261: urich (problem solving)

problem solving is a lot like squeezing a tube of toothpaste. you got two people: people who squeeze from the middle, and people who squeeze from the end. when you first get a tube of toothpaste, both concepts make sense–you squeeze it one way, you squeeze it another way, and either way you’re getting toothpaste. for some people this is all they need. but others, people like me, we gotta squeeze from the end, because here’s the important part: after a while, you start running out of toothpaste. so halfway through the tube you realize now you have to start pushing from the end to get all that toothpaste that got pushed to the back when you started. meanwhile, i’ve been squeezing from the end the whole time, so i never have to go back. this is my point, for problem solving: squeeze from the end. solve the problems early on, so they don’t pop up toward the end of your toothpaste tube. you get me? because if you spend all your time squeezing from the middle, you’re gonna run into problems that could have been solved from the get go. like right now. like tonight. you squeezed from the middle, and now you’re gonna pay for it, you understand? i’m forcing you to the end of the tube, and i’m gonna roll you up with it. welcome to the rest of your life: problem solving.