Harnessing Scarcity: 7 Lessons from a Dry Well
Our well is dry. I’m learning about harnessing scarcity.
The spigots in our home disappoint. The commodes are silent. For thirty years our well delivered refreshments. He’s quiet this morning.
Our well has been stingy a few times over the years. But when our appreciation for running water increased, he revived, usually in a couple hours. It’s been two days. I think he packed up and left.
Harnessing scarcity:
#1. Problems contaminate.
Don’t let problems make everything stink. Life goes on.
On his eighteenth birthday Rober Frost said, “In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.”
Do your best to resolve issues and move on. There’s more to life than a dry well.
#2. Humility expands life.
Practice humility by receiving help. Those who receive the most help go the farthest. Don’t be needy. Be humble.
#3. Lean on experience.
I called a friend who had well problems. “Who do you recommend?” I immediately called the person he recommended. That guy called me back last night. It was delightful.
He asked a few questions and said we need to get you water. I can show up about 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.
#4. Relationships provide confidence.
I slept well last night. A recommendation from my friend set my mind at ease. I didn’t pick a name from the Internet.
#5. Adapt and move forward.
Turning the handle on the faucet doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter how many times we turn it. The well is still dry. Do something different.
#6. Practice empathy.
Our problems are small issues. People suffer all around us. Turn outward.
#7. Gratitude increases.
I appreciate the sound of water in the shower when the shower doesn’t work. Lack increases gratitude.
Harnessing scarcity is seizing opportunity.
What does harnessing scarcity do for you?
Dig deeper:
7 Ways to Find Your Highest Point of Clarity during Uncertainty
The Scarcity Advantage: Why having Less can Actually help you end up with More – izba
I struggle with being overly dependent on what I have. When I was 6, we lost our business and home in a fire and had no insurance. We lost everything. Through that I learned that you don’t need as much as you think you do. It’s amazing how little we actually need. We didn’t lose any family members, or the elderly renter in the adjacent apartment. My grandmother took us in. People showed up to donate – a lot.
Eventually, over the next decade my dad worked us out of the situation. That cost me much of my time with him. I learned to work hard and value what I have. We are a closer family today because of that experience, even if scars remain.
Your question asks what does harnessing scarcity do for you? The question I ask myself is how can I give away more to others to meet their needs?
So I am challenged today to not just seize opportunities when they come, but to find opportunities when they don’t show up at my doorstep.
#1″dont let one problem make everything stink” remindme of:
“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” -Voltaire
I wish for your future to be filled with crystal clear water Dan.
Thanks, Melanie. Wonderful insight. The well guy just left. He was awesome. We have water. He’s coming back next week to make a permanent fix.
That’s wonderful, Ryan. “How can I give away more?” You blew me away.
Something that came across my social media feed the other day: “You might not be perfect. But let me remind you that your track record of surviving bad days is 100%.” I actually saved that one. Because some days, I need that reminder.
Love it! I’m so glad you stopped in again today. So far, I’ve survived all the bad days I ever had. 🙂 Powerful.
It reminds of the way people say, “I can’t do this, when they are actually doing it.”
We have a well. It puts you in touch with the world in a different way. But only when it stops working. Then you are into water tanks, and going to the water station and gossiping with the neighbors while you wait your turn. You learn about locating and drilling a new well, water dousing, how water exists in the landscapes (no aquifers here.) You learn a different way to wash your hair and that more socks equals less washing.
You learn that just because you moved here, bought that house, lived here for years no one owes you water. You alone are responsible for making it work. Temper tantrums don’t help. Even if it is Thanksgiving, and guests are coming, and you run out of water.
It’s both frustrating and grounding. And to live where I live, worth the trouble.
Hey Eric. I found your comment sadly entertaining. Not that I’m glad you know about water trouble, but because it made me feel like my issue isn’t as bad as yours. It sounds sick that I feel that way. So you receive a red-faced thank you.
It is grounding and grounding is a great word for this type of thing.
If you didn’t see, the well guy showed up and fixed the problem. He’s back next week to make a permanent fix.
Lack increases gratitude.
Beautiful.
Three words are the gospel. 🙂
Love this, as you might expect, having written a book with ‘less’ in the title. And, was just listening to a great podcast on Hidden Brain interviewing Leidy Klotz, author of Subtract. In business, while it’s great to have unlimited resources, there’s nothing liked forced budget cuts to make you take a hard look at what you’re doing, and what you can stop doing…
You are my hero on “less is more” thinking. Thanks for stopping in.
Hello Dan –
As a country dweller, your blog resonates with me. I too have dealt with a well that fails to deliver. I always appreciate the lesson of assumption and expectation. I assume AND expect that when I turn the faucet handle, water will appear; when I flush the toilet, it will refill with fresh water; when I want to shower, the water will rain over my body.
My lesson is further tempered by the fact that I have a 2,000 gallon holding tank that my well usually keeps full. I have drained the entire holding tank with the assumption and expectation that the well was doing its job. Leadership lesson #1 that I learned from water – always check to see if they are meeting your expectations and never assume they are working perfectly with no troubles.
Lesson #2 – If you failed at lesson #1, there are people that will help you get it fixed; however, it is going to cost you. Time, money, effort, energy, worry… one way or another, it will cost you. Sometimes it is all of those factors.
Lesson #3 – If you periodically check to see if they are doing the job, you are rarely surprised by lesson #1. Then, you usually do not have to invoke lesson #2… and if you do, it tends to be at a lower cost.
Wishing you gallons of fresh and refreshing water from your newly serviced well! Cheers, Cheryl
Bravo! Very powerful lessons. The way you put the three lessons together is brilliant.