All posts by Meredith Hitchcock

Somm

Learn Ferociously, , ,
Screenshot from the documentary Somm

I recently watched the documentary Somm, available on Netflix. It’s about four men who are trying to achieve the rank of Master Sommelier, the highest possible rank for a sommelier in the world. The diploma’s been available since 1969, but only 214 people had earned it by the end of last year. The test has three parts: theory, service, and a blind, 25-minute taste test of 5 wines. In the taste test, they have to be able to identify the grape varietal, the region from which the wine came, and the year. 

Their journey to the exam reminded me a lot of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and the focus Jiro exhibited. The exam occurs only once a year, and obviously only a handful of people pass. The sommeliers in the film spend all of their time focusing on this one task: pass the test. At the end, they mention that it’s only the beginning, they have to constantly learn more and refine their palates to stay on top. It’s a great look at what it takes to be the best in this particular field, and to do what many would consider (nearly) impossible.

Quitting Smoking, and the Ulysses Contract

Move People, ,

This episode of Radiolab begins with a former civil rights activist, Zelda, who wants to quit smoking after 40+ years. She makes a deal with herself: the day she smokes another cigarette, she has to donate $5,000 to the KKK. She picks a friend to hold her to it. The episode frames this (somewhat extreme) example in the larger context: it’s a “Ulysses Contract.” In it, you make a decision that will design it so that it binds you in the future. Ulysses wants to hear the sirens, but men who hear them inevitably go mad and navigate their boat onto the rocks. He has his men stuff their ears with wax so they can’t hear, and then have them tie him to the mast. They’re not to change course no matter what he says and no matter how much he protests.

The key point here for Zelda is that she has a larger goal of quitting smoking. But when faced with cigarettes, the immediate desire overwhelmed her longer term goal. To make it stick and break the habit, she had to come up with something that was terrible and immediate enough to overwhelm her desire for the cigarette. An added point is that by telling her friend, there’s accountability for keeping her promise to stop smoking.

http://www.radiolab.org/story/117165-help/

 

The Gap

Dream Bigger, Learn Ferociously

A couple months ago, a filmmaker made a video based on a talk from Ira Glass, who hosts the NPR radio show This American Life. It was his advice for people who are frustrated with their work. He says that when people start out in a creative field, there’s a gap between taste and ability. Glass claims that a lot of people quit at this phase. But those who make interesting creative work spend years recognizing the gap, being disappointed with their work, and trying to lessen the gap.

His main suggestions are to do a lot of work (a flavor of the contentious 10,000 hours to expertise rule), but he also talks about setting deadlines to keep working and remain focused. It’s a slightly different angle from which too look at some of the ideas from this class, including focusing and continuing to refine and tweak where others give up or accept things as good enough.

Video below.

THE GAP – Ira Glass