Month: March 2026

The Value Of Constraints. My Lesson From A Rodeo Chicken.

When I was 6 years old, I went to a local rodeo with my family at the county fairgrounds. As a blooming buckaroo, I thought the horses, bulls, cowboys and clowns were the most exciting thing I had ever seen in person. All I needed to complete the perfect experience was a ten-gallon hat and a Marlboro.

Then something totally unexpected happened.

The announcer called for all of the 6-year-old boys in the stands to come on down to the ring to participate in the rodeo!

It was straight out of this little cowpoke’s dream.

So with the approval of my Dad, I galloped down the bleachers to the railing that encircled the arena. I was quickly up and over that delineation between us and them and dropped onto the sacred dirt floor. I hustled over to the gathering huddle of 6ers, like me, who were all filled to the pearl-snapped collars with anticipation.

Then the show announcer boomed over the PA system like the Wizard of Oz. He announced that they were about to release chickens in the arena, and that we would have to be quick like a fox to grab ourselves a fine feathered friend. But once we caught one, it was ours to take home!

That was crazy.

And I was crazy enough to play chicken with them.

A moment later, a gate swung open, and a dozen chickens began strutting across the arena floor. And a gaggle of lil cowboys gave chase.

Which only sped up the chickens.

A couple of the other boys grabbed a bird right away.

But not me.

I chased the birds like a chicken with its head cut off.

You could say I lacked strategy. Or focus. Or speed. Or stamina. Or all of the above. But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t catch a single one of those struttin’ egg slingers.

The basic problem I dealt with was that the arena was huge, and I was small. Those chickens had far too much room to run away from me. In every direction.

The audience in the stands enjoyed a good laugh at my plight as I tried to catch a chicken that had what felt like a dirt ocean’s worth of escape routes from my chase.

Eventually, the rodeo officials decided that the chickens and the audience had had enough fun at my expense. So one of the adults with the show grabbed a snow-white chicken and handed it to me. And with what felt more like a pet store-bought chicken than a triumphantly wrastled chicken, I headed back to my dad in the stands.

A Common Problem

Today, I see adults face a similar challenge to the one I faced at the rodeo when I was a young’n.

People often have a want, wish or dream, but they have too much latitude in how and when they will make it a reality.

Thus, the dreams and aspirations remain ever-elusive. Like those rodeo chickens.

The Solve.

To make great progress, you need demanding deadlines. Those are deadlines that are so short that they demand actions or decisions today. Tight deadlines help narrow your focus, clarify your next steps, and increase productivity. Which drives results.

Short deadlines reduce options. And they squeeze out unnecessary actions. This time-constrained focus helps you reach your end goal faster.

Key Takeaway

To accomplish more, you need more constraints. Shorten your timeline until it forces decisions and actions today. This transforms ambiguity into clarity. It creates urgency. And urgency is the universal activator. It is how you turn someday thinking into today thinking and right-now necessity. That’s how you get more done. And avoid wasting time in the arena, outfoxed by unconstrained chickens.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media. And consider subscribing to Adam’s Good Newsletter.

When Was The Last Time You Revised Your History?

One of life’s great secrets is that you can rewrite your past to serve you better today. In fact, your past is simply a tool for you to use to empower today. Like a Sawzall. Or a squeegee  

Too often, we cling to the pain, shortcomings, or embarrassments of past events, which will do nothing to help you today. So let it go, like that girl from Frozen.

We all have successes and failures. You can build your story using either, just as The 3 Little Pigs had their choice of building materials. But if you want to protect yourself and keep the wolves at bay, choose wisely.

Your backstory and the identity it creates for you are two of your greatest assets. And as you modify and update your history, it will change both what you believe you are prepared for and what you deserve.

That crafting and re-crafting of your own history will shape your future. Because your story becomes more valuable through your own interpretation.

Nobody likes a sob story.

But they love a comeback story.

Or an ugly-duckling-transformed-into-a-beautiful-swan story.

Or an ain’t-nothing-gonna-break-my-stride story.

I have been working on a major writing project in which I set up a string of my life events that lead to what seems like a pre-destined outcome. I am using specific pieces of my history that, when linked together, create a compelling and convincing narrative. I am not fabricating anything. I am simply editing my own history to create a clear and compelling story built on real events. But I also eliminate anything that detracts from the story. Like any good writer would do. (I’m finally figuring some things out.)

Today, when I am discussing potential business deals or speaking opportunities, I share an edited version of my personal or professional story that aligns with the opportunity. The stories are always true. But they can create very different historical records of my past. I focus on sharing only my experiences that qualify me for the work in question. In fact, when discussing these projects, I could also create real stories that build a case for why I am not qualified for the same opportunities. I won’t. Because that would be stupid. But I could. And people do it all the time.

How To Create A More Valuable History

Tell yourself a great story about how your past is empowering you today. You can do this by simply dropping the bad stuff from your personal narrative. (Did you even know you could do that? You can! And you should.) #DropItLikeItsHot

You can also leverage your challenging past. Tell yourself and everyone else how you have used the tough things you have experienced to get you where you are. Or you can tell the story of how you are using your difficult past to propel you forward on your current path. Or the path you are about to embark on. (Come aboard. We’re expecting you…)

Key Takeaway

Your history exists to serve you. Not to hold you back. Magnify the positives. Minimize or drop anything that doesn’t help. Craft great stories. Apply lenses that improve the optics on events, accomplishments, experiences, and setbacks. And use your history as a springboard to set you up for even greater success tomorrow.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned, check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media. And consider subscribing to Adam’s Good Newsletter.