Putting Irons in the Fire: How to keep your impact momentum

I wasn’t around for the Industrial Revolution.  I think there is good reason.  I’m not sure how useful I would have been.  When learning about this period of expansion, I was always thankful that I was able to benefit from that time without having to experience it.

Revolution is a strong word.  It indicates major change.  Is it essential?  Do we need revolutions or are they just interesting periods in history?  I don’t think that question can be answered easily.  We know the Revolutionary War lead to the United States.  I wonder what the western hemisphere would be if that never happened.  

My short answer is that revolutions are not generally needed, but they are needed for specific reasons.  The Industrial Revolution led to major economic expansion in the United States.  Without it, life would be much different (not necessarily better or worse).  

When I think of industry, I think of action, production, and creation.  What I don’t typically think of is failure.  However, in this context, I am led to think about how many ideas during the Industrial Revolution didn’t work out.  There must have been ideas and businesses that failed.  I don’t remember learning about any of them, but not everything works out.  

I am a big fan of persistence.  Many successful business people, fundraisers, influencers, and visionaries share this trait.  The willingness to consistently seek is not average.  It’s a unique characteristic that highly productive people have.  It seems to be natural, but it may be nurtured and refined.  

For all the great inventions that came from the Industrial Revolution, there were plenty of failed ideas.  But without the failures, the successes wouldn’t have happened.

Most would agree that reaching one’s goals is important in order to experience fulfillment.  I am certainly in that group, but I also think that goal setting is much easier than goal seeking.  It’s fun to dream, but it’s productive to do.  

The reason why action is productive is that it yields a result.  Results are what most leaders want, right?  The boss is only happy when you deliver results.  You’re only happy when your reports deliver results.  

The problem is that there is a misconception about results.  They are not always positive.  They don’t always move you directly towards your goals.  It makes me think of “2 Steps Forward” by Paula Abdul.  Take me back to 1988, please.  Results can, however, move you indirectly towards your goals. 

Productivity is not linear.  It’s more of an ever morphing amoeba.  Those who can stay aware of the goal while also navigating the amoeba are much more likely to reach what is desired.  I would even say that due to the unique nature of consistency, those who are, are all but guaranteed to reach their goal.

Persistent people will reach their goals because every result is productive.  Small failures are actually a vital part to a big win.  If nothing went wrong along the way, it wasn’t much of a challenge and it certainly wasn’t revolutionary.  Luck exists, but it should never be associated with consistency.

In the context of the Industrial Revolution, iron was an essential part of production.  Prior to that time period, blacksmiths were an essential part of society as they created all the metal tools.  They had to feed the fire.  If it went out, there was no more progress.  

Some people warn against having too many irons in the fire.  For a blacksmith, there was a risk in destroying some of the material they had to work.  In today’s context, multitasking is a lot easier.  Never over work yourself.  But, if you can handle it, try it.  If one option doesn’t work, another will.

When I was 18 years old, I experienced the biggest challenge of my life.  I was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to my abdomen.  The treatment schedule was intense and while the prognosis was good, it wasn’t perfect.  It would be an incredibly anxious period as every blood test, scan, examination created an anticipatory feeling that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.  Thankfully, the good results outweighed the bad, I am alive, and I’m capable of writing this blog every week.  

Years after my treatment had ended and I was cleared, I developed some major digestive issues.  I was struggling to breathe and felt incredibly uncomfortable much of the time.  In fact, I even went to the emergency room multiple times.  The first was via ambulance and my mortality was never more prevalent, even when compared to my cancer diagnosis.  

After many examinations and electronic monitoring of almost every process of the body, I was assured that I was not ill again and just experience digestive discomfort.  I’ve never been one to complain or mishandle minor discomfort.  This diagnosis, or lack thereof, was devastating.  What I can’t handle is the unknown.  

I was determined to figure out what was bothering me.  It had to be diet related.  I set out on a dietary journey that would take years to complete.  

I love to eat.  Dietary problems are terrible.  Thankfully, I also love to cook and bake(and shop for food).  There’s something about creating a great meal or dessert that is very satisfying.  I think my love language is eating my meals.  If my wife is satisfied by a dish that I’ve created, I’m content.  This is so evident that even when I was struggling to eat just about anything, I would make extravagant meals for a date night that only she could enjoy.

I quickly learned that single person meals on date night were not that fun.  Actually, it was great for me, but rather hard for my wife.  She could tell I was uncomfortable.  I had to figure out what I could eat without feeling terrible.  

I set out on a journey that was intense with internet searching, reading, health store perusing, and questioning.  I began matching symptoms with various foods and cut so many things out of my diet that I was losing weight that I preferred to keep.  

It took about a year for me to figure out the most important issue related to my digestive tract.  I was listening to an interview related to former Major League Baseball player Roger Clemons.  His former trainer’s son was suffering from Celiac’s Disease.  This article explains the situation in detail.  

My small intestine was inflamed from eating gluten (wheat products).  This may not seem that outlandish, but ten years ago, it was.  This was before gluten-free menus and entire restaurants dedicated to Celiac’s Disease patients.  There is wheat in so many things that we don’t even realize.  I couldn’t have soy sauce!  Also, modified food starch is the sneakiest ingredient ever.  

After figuring out what was my gluten-intolerance, I now had to determine how to manage my diet in a gluten-full society.  Thankfully, my love of the kitchen made things easier to handle.  I experimented with a huge amount of wheat flour and thickening agent substitutes.  

Here’s a few:

Potato starch/flour

Rice flour, white and brown

Yucca, cassava

Almond flour

Peanut flour

Mung beans

Quinoa

Amaranth

Millet

Buckwheat

Corn starch/flour, polenta

Green plantains

Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas

Guar gum

Xanthan gum

I learned quickly that none of these was a one for one substitute of flour.  Darn.  Time to experiment.  

The analogy of throwing irons in the fire is appropriate.  I mixed so many different combinations of ingredients and cooked them in all different kinds of ways.   Many combinations failed for various reasons.  Some didn’t rise, some had a strange consistency, some burnt, some were just disgusting.  There were many periods of frustration, but each attempt taught me something about its ingredients.  Ultimately, they all have different characteristics and can be used for different things.  

My goal was to be able to create a “normal” diet for myself.  Through consistent trial and error (lots of irons and lots of fire), I was able to get there.  

If you look at the advancements in nutrition and availability of gluten-free products, most people in the developed world can find what they need to eat.  Unfortunately though, it can be very expensive and you never know exactly what you’re eating.  It took me two years, but I made it to a point where I didn’t have to worry every time I left the house without a meal.  Now, I can even handle some wheat products.  I just have to carefully monitor my intake.  There is even some information that indicates some wheat products are actually good for your health.

The concept of consistency can apply to projects of all sizes, levels of importance and lengths.  It could be something as important as your diet, or something as simple as fixing a simple issue around the house.  

I have experienced resistance to consistency in situations of all levels of importance.  When the stakes are higher, the lows can seem lower.  It’s harder to push through and learn from mistakes.  In this type of scenario, you must remember your purpose.  It’s the final prize that will keep you moving.  

In a less intense situation, the resistance lies in the minimally satisfying results.  You will find yourself questioning why persistence is worth it for something that isn’t that exciting.  If you give up in this case, it’s probably not that big of a deal.  However, you’ll find yourself in many more of these type of situations.  Be careful not to develop a habit of quitting.  No matter how small the task, completion still feels good.  

The other day I hung a glass “whiteboard” in the lab (the office where all of the Impact Initiatives are led from).  It wasn’t easy for me and it’s not essential to success.  But, wow!  It felt great to get that thing on the wall.  You would have thought I built an entire building.  

The lesson to be learned from persistence is that it often takes multiple attempts to create something.  You have to throw multiple irons in the fire to keep the flame burning.  The longer the flame is burning the closer you are to success.  

When persistence becomes part of you, you show it.  People notice that you are determined.  It provides inspiration.  It is not a selfish tool.  It enables others to reach their own goals and fulfillment.  

The next time that you have a great idea consider what it will take to execute.  It may seem unreasonable.  Those who normally support you may not.  

Make your persistence more consistent than their resistance (unintentional tongue-twister).  This may actually be easier done than said.  

You are the blacksmith in your story.  As long as your fire of impact is burning, you’re making progress.  

More iron please!