Sitting in Panera, our non-ghost-infested office, thinking of an idea for The Daily Clot, I noticed a woman outside the glass doors with a limp and a cane.
When I’m focused on something, I can take a bullet to the chest and still not flinch. I cannot afford to give anybody (except my Co-Founder, Steve) 100% of my attention for the sole reason that nobody else can handle 100% of my attention. You have not seen “laser-focused” until you’ve seen me at work.
If a stranger came up to me and asked me what the time was, I’d only be able to give about 60% attention at the very most without seeming villainous. If I were to give 100% of my focus to a stranger asking the time, they’d think I was about to attack them.
Now that you’ve had some insight into the extremities of my focus, cut back to Panera.
Though I saw the elderly woman standing outside struggling to enter, 100% of my focus was targeted at my work, so I was completely unable to process the image.
An older man, about 65, jumped out of his chair and ran to open the door for the woman, to which she offered a “thank you so much,” as she stumbled through the door.
I wish this was the end of the story.
Oh, man.
When she came in the door, our eyes fully met.
And then, it happened.
She gave me the stink eye.
In an instant, 100% of my attention shifted from my work to the stink eyes this woman was presenting me.
She shook her head and limped out of sight towards the counter.
Though she will probably never read this (unless she’s a big Bloodclot Films fan, which would be a huge game-changer), I’d like to extend my apologies to all old people. You don’t have many years left, and you deserve to be treated like kings and queens until you take your final breaths (which isn’t far off, probably).
Also, if you don’t have any family left behind and it’s just you, feel free to take that last breath sooner rather than later. The world population is too great and you’re murdering Social Security with every waking beat of your heart.
Until next time,
Michael J. Erickson, CEO & Co-Founder
