Blog, Learned Curiosity

The Patriotic Path that Pays

by Pete Wright on Oct 20, 2021 category Uncategorized

Have you ever wondered how your daily use items arrive at your house? How do distributors receive these goods? Who makes them? Where are they made? Most folks think through the basic path of purchase to delivery, but these questions didn’t seem important for decades within the United States. Our global supply chain ran smoothly, and “optimization” allowed for profits to flow freely. Until they didn’t. What do we do now?

The recent impact COVID-19 had on the global supply chain is just now coming in to focus. Products for Christmas 2021 sit quietly in containers on ships anchored off California’s coast, and most likely won’t hit the shelf in time to end up under the tree. The cascaded disruption in the system hasn’t peaked and may not for many more months. As citizens of the country bluntly realize how deeply we rely on other nations for our goods, many of us see an opportunity to shift our culture for the better.

The education system in the United States pushed children towards college degrees for decades. These degrees resulted in a life of “knowledge” work. In many cases these degrees simply checked a box rather than teaching a skill set capable of adding value to society. Degrees vetted an individual as “able to learn.” We “off-shored” the physical work of manufacturing goods to the inexpensive labor force in southeast Asia. Wall Street profits soared, and quality of life rose with little effort. Trade jobs and apprenticeships lost their luster for the masses. Few citizens recognized the value of trade jobs, but those who did earned a steady living as the world changed around them. COVID-19 quickly brought the error of our ways in to focus.

We have a rising skills gap within the country. The gap exists between the skills of the current workforce and the demand for trade positions. Most of the current individuals skilled in trades are close to retirement, with few behind them ready to fill the void. The trade labor force dwindled during the offshore boom, and we’ve done little as a society to motivate or develop individuals within these trades. Machine shops, construction sites, and trucking companies desperately need workers skilled in their fields. What’s worse is we fail regularly in presenting these opportunities to the current and rising work force. Tremendous opportunities exist with excellent pay and rapid growth potential, but those who might benefit from these opportunities often don’t realize they exist. If they do realize these opportunities exist, they don’t know how to prepare for the opportunity.

The good news is this 5-to-15-year effort required to close the skilled workforce gap and get our country back on track already has a support framework to help it reach reality. High schools already have technology centers with machine tool technology, mechatronics, and other similar trade related classes. Technical and community colleges have certificate programs, and associate degree paths at low cost. Many companies allow these students to work part-time or weekend shifts while they attend these programs which further reduces the likelihood of accruing excessive debt along their journey. What holds students back from taking advantage of these programs?

Middle school and high school guidance counselors provide critical career information to students at pivotal moments of their development path. Currently, most counselors and educators have incentives to push the four-year college program route rather than trade schools. These counselors need feedback from trade organizations and employers so they can convey the essential information at the right time for each student. Counselors and teachers need quantifiable data to discuss these opportunities with students and their parents. The incorrect negative stigma of trade work remains difficult to overcome with many parents. However, these jobs serve as the quickest path to upper middle-class security for many students. Additional value-add skills equate to higher pay. Once individuals develop deep knowledge in value-add trade skills, the potential to move towards entrepreneurship expands exponentially. This potential grows as groups of individuals learn trade skills together and begin to understand the intrinsic value of making products people want to buy. The United States desperately needs this type of collaboration to revitalize our desire to innovate and make products domestically. We need to encourage these paths rather than demean them to push everyone towards college.

Education of any sort should lead to added value to society through an ability to create goods or services, solve difficult problems, or innovate new concepts. Many college programs still provide this form of education and quantitatively produce students capable in these skills. However, this does not degrade the value of education in trade skills. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive, but rather complementary for one another. Both paths lead to meaningful work with benefits achieved by the individual and goods provided to society.

The effort to revitalize America’s industrial capacity might be the current generation’s primary contribution to humanity. One that benefits the individual as much as the nation in a meaningful way. The United States continues to serve as the best framework example for society. We have significant flaws and need to do better in a lot of aspects, but we still lead the world in almost every category associated with quality of life. We must strive to maintain and improve this way of life, which encourages other nations to follow. To do so, we must get back to our industrious roots and develop the talent to lead us into the future by building things ourselves. This plan offers purpose driven work individuals can be proud to undertake, as well as earn high wages with limitless potential. A patriotic path that pays.

Active Meditation “On the Fly”

by Pete Wright on May 22, 2021 category Uncategorized

The miracles of modern humanity come with a cost. We have access to countless improvements in today’s world in relation to generations from only a century ago. However, we developed new ways to introduce stress into our lives as we improved quality of life. The stress of modernity often stems from a social norm we impose on ourselves. Many wise individuals devote tremendous efforts to help us manage this form of stress. My intent isn’t to delve into the topic deeply, but rather to point out a fun way I learned to mitigate stress in my own life.

Growing up, I loved to fish. With that said, I still love to fish. On occasion during our fishing trips as a boy, I’d see someone standing in a river rhythmically casting a line to unseen fish hidden below. My curiosity led me to ask my grandfather about this type of fishing. He explained in detail what fly fishing was, and the tools used to fish in this manner. Many years later my curiosity remained, and an opportunity presented itself to learn the skill.

The Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States offer tremendous natural resources for citizens to enjoy. Folks can hike, camp, hunt, and fish to their hearts’ content. We live near these beautiful mountains, and travel there often to enjoy the outdoors. My wife knew about my desire to learn how to fly fish and purchased a lesson for my birthday several years ago. The package included a casting lesson followed by a guided fishing trip on one of the local Appalachian rivers.

The day was bright, windy, and chilly. Aside from the wind, I couldn’t have asked for a better fall day to get started. The Brookings Anglers guide was seasoned, and undoubtedly would forget more about fly fishing than I’d likely ever learn. He taught me to cast, tie knots, and the basics of reading water. After lunch we headed to the river to try our hand at casting to trout rather than a grassy field.

Trout don’t live in ugly places. The creeks, streams, and rivers where these fish live provide unmatched scenery for those who love the outdoors. Standing in a river provides a unique perspective you cannot fully appreciate unless you can do so yourself. This river was no different. Wading a river is a bit odd at first, but you get used to the flow of water rather quickly. I followed the guide to a predetermined spot and listened as he demonstrated what to do next. He handed me the fly rod and stood back as I made my first cast. Within minutes I’d caught a trout and was hooked on fly fishing. The afternoon is one I’ll never forget. We caught several trout, enjoyed conversation, and reveled in the beauty of the mountains.

The fishing ended as the sun set. I parted ways with the guide after a wonderful day. On the way home I noticed an unanticipated benefit from our day. We’d spent over eight hours practicing and fishing, yet I felt more refreshed than I had when the day began. I couldn’t believe how clear and relaxed my mind felt. The relief from life’s daily stressors was immense. I was curious to understand why I felt this way. Thankfully, I planned to fly fish as often as possible which provided many opportunities to investigate this curious benefit in depth.

The stress relief I felt after the first day of fly fishing returned after each subsequent outing. I felt relief even on days when I tangled my fly in stream side trees, missed a big trout, or didn’t catch any trout at all. After several years of fly fishing, I learned what elements contribute to the relief I feel after each trip.

The first element is the rhythmic movement and light concentration required for each cast and drift. The best way I can describe the impact on my mind throughout the process is that it requires just enough mental bandwidth to quiet other thoughts in my mind without draining energy. The second element is the sound of water flowing over the rocks. This sound serves as nature’s “white noise” and calms the mind in ways humanity can’t. The final element is the beauty of being outdoors, surrounded by nature.

Fresh air, sunlight, the feeling of the water flowing around your legs, and beautiful views demand the mind’s attention in ways unique to nature. These combined elements force an individual into the present moment. The result is a form of active meditation. The positive benefits I receive from this form of mediation stays with me for days afterwards.

I never expected a simple conversation with my grandfather as a boy would lead to restorative meditation as an adult. I’m thankful the curiosity I held as a child stayed with me until I was able to action on it as an adult. My main suggestion is to act on curious tendencies sooner than later, but I can’t help but recommend picking up a fly rod as well. I have no doubt you will at least enjoy the view from the river, and for a moment you’ll forget modernity’s worries.

The Nudge

by Pete Wright on Apr 12, 2021 category Uncategorized

Imagine reading a book whose impact shifts the entire trajectory of your life within a twelve-month period. That’s what happened to me on a random weekday when my hand grabbed Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek from the airport bookshelf. Normally the docket for a long flight consisted of a fun fiction spy novel or newly acquired history piece. A movie might win over both previous options if the flight closed a long workweek. This flight, however, seemed to last for only a moment as my mind raced in directions I’d never anticipated.

Hindsight may not always be 20/20, but it can provide a slap in the face when combined with new observations in the present. A new quality filter or mental model acts like a bolt of lightning to our interpretation of the past, and our approach to the future. The energetic power ripples through our mind and creates a vigor for life that’s hard to describe. Tim’s book contains interesting tactical concepts, but what drew me in was his approach to life models. His book broke my own model on what life “had” to look like.

Tim’s thought process felt natural to read but was foreign to me. I did not think this way, and immediately questioned “why not?” His approach to problem solving came from angles I’d never considered on my own. They were concise and useful. Practical is an understatement. Yet, I’d never initiated this thought pattern on my own up to that day. My curiosity expanded in a moment.

I was no stranger to service in complex environments with successful results. My curiosity, however, remained confined to a small space of professional specific inquiries. This focus on professional development went so far as to reduce an interest in childhood hobbies. This book broke the self-imposed bonds on my mind in the same way the Grinch’s heart grew on Christmas morning following his nighttime raid on Whoville. The world immediately seemed more interesting. The book improved my curiosity and provided tools to maintain momentum.

I walked off the plane and had a craving to learn unlike anything I’d experienced before. The feeling of freedom to explore was exhilarating. Thankfully this new feeling did not carry with it a sense of regret for my previous approach to life’s interests. The focus was on moving forward with a fresh approach and a mind full of questions.

The search for answers brought a new form of joy and appreciation to life. Once we lift the veil of linear mediocrity the world reaches new levels of exponential beauty. Suddenly a mundane process seems interesting to understand in detail. A critical aspect to this transformation involves a willingness to remain humble, and the courage to ask questions. Admitting a lack of understanding seems weak on the surface, but the reality of this admission proves otherwise. Overconfidence and arrogance stifle curiosity and learning.

Maybe this book experience doesn’t resonate, or maybe it does. In either case, the opportunity exists for us to ask questions. Sometimes we need a little nudge in the right direction to get started. This book led me to Tim’s podcast, which provided an interview with Naval Ravikant, who mentioned Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and before I knew it I was fly fishing. Fly fishing is unrelated to the others direct influence, but indicative of where random paths of exploration takes us. The list goes on, and the branches expand rapidly. Each new concept or idea proved worthy of exploration. Randomness provided the nudge and with it I learned curiosity.