A - Z 2021: Don’t put all your Eggs in one Basket

Welcome back to A - Z 2021 and happy Easter! Yesterday we had Duck for Dinner, did you enjoy it?

E is for 

Don't put all your Eggs in one Basket

Especially if you're Easter Bunny. God forbid you tripped and damaged all the pretty eggs you were supposed to hide in peoples' gardens. 

The saying has the same message as "betting all your money on the same horse": 

If you want to invest your money, you need to diversify your assets, so if the stocks take a dive, you can always count on some revenue from your bonds. Same goes for currencies, some are more volatile than others, and you want to balance the risk.

How about everyday life?

I feel like this is an analogy for dividing your focus and energy in order to reach your goals, be it around the house, at school or in your job.

If you spend all morning ironing, folding and putting away your laundry, you end up staring at your empty fridge, scratching your head and wondering how on earth do I make lunch now? The kids are coming home soon, and they are gonna be hungry. 

So it comes down to juggling your priorities. Read my lips: food should always be a priority!

I have turned out to be a person who's pretty great at it. Making food a priority and keeping my eggs in the air - because juggling balls is for amateurs.

So much so though, that I sometimes feel I can't give every single transaction the attention it deserves, know what I mean? If your plate is full, you just get sh** done, and mindfulness flies out the door.

My personal challenge is to actively decline more responsibility, to delegate and / or to allow a decrease in quality. All of which are hard. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, and my motto is more like what we discussed yesterday: all Duck or no Dinner! Do it right or don't do it at all.

I learned that when it comes to thinking and learning, people tend to be either linear or global types. Linear thinkers feel most comfortable with detailed information and a structured approach, whereas global types are bored with too much planning and prefer to focus on the overall goal. 

This is why engineering and sales usually don't get along too well, by the way. 

Don't know which one you are? Here's the link to a quiz.

Let's take an example of a linear and a global approach when it comes to cooking:

The linear type will research and study recipes, convert measurements, lay out ingredients, make sure they haven't expired and follow the instructions.

The global type will just throw on the stove and get busy, if necessary adjust on the go. 

Do you want another example? Here's my favorite fictional couple: Harry and Sally from - duh - when Harry met Sally. It's so very obvious right from the start:

Picture Source: ELLE

Sally: I have it all figured out. It's an eighteen
hour trip which breaks down into six shifts of three hours each
or alternatively we could break it down by mileage.

(Harry climbs to reach for something at the back-seat)

Sally: There's a...there's a map on the huh... visor that
I've marked to show the locations so we can change shifts.
Harry: Grapes?
Sally: No, I don't like to eat between meals.

(Harry spits pits out but the window was shut)

Harry: I'll roll down the window.

Picture Source: Why so blu

And then of course there's the iconic order at the diner:

Waitress: Hi, what can I get ya?

Harry: I'll have a number three.

Sally: I'd like the chef salad please with the oil and vinegar on the side and the apple pie a la mode.

Waitress: Chef and apple a la mode.

Sally: But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top I want it on the side and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real if it's out of a can then nothing.

Waitress: Not even the pie?

Sally: No, just the pie, but then not heated.

Waitress: Uh huh.

Photo Credit: My dear Friend Annie

Another one to go?

After the waiter brought the check, Sally uses a calculator to figure out the tip:

"So 15% of my share is 6.90, let's say 7" - how generous, hahaha! Thinking about it, I'm shocked though. She paid USD 46 plus tips for a chef salad and an apple pie? In a freeway rest stop diner? In the 1980s? Daylight robbery much? Did she have to pay extra for her special wishes? 

While I have been walking around in life, believing I'm a distinct global type, I have more linear style in me than I thought, hence the perfectionism. I want to be able to handle large quantities in great quality, have my cake and eat it, too!

How about you? Big hitter or in-depth methodologist?

Let me know in the comments below.

Please join me again tomorrow. We won't be looking to the floor for pennies - we'll rather be looking to the sky for rainbows. Are you game?

PS: I know I'm late but you may want to pin it for next Easter. Here's a tutorial on how to make silk tie dye eggs.