This week, a giant container ship got stuck in the Suez Canal.

A bunch of tugboats and bulldozers have attempted to create some kind of motion for the ship, but the scale at which they are working is comically small compared to the giant cargo vessel.

I can relate. That’s how I’ve felt lately not only trying to make a change happen and influence others, but also in trying to change myself. How can I begin to overcome entrenched habits and beliefs? How can I change course without getting stuck? It feels like it will take forever, and experiments feel risky.

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When someone buys something, it’s because they value it more than the dollars they’re paying.

And for the person selling it, it’s worth less than the dollars they will receive.

Somehow, through the magic of the transaction, more value is created for both parties than was present before. It’s a win-win.

Ideally, it’s the same dynamic in an employer-employee relationship. If I choose to work for a company, it’s because what I am getting in return is worth more to me than my time. Simultaneously, I am producing more value for the company than I’m being paid for. It’s an exchange that creates mutual benefit.

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Aspiring (or failed) guitarists often tell me of their troubles with strumming.

“I never could get the hang of it,” they’ll say, no matter how long they’ve been trying.

They think the problem is strumming. And they’ve probably sought help from a guitar teacher with the intent of resolving this strumming problem. However, I know the reason it didn’t work. It’s because their problem is actually their chord changes.

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