Sterling Terrell

recovering economist

Flaunt Your Boxers

Parenting, and the years gone by, give you a different perspective.

The example I am thinking of is this.

We went to church yesterday, like we do every Sunday.

It is crowded and the parking lot is large so I circled around to drop everyone off at the front door.

As we approached the door a family of three walked in front of us, mom, dad, and a son.

My girls all immediately began laughing and said “you can see that guy’s underwear!”

I looked and the dad’s shirt was pulled up and lightly folded under on his far right side just above his pant line.

Sure enough between his pants line and his shirt bottom, you could see a quarter inch line of his boxers floating up and down as he walked.

Any you know what?

I didn’t think it was funny at all.

My word, everyone.

I don’t even know him but I guantee you this.

That poor guy is tired and doing his best.

Work sucks. Life is beating him down in every direction. Everything is uphill battle. Everything needs to have been done yesterday. Bills to pay. Parents getting older. Chores to do.

And that guy still got his family to the early service at church on time?

I’ll tell you what that guy is doing alright.

He’s winning.

Deserves a metal probably.

So flaunt your boxers there a little in the back and don’t worry about it, king.

Why There Are Not Many Homeless Engineers

Why There Are Not Many Homeless Engineers
Homeless engineers are few and far between.

This is probably because getting an engineering degree is not an easy thing to do – therefore the supply of engineers is low.

At the same time, technology is moving forward and automation feels always on the rise – therefore the demand for engineers is still strong.

This is why my best advice for an 18-year-old is to go get an undergraduate degree in engineering.

Then go do whatever you want to do.

Go be a writer, a teacher, a musician, a doctor, start a business, or a whatever.

And then when life happens, you have a fallback alternative that is better than most.

Heads I win, tails I win.

Let’s try to put ourselves in more situations like this.

But if you are playing the odds, always look for situations that give you two ways to win and almost no way to lose. I sometimes describe this situation in a more generic sense as having a system instead of a goal. A goal is, by definition, one way to win and infinite ways to lose. A good system gives you lots of ways to win and far fewer ways to fail. An example of a good system is going to college and getting an engineering degree. You don’t yet know what your ultimate career will be, but the engineering degree gives you lots of ways to win while vastly reducing the number of ways to lose. You don’t see many homeless engineers. And if you do, it involves substance abuse or mental issues.
-Scott Adams, Win Bigly
Sterling Terrell