Evolution

This book is really evolving. I am shocked, actually, at the path it's taking. What started as a short, funny "be good at everything" book is becoming a still-short, still-funny, pretty deeply philosophical lifestyle.  In the process of writing some sample chapters for my pitch, I am seeing more and more that everything is simple. There isn't a thing on earth that is really so complicated. That doesn't mean everything is easy, mind you. Still, I can't think of anything anyone would want to do that isn't a matter of mastering a few basics and then slowly building on them. I know what you're thinking: "I'm an accountant/lawyer/ballet dancer, and I spent years learning the intricacies of my field." You did. That's true. But will you agree that the basics of solid accounting are addition and subtraction? And the basics of being a good lawyer are listening and responding? And every dancer I know still swears by the time he or she spends at the barre every single day. The fundamentals. Most of us try to do things the hard way first. We don't generally consider that for everything worth doing, there is a simple, step-by-step approach that will ultimately get us from point a to point b. I will close by reminding you of the tortoise and the hare. Those old friends who raced each other one sunny day in ancient Greece. Mr. Hare ran full out and, had he been willing (and able) to maintain that pace for a bit longer, he would certainly have won the race. The old Turtle, on the other hand, maintained a slow, steady pace. He did things simply: left foot, right foot.  And he won. So will you.