Autonomy Foods

I saw a video recently that pointed out something blindingly obvious: if a paper cup was just made of paper, your coffee would fall through the bottom in minutes. The reason it doesn’t? Plastic.

Here’s the thing nobody mentions: most paper cups are coated with a type of plastic that makes them waterproof. The moment you pour in hot coffee, it starts leaching into your drink. Every single time.

So there I am, smugly avoiding plastic water bottles, while I’m drinking plastic soup every day from my local coffee shop. Brilliant.

This annoyed me enough to ask a different question: what if we designed a cup you would proudly own for life?

Something that keeps drinks at temperature, doesn’t leach anything into your morning libation, and looks good enough to be the centerfold in a design magazine.

That’s the Optimist Cup.

More to come this week.

We’re alive, let’s go!

Patrick

The most effective supplement for your focus isn’t an ingredient, it’s a word.

When I was an attorney who dreamed of being a chef, I’d spend my weekends in a basement kitchen pulling pin bones out of seabass (for no wages!). I remember my Blackberry (yes I am that old) pinging with messages from my friends: 

“We’re at the park having a BBQ, you want to come?” 

“Are you coming to the pub for a pint?”

My answer? 

No.

If you want to achieve anything in life then you have to get comfortable saying that magic word. Because every time you say yes to someone else, you’re saying no to the life you want to build.

This week’s autonomy upgrade:

I’ve always found saying no hard to do. But then a wise man told me how he does it:

Sit down and write out a sentence to describe what you want to do with your life. It sounds big and frankly, it is. Then use this as the filter for all incoming requests.

Here’s an example:

“I want to dedicate my life to helping other people reach their potential, through the food products I create and the empowering brand that I am building.”

Then when someone asks me to get involved in a new project or go on a trip, or anything I don’t want to do, I politely tell them my life goal. Then I say that what they’re asking doesn’t line up with that, but I wish them so much luck.

In a world where people usually say “maybe” when they actually mean no, people will respect your clarity and you’ll have more time for the things that light you up.

We’re alive, let’s go!

Patrick