Episode 141 - 5 Ways Brilliant Connectors Create Life Options
Crossing off goals and leaving old crappy jobs in the dust is so satisfying. So why do brilliant Connectors avoid that kind of reductive thinking?
The most “wait, what?” moment in history has to be when the battleship USS Texas flooded her own torpedo tubes to sink herself…partially. The ship’s captain purposely slanted the deck of the ship so the 14-inch guns could fire just a little bit farther, allowing them to shoot at the fleeing Nazis in occupied France for one more day. Inspired by this feat of creating options out of thin air, Todd and Joe started a discussion about reductive thinkers. While the rest of us find inner peace in paying off old debts, deleting old job numbers, and whittling our contact list down to our most supportive friends, there are extroverts out there who actually enjoy leaving doors open behind them. We call these people Connectors.
We also touch on all the reasons why being a good connector can be exhausting if you aren’t used to the cognitive load. And how Robin Dunbar’s Number - the primitive limitation built into our brains for how many people we can keep track of - might be holding us back from being the best connector we can be. We also talk about Errand Fatigue, Behavioral Autopilot, and why ‘Construal’ (looking at your role in the bigger life picture) might be the best professional motivator for creating more options than you close. It’s also easier to practice, professionally, than mastering Buddhism overnight.
History Links:
https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/uss-texas-flooded-on-purpose/
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/uss-texas-d-day.html?firefox=1
https://www.history.com/news/d-day-hitler-germany-defenses-miscalculations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKklyvxw8QU&ab_channel=TheHistoryGuy%3AHistoryDeservestoBeRemembered
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/50-ways-to-open-your-world-to-new-possibilities/
Science Links:
https://www.livescience.com/2493-mind-limit-4.html
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/keeping-options-open_b_867907
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11370759_Decisions_and_revisions_The_affective_forecasting_of_changeable_outcomes
https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2003-05781-002