Power-washers, Michael Jordan and Thinking Fast and Slow.

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it. - Michael Jordan.

It's funny how little seeds of thought can land in your brain in unexpected circumstances.

I spent most of Sunday clearing the weeds and power washing my driveway. It was a long arduous job (i've got the blisters to prove it). It was monotonous, physically hard work on a hot day and yet it was exactly what my tired mind needed right then.

A chance to focus my attention on something physical while my subconscious had a bit of time off to process bits and pieces that hadn't quite crystallised 'up-front'. For those that have read Thinking Fast and Slow (and if you haven't do - you can find it here) System 1 was in charge and System 2 was having some much needed R&R.

It was while I was about half way through the seemingly endless task of carefully blasting a line of stones, sweeping the excess grime and water away before, then repeating on the next line of stones, that the quote from Michael Jordan floated into my mind.

At the time, I'll be honest, I was contemplating whether I was overcomplicating this simple task of cleaning my drive.

Thing is, I knew that the job needed to be undertaken in this slow and methodical way if I :

• a) Wanted a good end result and,
• b) Didn't want angry neighbours - because shortcutting this job would just result in their cars being covered in the muck I was clearing from my drive. (Pro Tip for anyone who has never used a power-washer - they make a lot of mess if you are not careful!)

I guess I'd hit a wall, and my subconsciousness dragged up the ever incredible Michael Jordan to kick me up the backside.

In this instance, the wall was my aching back looking at another couple of hours work before I could call it a job well done. I had a couple of options - I could have turned my back on the wall of doing the job entirely and stopped with just half a drive cleared. This probably wouldn't have impressed my wife, and deep down, nor would it have impressed me.

Ok, so what if I looked at this as two walls? The first, the job at large, the second, the careful methodical approach I was taking. I could, turn my back on this second wall and just opt for the quick and easy option and blasted my drive without a care in the world and then dealt with the angry neighbours when they got back to their dirt splattered cars.

Neither of which of course, would have been a good outcome.

So the only choice I had was to work out to whether to go through these walls, over them or around them.

On this occasion, the best option was the simplest.

I chose to go through them, stick with the plan and finish the job correctly. I am now the proud owner of an immaculately clean and tidy drive, multiple blisters from all the sweeping and importantly am still on friendly terms with my neighbours (everybody needs good Neighbours).

So the point of this brief, article? Beyond giving me an opportunity to outline my power-washing prowess, it was just a moment to reflect on the importance of two things.

Firstly, the need to unplug periodically and immerse yourself in something that can take your attention away from the daily grind of the rat-race. In many ways, my epic journey with my power-washer embodied a form of meditation. Some sit in silence, others, connect with nature, I found that peace in manual labour and the satisfaction of work well done.

Whatever it is that provides your escape from the daily 9 to 5 (that has somehow crept up on us to become a constant 24/7,) there can be a beautiful cathartic release of pent up emotions we don't even consciously acknowledge, through the simple act of doing something tactile, and doing it to the best of our ability.

This leads into the second point.

It has been a challenging time for a lot of us, since the pandemic first hit, for varying and different reasons for each of us, and the impact of this will be long-lasting. So very much has changed, yet we've shown a beautiful tenacity to constantly overcome in the face of adversity as we deal with what sometimes feels like an inexhaustible supply of existential threats lining up to knock us down.

We generally as a species do our best in adversity, and in the last few years, we've shown that we are all capable of embracing our inner Michael Jordan.

We can all overcome the walls in front of us. Sometimes with nothing but sheer determination, other times with inspired innovation.

Personally, I am genuinely privileged to be surrounded by so many people who take Michael Jordan's approach. In my working life, I have a network of such people, who also understand the importance of collegiate working and ecosystem thinking.

When I think of those people, all of them embody the quote at the beginning of this brief article. None of them see barriers as problems to walk away from, instead they see them as an obstacle to overcome, excited to understand the opportunity that might be hiding behind it.

So channel, your inner Michael Jordan and encourages those around you to do so as well.

We can't all be the greatest sportsman of all time, but we can all strive to be the very best version of ourselves, whatever that may be - even if it is as simple as having the cleanest yard on the block.