance before it becomes the big repair. We can’t prepare for everything. And trying to would be its own kind of madness. But experience has a way of showing us which failures matter. Pay attention to those. Because sometimes working the problem means solving part of it before it ever becomes one. Then, when something eventually does go wrong—and something always will— you’ll still have to work the problem. But at least you won’t be searching for the emergency tiller in the dark. #WorkTheProblem, #Stoicism, #Seneca, #StoicWisdom, #Preparedness, #Resilience, #ProblemSolving, #LifeWellLived, #SeekingAWellLivedLife, #CrypTok
