This 3-Minute Decision Has Led to More Than 3,000 Hours of Joy

Jun 10

It’s okay to do something stupid… an inside look at the decision

I had just finished writing a tax opinion for a sophisticated client. It was near the end of the fiscal year, so my mind was swirling with thoughts of accounts receivable, bonuses, and which clients could pay by December 24.

I had all of three minutes to stop and reflect before the next meeting would start. It only took 10 seconds before I asked myself the question that was buried underneath the legal jargon.

“Am I crazy?”

I wasn’t thinking about being crazy for practicing law at a big firm, but about something else.

“Am I crazy for wanting to write a children’s book?”

Yes, I was considering writing a children’s book. But there was more to it than that. Lots of children’s books are cute, fun, or playfully creative.

“Am I crazy for wanting to write a children’s book that retells the Cinderella story, except that instead of Cinderella losing her glass slipper, she toots, and the only way the prince can find his true love is to ask each maiden in the land to pass gas so that he can find the smell of the girl who captured his heart?”

The phone’s about to ring. A client needs help with a $20 million decision. I am contemplating writing a Cinderella fart book called CinderToot. For children. That might be redundant. Maybe not, though.

“Yep, I’m crazy,” I say to myself.

A Crazy Idea Seems Crazy Until It Works

I had recently read a book by Richie Norton called The Power of Starting Something Stupid. It became a personal challenge — what’s the stupidest thing I could do right now?

The book about a farting Cinderella was the clear winner. I hesitate to share the other two of the top three.

I started to think about all the crazy ideas that my clients have tried. There’ve been many. Some worked. Some didn’t. But here’s what I learned: I couldn’t predict which ideas would work after hearing only the idea. The only way to predict what would work was to look at the person with the idea.

It wasn’t about the idea. It was about who was executing the idea.

The crazy idea isn’t so crazy when the right person can make it work.

I couldn’t predict which ideas would work after hearing only the idea. The only way to predict what would work was to look at the person with the idea.

The Promise I Made Myself As I Left My Last Job

The phone hadn’t rung yet. Any time now, though. I had to be ready to think about a $20 million decision. Still, my mind drifted to think about my career before being a lawyer.

Years ago, I quit my job to go to law school. I left great people who I still miss today. Even though I left the job, I have tried to keep a promise that I made to myself as I walked out the door for the last time.

I was frustrated because I had so many ideas about how to help the company. Barely any were implemented. And when we did try one of my ideas — and it worked — I didn’t receive much of a benefit. One time we ordered pizza.

I was tired of successfully implementing ideas and then not getting rewarded. I was also tired of putting all of my efforts and energy into someone else’s pockets. Life is short, right? It was time to focus on how I could jumpstart my career.

As I prepared to quit my job and enter law school, I made myself a promise: no more energy and risk without some personal benefit to me.

If I had an idea, then I was going to implement it myself. If the idea ended up a massive failure, then I could live with that result. Because I tried. But if the idea ended up making a million dollars, then I was going to keep the money.

Still no ring. I just can’t forget that promise that I made to myself, though.

The Best Thing in the World to Sell

At first I didn’t tell anyone about the book. I was embarrassed. CinderToot was a story that I told my kids about a hundred different times at bedtime. Each re-telling was different. Each re-telling brought laughter and joy to our nighttime conversations. I had three kids under eight years old at the time, with another on the way.

Was the idea of a Cinderella fart book stupid? The last time I told the story to my kids, we laughed for over half an hour. My wife had to intervene to tell us all to go to bed. But there was something special about the book. It wasn’t just a funny idea. It was much more than that. The book created something that is elusive in life: joy.

So if I turned this story into a book, what would I be selling? A book? A stack of paper? Some cool illustrations? Or something more? It was actually none of those things. It was something else entirely. Just telling the story brought so much joy to our family. I realized I would be selling about thirty minutes of joy to a mother, father, brother, family — to anyone with kids.

I’m not sure if there is anything else I would rather be selling right now. We really need more joy in our lives, right?

The book created something that is elusive in life: joy.

The Phone Rings

The ring of the phone interrupts my short daydream. A legal discussion awaits.

I ask myself again: “Am I crazy?”

I hear a second ring. I need to mentally prepare to think rationally. There’s a lot of money at stake.

“Is this idea stupid?”

The book, yes. Definitely. The $20 million sale? Not sure yet.

“Am I keeping my promise?”

If the idea bombs, then I can deal with it. If it works…

The phone rings again. I reach to pick up the phone.

“I’m probably doing it,” I think to myself.

P.S. I did it. www.CinderToot.com

John Mashni