Today marks the latest installment of the series, Five Things We Can Learn From Everyday Objects, where we see what lessons we can be taught by things we use on a daily basis.
Today’s subject…microwaves. Think you can’t learn anything from a microwave? Think again!
Five Things We Can Learn From Microwaves
1. Fast is Good
Wikipedia defines a microwave oven as a “kitchen appliance that heats food by bombarding it with electromagnetic radiation in the microwave spectrum.” This is a fancy way of saying that it heats food very, very fast. That speed is what makes microwaves popular. They are faster than a grill or a stove.
Our society likes fast. We want fast cars, fast computers and fast internet. We don’t know what 4G means, but we know we want it. Time is important and we cant be waiting around for things like dial up internet. When you are pursuing a goal, fast can be helpful. Fast technology can give you an advantage. But…
2. Too Fast Can Make You Too Furious
While microwaves cook things fast, that doesn’t always mean they cook things well. Microwaves can also make your food taste like rubber. This is the downside of having your food bombarded by electromagnetic radiation.
In life, fast doesn’t always mean best. Simply throwing speed at something doesn’t solve a problem. You need a little substance or your work will become rubber (which isn’t great, unless your job is to make rubber). Go too fast and you might just create more of a mess than a success.
3. Know How Long Things Can Take
Cooking popcorn in a microwave can be tricky. If you cook it too long it will get burnt. If you cook it for too short, you do not get the maximum kernel popage. You can’t just cook popcorn for the same length that you would to reheat pizza. You have to know how long each item takes to cook. Not everything should be cooked the same length.
That is a tough idea for us to remember. This is why some microwaves have preset buttons to help you cook popcorn. We need help from the microwave or else we just might mess it up. When you are starting a business or chasing a dream, it is important to know that not all things happen in the same amount of time. Create preset buttons for yourself by setting realistic goals.
4. Not Everything Can Handle Fast
Have you ever cooked food in the microwave only to realize you used a plastic plate. Before you knew, it your plate was melted worse than a ice cream cone in the summer sun. Your meal was ruined because your plate couldn’t handle the heat.
What are the elements of your business that can’t handle the heat? Which things need to go fast and which need to go slow? Not everything you work on can be achieved quickly. As we talked about in lesson 2, sometimes your goals will be like the plates in a microwave, aka ruined, if you try to go too fast.
5. Work On All Angles
I don’t know what year it was, but somewhere along the microwave timeline, a smart inventor added in a plate that rotated. It was a simple but genius addition. This allowed your food to be heated evenly.
You hear about baseball players being called 5 Tool Players. This simply means that they are well rounded. They can hit, run, throw and do pretty much everything you could want on the baseball field. Are you a 5 Tool Player in your field? If not, it is important to work on all angles of your game. Whether you are a writer or a runner, become well rounded by spending a little extra time on those areas in which you need improvement.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
