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- #78: Show, don't tell.
#78: Show, don't tell.
Shem Opolot
June 28, 2024
Hi! Welcome to The Friday Fix! You’re reading this because you probably stumbled upon this post somewhere on the internet instead of where it should be—in your inbox. But no worries; we can fix that.
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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I have over ten years of work experience in healthcare, program management, and data analytics on two continents. So, I know a little about helping you work smarter
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Hi! I'm Shem Opolot, and this is The Friday Fix, my weekly newsletter. If you've received it, you’re either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. If you fit into the latter (yes, I’m the kind of person who uses words like “latter”) camp and want to subscribe, then click on the shiny button below:
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Otherwise, grab a seat 🪑.
Happy Friday 🎉 I had a thought in the shower that I actually remembered when I got out: create email addresses for your kids and email them. Why? 1) they won’t have to use [email protected] as you did; 2) Whenever you think about something you want to tell future them (or present them), email them. Imagine them signing into their email at 16 and finding 1000 unread messages from you. Okay, your offspring might block you, but you get it, right? And 3) For all the advancements in technology, email isn’t going anywhere.
In other news, Season 3 of The Bear is out now for those who celebrate.
LIFE.
Show, don’t tell.
“Flower pots with hairline fractures that form spiderwebs huddle together on stone patios and weathered benches. Perfectly mint pastel-colored Suzukis zip back and forth everywhere you look, as if running late.”
Beautiful, right?
A white kid from Cookeville, Tennessee, with zero head coaching experience, became the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, arguably the most successful franchise in the NBA.
Yes, he had a successful 14-year career in the NBA, becoming one of the most prolific three-point shooters in the game. And yes, he went to my alma mater—Duke University—so he must be special 😉.
But J.J. Redick got the job because of what he did off the court.
In the age of social media, where seemingly every former and current NBA player has a podcast, J.J. Redick podcasted better and more consistently than anyone else in the game.
And when he wasn’t podcasting, Redick called NBA games on TV and used every opportunity to demonstrate his ability to explain the Xs and Os of basketball.
Imagine you want a job at a bank, and instead of adding your resume to the pile on HR’s desk, every morning, you get a chair and a public address system, perch in the bank’s parking lot, and talk in great and convincing detail about how you can quadruple the bank’s revenue in a year.
You’d leave that parking lot with something—a job or handcuffs.
But that’s what Redick did. By showcasing his basketball IQ, he interviewed for the job without applying formally.
During the COVID pandemic, I started a data consultancy but struggled to get clients. I couldn’t convince people I knew how to do the thing I said I could do.
So, instead, I started a YouTube channel and published a data-related video every week for about 20-something consecutive weeks.
It took a while, but the phone started ringing. One-on-one consultations, company workshops, MC gigs. Name it. If data was involved, I was on the list.
What do J.J. Redick and I have in common?
Show, don’t tell. It’s so much more impactful.
You can try sweet-talking your way into someone’s pockets, and it might work, or you can build it, and they will come.
This principle is the same reason the writer in the opening excerpt didn’t just say, “There were many flower pots on the dusty benches…”
Show, don’t tell.
THINGS.
A quote from The Phoenix Project.
It's a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.
A picture
Would you pay money to stay in a hotel that doubles as a museum, with strangers wandering the halls throughout the day and taking pictures in the lobby while wearing a hat indoors? Neither would I.
📍 The Mansion on O Street
WORK.
A hands-off calculation.
This is one of those ones I assumed everyone knew until I got accused of sorcery during a live demo.
So…you have a dataset:
And you want to know the average age of each employee.
You could use functions, pivot tables, and many other bells and whistles.
OR…
You could select the column you’re interested in and look in the bottom right corner.
You can get the SUM, COUNT, AVERAGE, by barely lifting a finger.
If this was a no-brainer for you, I’m sorry. If your mind is blown…I’m sorry.
This document will help you get started with Excel.
FUN.
The Friday Fix Playlist
Shem’s picks
✅ Follow if you like desserts; replicate if you can afford Ozempic.
✅ Tips for taking a group trip without fighting.
✅ Five steps for getting a more organized kitchen.
✅ How couples fight can predict the future of their relationship.
✅ This website lets you search for 2 million recipes.
Have a great weekend,
— Shem
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