Why Pirates Wore Earrings, A World Record Paper Airplane Flight, And A Unique Cleaning Crew at Disney World: Why Non-Scale Victories Are Critical for Tomorrow's Success
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The 3-Word Quote: “Preparation Promotes Progress”
1.
The 'Golden Age' of pirates spanned from 1650 - 1720, when thousands of these men ruled the seas.
They ransacked ships. They plundered villages. They wreaked havoc across the seas.
And they were feared across the world.
Modern portraits of these pirates often include an eye patch, a peg leg, bandanas, a skull and crossbones flag, and perhaps a sword or pistol at the ready.
But most pirates didn't don the stereotypical eye patch or a peg leg that some pictures suggested. These were likely props added by authors when describing these fearsome sailors.
There was, however, one pirate 'accessory' shown in modern pictures that was likely accurate.
An earring.
The pirate earring was usually a gold or silver hoop and was part of pirate fashion.
Except pirates didn't wear earrings as a fashion statement.
They were functional.
One theory states that the earring signified where the sailor or pirate had traveled.
Travel was long and slow. So often, these earrings signified that a sailor may have crossed the equator or sailed around a perilous stretch of ocean.
They were, in a way, an early form of a Boy Scout merit badge.
But pirates were never mistaken for Boy Scouts.
Some pirates sported the hoops because they believed these adornments cured poor eyesight.
Others believed earrings prevented seasickness.
And some were under the belief that if you wore an earring at sea, you couldn't drown.
The lifeblood of pirates was attacking other ships. Doug Lennox said earrings had a more practical use during these attacks.
When pirates fired cannons at their enemy, the roars of cannon fire were deafening.
Lennox said pirates who fired these cannons would often attach balls of wax to their hoop earrings. They would then insert the balls of wax into their ears to protect their hearing as they fired the cannons.
The wax served as an early form of earplugs.
Very resourceful.
And of course, in most societies pierced ears in men was a sign of rebellion.
Earrings were a way to show that society's norms and laws didn't apply to them.
But there was one other reason that most pirates wore gold and silver hoops.
And it was a reason you might not associate with these blood-thirsty men from history.
2.
Which object can be thrown farther - a football or a piece of paper?
Odd question.
Most would say the football.
And most would be incorrect.
The majority of NFL quarterbacks can throw a football 60 yards without tremendous effort.
Several of the quarterbacks can throw 70 yards.
And a few of these professional football players can heave the ball 80 yards.
But last year three coworkers joined forces and threw a piece of paper 96 yards - almost the entire length of a football field.
The piece of paper that traveled 96 yards was in the form of a paper airplane.
In fact, the 290 feet distance was a world record set on December 2, 2022.
Garret Jensen, one of the record holders, said, "290 feet is unreal."
The three were surprised and shocked at how far their paper airplane traveled; it shattered the previous world record by almost 15 feet.
Dillon Ruble, another of the record holders, commented, "It was hard to believe. It was one of these moments; is this real?"
Three friends, a record paper airplane flight.
All were shocked and surprised.
Turns out they shouldn't have been shocked at all.
3.
One website estimates that a combined 60 million people visited their locations last year. It is known as 'the happiest place on earth.’
There’s good reason Disney properties are visited so frequently as the theme parks are consistently highly rated by their guests.
Most trips to Disney parks are joyous, fun-filled days spent meeting characters and riding the attractions.
And it takes a battalion of workers to ensure this happiness and make sure everything functions smoothly.
But sometimes things do go wrong at Disney parks.
And Disney employees have special codes that alert fellow workers when problems occur - they have a language visitors can't understand.
These codes signify what the problems are. Codes include Code V, Alpha Unit, and Code 101, according to Allears, a Disney fan site.
Code V indicates someone has become sick, and cleanup is needed - presumably, the 'V' stands for vomit.
Alpha Unit is called when a Disney guest is injured and medical personnel are needed.
Code 101 disappoints park guests. Code 101 is called when a ride needs to be shut down for a time.
But there is one additional code becoming more common.
It is in response to something slightly gruesome.
And it requires a special cleaning team.
The Takeaway:
So what do pirate earrings, a world record paper airplane flight, and a special cleaning team at Disney all have in common?
They are all examples of non-scale victories.
By definition, a non-scale victory relates to weight loss. It refers to a positive and helpful action that doesn't immediately impact a person’s weight but is good for them in the long run - it is an action that won’t show on a scale right away.
In weight loss, people focus on the number on the scale - if the number is lower than the last time, then progress is made.
But a non-scale victory is a positive habit that might not show up on the scale immediately. Still, the practice or action will eventually lead to lower weight and a lower number on the scale.
For example, if someone typically eats fast food on the way home from work but chooses to drive by the fast food restaurant to make a healthy homemade dinner instead - this is a non-scale victory.
If that person jumped on the scale right after the homemade meal, the scale wouldn't display a lower weight.
But the constant habit of passing by the fast food restaurant will help weight loss.
In short, non-scale victories are those events and actions you do now that pay off in the long term.
And non-scale victories occur through life too - they are not just important in weight loss. Any action or choice that can’t be measured immediately but leads to future results is a non-scale victory.
So pirates may have had any number of reasons to wear that silver or gold earring.
They may have been shunning society's rules, firing a cannon, or hoping to be saved from drowning.
But it turns out that despite being feared worldwide, pirates had a fear of their own.
They were afraid of dying far from home.
They weren’t afraid of dying, but many often worried about who would bury them because they traveled long distances and were away for months or years.
Pirates were also concerned whether their bodies would be returned home. And they worried if they would even have a funeral.
And pirates especially worried about the cost of these things.
Enter the pirates' earrings.
Remember, they were made of silver or gold.
Silver and gold were acceptable forms of payment across the world.
So, this earring would often serve as a payment for a pirate's funeral.
The little piece of precious metal dangling from their ears allowed the family to afford burial costs.
In short, pirates planned ahead and used earrings as a form of life insurance.
That earring wouldn't make them rich, and it didn't contribute to a better life. But it was their non-scale victory. It was an action taken early that helped them later.
Turns out pirates thought about the future and prepared for it.
And what about the three coworkers who broke a world record for a paper airplane flight?
They claimed they were lucky.
They said the record was 'unreal.'
And remember Ruble said the flight was 'hard to believe.'
But they were likely being modest about their success.
Because the paper airplane throwers did what the pirates did.
Both groups anticipated future needs and worked to be ready when required - they did non-scale actions to prepare for future success.
The three record holders, Nathan Erickson, Dillon Ruble, and Garrett Jensen worked together at Boeing.
In fact, they are all Boeing engineers. Being engineers certainly gave them an advantage over other potential record seekers. But other engineers had attempted the record and came up short.
A CNN article about the trio said they put in 500 hours of work to achieve the record throw.
500 hours of work.
They studied origami - folding paper for hours on end.
They researched aerodynamics - two of the three are aerospace engineers.
They built countless prototypes - many were failures.
They looked to hypersonic aircraft for design inspiration.
They made numerous calculations and finally determined the optimal launch angle to be 40 degrees.
And they even determined the perfect paper size and weight - they used A4 paper.
According to CNN, they "meticulously thought out design choices."
The final plane design took 20 minutes to simply fold the paper.
In the end, the record wasn't luck.
The three didn't show up and 'hope' for the best.
Hope is never a strategy for success.
They researched, they calculated, and they prepared.
They strung together a series of non-scale victories during those 500 hours.
Many of their actions can't be measured as successful. Every origami project, every calculation, and every item researched can't be directly attributed to the record.
But like the pirates who worried about burial costs, the engineers planned ahead for their moment - and those non-scale victories led to positive outcomes.
And what of the unusual cleaning team at Disney?
We learned of Code V and the Alpha Unit.
But the 'happiest place on earth' is also a popular place where people spread their loved one's ashes.
Yes, many families smuggle in cremated remains to Disney - and spread the ashes in various locations around the park.
Those who have left ashes at Disney claim the deceased had such great memories there that the family decided the park to be an appropriate final resting place.
Cremated remains are strewn on the flower beds, pathways, and water, according to a USA Today article on the topic.
Two popular rides where ashes are frequently deposited include It's A Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean.
But the most popular place to scatter a relative's ashes?
The Haunted Mansion.
An unusual choice.
One Disneyland employee said, "The Haunted Mansion probably has so much human ashes in it that it's not even funny."
Spreading human ashes at Disney is illegal, but it is still common.
And Disney also has another code for this type of event.
Known as a Code A or a Hepa Cleanup, this code alerts employees that ashes have been found and need removal.
If a Code A or Hepa Cleanup is called, the ride is shut down, and a special vacuum with a fine filter is used to be sure all the remains are collected. One article says a hazmat suit is required for the cleanup crew.
But it took only a few times for Disney to respond to these situations.
They reacted early, creating this cleaning team and code to take care of the situation and keep the park running normally.
The ashes continue to be spread in their parks, and Disney employees are ready for this unusual cleanup.
Like the pirates and the paper pilots, Disney planned in advance.
Like these three groups, creatives and those in virtually any job must continue to work and practice non-scale victories - even when you can’t see the actions paying immediate dividends.
Pirates knew they would die and have to pay for a funeral.
The Boeing workers knew they would be working on a paper airplane.
Disney might not have been able to predict the first spreading of ashes, but they reacted quickly and are prepared for future events.
All three groups worked on things that didn't directly or immediately help them at the time.
But it paid off in the future.
What skill are you working on that doesn't show up directly in your work today? What actions are you working on that aren't immediately noticeable on your current projects?
Today’s skills and actions will be critical for tomorrow's success.
Turns out the time to build a well is long before you're thirsty.
3 things before you go:
Watch: A 3 minute TED talk on trying new things: Try Something New For 30 Days by Matt Cutts - something novel is always good; short and engaging
Watch / Listen: Beatles Medley by Walk Off The Earth - this band consistently puts out some of the most creative covers and videos; try watching this without smiling or dusting off some Beatles records
Watch / Listen: In honor of Burt Young’s recent death (Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie in the Rocky movies) - another Walk Off The Earth cover - Eye of the Tiger; like you’ve never seen/heard it before
Thanks for reading. See you in 10 days!
-Jeff
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