Issue #2 - 3.5 Minute Read

The Boston Molasses Disaster (And Why The Only Move Is The Next One)

On January 15th, 1919, a 50-foot high wall of molasses swept through the North End of Boston.  If you were wondering how much molasses you need to do that, it measured out to be around 2.3 million gallons. 11 people died and a ton were injured.  The disaster was front-page news all over the nation.

The cause was cited as an internal explosion at the facility where a storage tank holding 12,000 metric tons of molasses was located.  The wave was estimated to be traveling at 35 miles per hour.  It was a miracle more people weren’t killed or injured.

I know for sure that not one person that day had previously gone through the scenario in their heads “What would I do if a 50-foot wave of molasses came down the street toward me at 35 miles an hour?”.  When something like that happens you got one option.  Get out of the way.  There are things you just can’t plan for in advance.  Once I realized this, things got a lot easier for me.

It’s Not Complicated, Keep Moving Forward

I was not a great student.  It wasn’t because I didn’t have enough smarts to figure stuff out.  The main problem was that it was hard for me to learn things the way school was set up.  I found out later that short sprints worked out way better for me.  Traditional methods of teaching that included long lectures only made me feel paralyzed.  When the time came for exams, or to hand in reports, I would get extremely frustrated.

It wasn’t until I began to break down my studies into smaller chunks that I started to figure out how I learned.  If a question had 4 parts, I didn’t worry about parts 2-3.  I focused relentlessly on part 1 and didn’t move on until I knew what was what.  Then I would tackle part 2.

I thought doing things that way would take a long time.  Nope.  The opposite was true.  I started knocking things out much faster.  It was very cool to only have to worry about one thing at a time.  I had faith that the rest would work out if I just kept moving forward.  

Going back to The Great Molasses Flood, does it really matter how fast it's traveling or how high it is when it appears on the same street as you?  Not at all.  The only thing that matters is getting out of its way as fast as possible.  That’s it.  That’s the plan.  Once that is accomplished you can move on to the next problem of cleaning up the mess (FYI - The Boston authorities used salt water and sand to clean things up the best they could and the clean-up took weeks.)

Everything started to smooth out for me when I slowed down.

Know Thyself Is Not Platitude

Anyone who tells you that there is only one way to do something is also probably selling something.  There are a lot of different ways to get to where you want to go.  The key is to understand what your personal strengths are and to use them relentlessly.  

There is a Latin saying, Temet Nosce. Roughly translated it means “know thyself”.  Normally, I would ignore something like that when it is posted on social media.  I always think it is just a way someone tries to sound smart.  In this case, though, is a powerful business strategy.  

I have found that the best way to understand others is to figure out what you have in common.  You gotta know a little bit about yourself to do that.  It’s easier to get people on your team if you are all interested in going the same direction.  Otherwise, you have to do everything on your own, which is life’s hard mode.

Also, it is very easy to avoid making a wrong turn if you know what you are good at.  I am not signing up for some class or certification that requires me to sit down and listen to someone drone on about a subject I don’t care about.  It doesn’t matter what kind of opportunities it opens up for me.  I only put myself into situations where I have a good chance of success.  I know that if I do this enough times, I will get to where I want to go.

The Only Move Is The Next One

Most fear in life is not caused by a 50-foot wall of molasses heading toward you out of the blue.  Instead, a lot of anxiety is caused by either trying to plan everything out or by putting yourself into situations you aren’t really prepared for.  Now don’t misunderstand me.  I’m not saying not to plan or push yourself.  Both are required to accomplish what you want in life and business.  What I am saying is that a great approach to accomplishing your goals is to starve fear to avoid failure. 

You do this by playing games that are a good fit.  Once you do that, then just worry about the next move you have to make.  See what works and double down on that.  Wash.  Rinse.  Repeat.  Winning becomes inevitable.

I was not one of those quick success stories.  It took me a while to figure out why things were not working for me.  It was painful, but it really makes me appreciate when things are running smoothly.  Also, I don’t stress when things fall apart.  I just keep moving forward.  The only move is the next one.

To your success,

Taylor

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