Category: Expectations
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A restaurant’s evolution
Several years ago, if you had lunch or dinner at Kingyo Izakaya, you would likely sit at a table on its main floor. Perhaps your seat would be in part of its big booth, or at the communal dining table with a tank containing the restaurant’s namesake, goldfish, in the middle. You might find yourself…
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Be mindful of renting capabilities
“For a while, he even makes you believe that his power has become yours. Irresistible power… that makes every desire’s fufilment seem inevitable.” When I heard this line from Rings of Power, it reminded me of this: Sometimes, business partners want to make you rely on them in order to gain leverage on you—as if…
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Please prompt me, and allow me to prompt you
A couple of weeks ago, I was chatting with a friend about AI. They told me they had bought two of the highest tier Claude plans, had two computers running Claude Code, and still often ran out of tokens. Their enthusiasm for making new things with AI was contagious. They told me they wished they’d…
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Thanks for reaching out
In drumming up business for writing, I’ve been starting conversations with people, many of whom I haven’t spoken with in over a decade. We talk a bit about business, and mostly catch up about life. The call often ends on a note of appreciation. My conversation partner, now reacquainted, says, “Thanks for reaching out.” It’s…
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A beginner’s guide to asking
Most of the time, it’s okay to be nosy. A more polite way to describe that is curiosity. If you make eye contact, wave, and say, “Excuse me,” you are off to a good start. Learn to ask indirectly. Feel out when to push and when to pull back. Know when to offer to put…
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Always ask
People can recommend incredible restaurants. They can bend rules for you. They can help make an exception or offer leniency. With their experience, they can suggest more expansive possibilities than you could have imagined. All you have to do is one thing: Ask. Always ask.
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Your friends, your customers, and your work
When I first released the manuscript that became Creative Doing, it was on Gumroad under the title There Is No Right Way to Do This. It was a PDF I sold for $29.99 CAD. The first 22 people to buy it were my friends. Out of the first 50, I don’t recognize three people’s email…