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- #49: Be a good thief
#49: Be a good thief
Shem Opolot
December 08, 2023
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Who am I? I’m Shem Opolot, a health professional turned content creator, passionate about helping people be their best selves in life and work.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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Estimated read time: 5 minutes
ONE THING I’VE LEARNED
Be a good thief
Seated to my right was the brightest girl in the class. An absolute legend whose name permanently perched above mine on those dreaded but matter-of-fact primary school report cards. Jane didn’t seem to have any trouble with any of the questions on the test. No pen lid chewing, no temple tapping. No chin chafing. Just calm, collected, and crushing it.
The year was 2000, and Aaliyah wiggled her waist while telling us to try again if, at first, we didn’t succeed. Ironic, considering my predicament: I was in Primary 5, in a science exam, and I’d answered every question… but one.
With nothing in my ear but the chorus of exam sheets turning, the shuffling of feet under desks, and the loud ticks of the clock, I chewed on the lid of my Bic pen while tapping my right temple with my right hand, hoping that like a piñata, my brain would burst open with the answer.
Nothing.
But then I got an idea—I’d peek at Jane’s exam paper.
I didn’t need to see the whole answer; just the first letter. So I shifted the temple tapping to my left side for a better view of Jane’s exam sheet and waited.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Jane’s slim forearm that formed a fence between us shifted an inch that felt like an acre, allowing me to see the first letter of the answer.
Three weeks later, the results returned: Shem — 100%, Jane — 99%.
Good artists copy; great artists steal.
Kids are the best copycats I know. In the beginning, they know nothing, so they mirror adults. They copy speech, gait, cadence, everything. And then later—often imperceptibly—they become an individual. “Unique.” “Special.” “Original.” Suddenly, they use words you don’t remember teaching them, and they saunter with a swagger you could never muster.
You have everything you need in your ordinary life to make extraordinary work.
But you need a compass to start.
So whatever you want to be or do, find something or someone to copy. And as you consume inspirational work, replicate it. Over and over. After several iterations, add a little more of yourself to the replicas until, finally, the result is indistinguishable from the replica [to the naked eye].
Finally, you’ll have your own “original” masterpiece.
Only God creates; the rest of us copy.
SHAMELESS PLUG
Big changes are coming to TLDR Weekly as we get closer to celebrating our 1st birthday, but you won’t know anything about that because you’re not subscribed.
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MY FAVOURITE THINGS
A quote
The same applies to making products.
Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
Now Playing
If you haven’t watched The Bear yet, I’m jealous that you have two seasons of sizzle to savor. Just say, “Thank you, chef!” to me already.
The Good Library
Read a book this weekend.
A picture
I love a good ad.
Source: The AdProfessor on Twitter
PRO TIP
3 short shortcuts
Here’s your data, which has 2 awkward spaces: an empty column and an empty row:
1. Starting with the awkward column, click any cell in the column and press Ctrl + Space to select the entire column
2. With the entire column selected, press Ctrl, - to delete the empty column
3. Onto the awkard empty row; select any cell in the row and press Shift + Space to select the entire row
Finally, delete the entire row by using Ctrl, - from earlier again.
If you want to learn how to use Excel, this is a good place to start.
WHERE FUN GOES TO FLOURISH
The Friday Fix playlist
Brain teaser
From Braingle.
In each sentence below, two words are incomplete. The two words end in the same three letters, so they look like they should rhyme, but they don't. See if you can figure out the missing letters in each sentence.
Example: One symptom of bronchitis is a ro___ co___. (The two words are: rough & cough.)
1. It is time to c___ h___ after a day at work.
2. On sunny days, a large ra___ of patrons ate on the pa___.
3. A beer bet could be called a la___ wa___.
4. Agassi vs McEnroe would be a good ma___ to wa___.
Answer below
Shem’s picks
✔️ Play: this fun game at your desk while waiting for traffic to die down
✔️ Watch: why the internet is worse than ever
✔️ Browse: this site for bilingual cross-cultural baby names (because we’re old now)
Brain teaser answer
Answer:
1. come home
2. ratio patio
3. lager wager
4. match watch
Have a great weekend,
— Shem
Et cetera
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