Circle Three: the third

The Math of Appreciation. Mike Posner. Dr. Seuss. <dot>tv.

Dec 08, 2020

Welcome to Circle Three: the third!

So what’s Circle Three? For new readers, the name comes from Seth Godin’s Linchpin, where he posits that the internet has created a circle beyond family and business: a tribe. Where knowledge is exchanged and our gifts are shared. Take a look at my 2020 Integrity Report from last week if you missed it.

Thanks for being a part of this third circle. Let’s create something.

I had an opportunity to explore the Moka Origins chocolate factory last week. Moka taps into supply chains in African communities and offers a living wage in exchange for cocoa beans. Moka Origins is a great example for anyone who wants to explore how a company can stay true to a mission of global impact, create community, and still generate profit.

Each new chapter of Circle Three brings more clarity to what it will do: bring together thoughts on leadership and product design, with a bent towards the future. Thanks again for being part of this venture, and if you know someone who would be interested or benefit from reading, whether students, siblings, or mentors, the share button is at the bottom of this letter!

This week read my thoughts on The Math of Appreciation, learn about why you should spend 30 minutes in solitude right now, and consider Dr. Seuss’s thoughts on the power of words and pictures. Enjoy!

- Dan

One Big Idea

“Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than either parent.” - Dr. Seuss

Leave it to Theodor Geisel to treat words and pictures like a family tree. Great imagery! This is beautiful to witness in action. Oftentimes, if words aren’t making a point clear, taking a walk up to the whiteboard to create a visual brings complete clarity. Artfully combining words and pictures gives leaders an edge.

Circles of Thought

As music listeners everywhere are in a frenzy about Spotify Wrapped, I reflect on an artist whose past 5 years have been transformational. Read about Mike Posner’s walk across the US, his near-death experience, and how he learned to square up with the worst aspects of himself, walk toward them, and power through.
Need an alternative? Use this tool to search for anything and be given a list of alternatives. Toothbrush alternative? Got it. Oculus VR? Alternatives for that too. That really old super specific thing that broke but you loved? Probably there.
The farmland of Pennsylvania has a way of creating an appreciation for solitude and embracing uncertainty. “The idea of being in solitude…might seem nice to many of us. But…we cling to busyness because of our feeling of uncertainty.”
Check out this video of a capsized cargo ship being cut in half by a chain. Not just any chain: each link weighs 80 pounds. It’s one step in a fascinating process (if you want to dive deeper) that involves a lot of big-impact decisions.
This is as crazy as it sounds: the nation of Tuvalu, with a population of around 11,000, generates 8% of its gross national income from licensing the .tv domain, mostly licensing to Twitch.

The Math of Appreciation

Why Appreciate?

With all the stimuli of the normal day-to-day, theorizing about efficiency and productivity has almost become a pastime. Going a step further and appreciating what is before us is usually an afterthought; we’re already on to the next thing. The power of appreciation is worth discovering because we can all do it. It’s a shared emotion: “Appreciation is recognizing the full worth of something or someone.” I propose:

Appreciation = empathy * information * action

But I’m jumping ahead.

Any opportunity, discovery, or convesation provides space for appreciation. Having a door held. Debating two sides of an argument. Even learning about a new field. These are spaces for different levels of appreciation.

Enter: Math

So how can we efficiently dredge the information fed to us to distill what’s important?

I suggest the opposite strategy: rather than sifting through an overwhelming amount of information that we receive daily, only consider the requirements for success. Whatever success means. Don’t take all incoming stimuli into account; instead, understand and prioritize the end result and only include the components that are necessary to get there. Sounds simple, right?

Remember your high school math algebra and think of it as a math problem, with a result of z. The fictional components of z are a and b, and just one-third of n. In math-speak this gives:

z = a + b + (n/3)

My analytical brain relishes this ease, adding components to a recipe with guaranteed results. The witch over a cauldron, creating Potion Z. Focus on the inputs vital to the result. The incremental steps to achieve a larger goal.

There are lots of theorized equations that will help create these magical potions. Three of them are below, defining Practice, Results, and Happiness.

In Seth Godin’s new book The Practice, he proposes:

“Practice = choice + skill* + attitude
*Skill is earned. Skill is learned and practiced and hard-won.”

James Clear takes a different approach, admittedly with some more complicated math (exponents!):

“Results = (Hard Work * Time) ^ Strategy
Working hard is important, but working on the right thing is more important. A great strategy can deliver exponential results. Of course, the best strategy is worth nothing if you never get to work. Zero to the millionth power is still zero."

To set yourself up for the best results, don’t spend too much time strategizing, but don’t skip it either or the wheels will churn without payoffs. Simple tasks require brief strategy timelines. (Families can spend a long time debating Christmas-card-stuffing techniques and experiences, but nothing will happen until those envelopes start moving!)

And Tim Urban of Wait but Why writes artfully simplistically about his Happiness Equation: how this equation shapes generational happiness and has left Gen Y particularly unhappy. He proposes:

Happiness = Reality - Expectations

The products of these equations — Practice, Results, and Happiness — are quite simple and effective. They reframe the goal simply and fundamentally. Practice: how can I optimize results? Results: how can I maximize the way I perform? Happiness: why am I maybe not as happy as I want to be?

The key here is inputs. The inputs help to understand and prioritize; they only include the components that are necessary to get to the result. It overly simplifies the goal.

And yes, to be sure, these are theories, not panaceas for unhappiness or idleness.

Appreciation Simplified

A growing value of appreciation (or an appreciation of appreciation) will make the world happier. Said another way, feeling appreciated brings joy. As does truly seeing something. I think of James Cameron’s Avatar, and the phrase, “I see you.” It’s a declaration of seeing and understanding the feelings and work of another.

So what are the components of appreciation to make it a success? And how can we increase our appreciation?

Appreciation grows as we understand something. This can be seen in the Dunning-Kruger Effect, particularly in the valley of despair, where we begin to know enough to realize how much we don’t know. This is a lifelong process of learning. The deeper we dive, the more we appreciate the depth. Athletics, research, opportunity, and religion fit this picture.

The Dunning-Kruger effect in innovation – understanding innovation

Appreciation also grows with empathy. How can you appreciate something that flies in the face of your own logic? In her book Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain, Lisa Feldman offers a solution:

“Spend five minutes per day deliberately considering the issue from the perspective of those you disagree with, not to have an argument but to understand how someone who's just as smart can believe the opposite.”

Understanding the goals, dreams, and desires of another increases appreciation. It encapsulates having the right attitude.

Lastly, appreciation grows with action. The bigger the action, the larger the appreciation; it’s proportional. Action brings the emotion of appreciation to the world. Actions: a simple thank you; a grand gesture of thanks; a display of understanding the effort.

Empathy, information, and action are the products of appreciation. Multiplied together to account for the compounding effects of each: more information leads to more appreciation.