2024 December 3 Efficiency and Perfection

Hi, this is Jim Cranston from 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com, the podcast and website about reimagining your life. Thanks for joining me tonight as we dive into the double-edged sword of efficiency and perfection. If you like what you hear, please leave a like, subscribe, tell your friends, or send me a message. Let’s get started!

Tonight, I’m back in the main studio—living in the lap of luxury compared to my travels over the past ten days. As you know, I’ve been on quite a journey. It started with a visit to some friends in Mexico, followed by a trip back to Houston. From there, I drove to San Antonio, then on to El Paso, where I picked up a rescue dog named Rocket. After that, Rocket and I spent five days driving like mad to get back home, racing against the big storms rolling across the Midwest and Great Plains.

We were lucky—we made it back with just an hour to spare before the snow started. It was an intense but rewarding trip. Along the way, I had time to reflect on a lot of things, both from the journey itself and from other ideas I’ve encountered recently. These thoughts, while unrelated at first glance, all tied together in interesting ways, and I’m excited to share them with you tonight.

The theme for tonight is efficiency and perfection, and I came across a story in The Wall Street Journal that got me thinking. It was a review discussing the driverless Waymo taxis in Los Angeles. I’m familiar with the writer's work and generally respect her perspective, but I took exception to one comment she made.

She wrote, and I’m paraphrasing here, Some people say part of the fun of using Uber is not knowing what kind of driver you’ll be stuck with. Actually, no one says that. I loved the privacy of not having a human driver. That comment struck me as a little sad, honestly.

Personally, I almost always enjoy my interactions with Uber or Lyft drivers. We may not always become best friends—though sometimes we do—but I almost always learn something, either about them, about myself, or sometimes both. To me, that’s part of the richness of human connection.

It reminds me of the concept of moving into a neighborhood where everyone has identical political beliefs. The first time I heard that, and it’s become more common, I couldn’t help but think: isn’t it troubling that we’re creating ghettos of all kinds, where sameness is seen as essential? It’s as if we’re house shopping with the intent to surround ourselves with only like-minded people. That whole idea really unsettles me on multiple levels.

One of the issues with this trend, in my view, ties back to how the United States functions. This country thrives on discussion, the sharing of ideas, and building consensus. When people isolate themselves—whether physically or ideologically—it becomes harder for that process to happen. It boils down to a trade-off: efficiency versus community.

Sure, a driverless taxi might seem more efficient, but efficiency always comes with a cost. It means you're giving something up, and too often, we don’t recognize what we’ve lost until it’s too late to get it back. We’ve talked before about win-win situations, which, to me, are a false concept. What’s really happening is that those who claim it’s a win on both sides just don’t care about what’s being sacrificed.

Take the debate over removing toll collectors from the Golden Gate Bridge, for example. It’s part of my work in the toll industry, and I remember the discussions vividly. In theory, going automated made things more efficient, but what did we lose? We lost those human interactions, small moments of connection that matter more than we realize.

This reminds me of my experience as a runner. California is often thought of as this open, accepting place, but oddly enough, it had some of the least friendly runners I’ve encountered. I’d be jogging down a path, say Good morning, and get a look that screamed, What do you want? Why are you talking to me? Contrast that with New York City, supposedly an unfriendly place. There, if you greet someone with Morning, they’ll often respond, even if a bit cautiously. It’s ironic that a state so associated with openness can feel so guarded and disconnected.

What happens when there’s no discussion or open communication in a community? We lose something important. Efficiency often comes at the expense of community. Think about driverless taxis, self-driving cars, or even social media algorithms that feed us only what we already believe. Over time, your entire world becomes an echo chamber, reflecting only your existing views.

Sure, you save a few minutes in a driverless car and maybe get to work on a report during the ride—that’s great—but what’s the trade-off? You miss out on hearing a different perspective, on learning something new about the world. And that, in my opinion, is a loss we can’t afford to overlook.

On this topic of efficiency, I want to share something from my recent trip. I stopped at a place called Immaculate Conception Church in Alamo Gordo, New Mexico. Their website, which is ICCAlamoGordo.org, doesn’t have the easiest URL to remember, but it’s worth mentioning because of the impression the church made on me.

A week ago Sunday, I attended their service. It got me thinking about how, in the name of efficiency, we’ve built systems like the interstate highway system. Originally, it was created to move military supplies across the country quickly. And yes, it’s incredibly efficient—I crossed the United States in under five days, and that’s without pushing myself hard the first two days.

But here’s the thing: while efficiency lets you cover a lot of ground quickly, it comes at a cost. I’m glad that during the trip, I took some time to leave the interstate, explore smaller towns, and meet people. The Spanish-speaking congregation at Immaculate Conception Church, for example, was absolutely delightful. They didn’t know me, but they welcomed me with open arms, tolerated my less-than-stellar Spanish, and made the experience one of the highlights of my journey.

Now compare that to the hyper-efficient way many people travel. You hop on the interstate, drive as far as you can, check into a hotel where you barely interact with the front desk, use DoorDash to have food delivered to your room so you don’t need to visit a restaurant, and then wake up early to head to a self-serve gas station before hitting the highway again. Efficient? Sure. Memorable? Not at all.

The trade-off is clear: you save time, but you lose so much. You miss out on moments like meeting a congregation that takes a chance on you, opens up, and leaves you with lasting memories.

So, that’s my final word on efficiency—just remember, it’s not free. Every time we choose efficiency, we’re giving something up. The key is to keep track of what you’re sacrificing, because too often, the things we lose in the pursuit of efficiency turn out to be far more valuable than we initially realized.

Now, let’s turn to the second half of this discussion: the pursuit of perfection, which is a close companion to efficiency. Perfection manifests in countless ways, but one of the most pervasive is the pursuit of physical beauty—trying to be perfectly beautiful.

This pursuit fuels an entire industry, one that thrives on convincing people that they’re inherently imperfect. The message is clear: You don’t look good enough—but you can fix that with this product. Whether it’s makeup, hair dye, or the latest skincare trend, the beauty industry has built its fortune on exploiting insecurities. And honestly, it’s a deeply troubling phenomenon on so many levels.

But it’s not just about beauty. There’s also the perfection of conformity, and we see it reinforced in things like AI photo enhancers. Here’s my quick takeaway on that: you are, exactly as you are, precisely who and what you were meant to be. Everyone wasn’t supposed to look the same. You’re not meant to look like some idealized version of a supermodel, polished to perfection by a PR agency or photo editing software. Real people are imperfectly beautiful, each in their unique way, and that individuality is worth celebrating.

How does this tie back to efficiency? Both efficiency and perfection attempt to strip away the messy, authentic, and beautifully unique aspects of human existence. They try to homogenize life into something predictable, standardized, and commoditized. Efficiency pushes us toward living in ways that minimize challenge or discomfort. Meanwhile, the pursuit of perfection tells us there’s a singular way to look, act, or even think.

When we buy into these ideas, we’re left with a world that prizes sameness over individuality. Living efficiently in a self-driving car, conforming to appearance standards dictated by media, and acting in ways society tells us are acceptable—it all discourages questioning, exploration, and growth.

In short, both efficiency and the pursuit of perfection can rob us of the richness of life. When we focus solely on streamlining our experiences or trying to conform to someone else’s ideals, we lose the opportunity to embrace who we truly are and to connect meaningfully with others.

We often tell ourselves that we’re living perfect lives, but I’d argue that when you strive for that kind of perfection you’re not really living at all. You’re just playing a role—a part someone else wrote for you. The alternative is to live your life authentically, by your own vision and values. That’s what this is all about: finding and following your own path.

I hear questions sometimes, like, Why don’t you have solar panels on your roof? Funny enough, I used to sell solar systems, so I know the technology and its benefits. But here’s the thing: for me to install panels, I’d have to cut down an entire mini-forest—about two dozen CO2-capturing trees. Not just a tree or two, but enough that it would significantly impact the local ecosystem. I’d lose all that carbon capture, plus the birds and wildlife that depend on those trees. One of them is even a mulberry tree, which feeds countless creatures. So yes, I made a deliberate choice.

Do I get comments from people who think I’m behind the times or not efficient enough? Sure. But those comments don’t bother me, because I understand the real-world tradeoffs behind my decision. It’s a reminder that efficiency always comes with a cost. You might not see or care about what’s lost at first, but the loss could be more significant than you realize.

Let’s look at another example: you could spend a cab ride scrolling through news you already agree with, instead of engaging in a spirited political discussion with the driver. That’s efficient, right? But it also isolates you from the world. It puts you in a personal bubble where everything is familiar, and you risk losing the richness of human connection.

Or take something as trivial as this year’s official color. Do you feel out of place because you don’t know it? I consider it a badge of honor. If someone’s going to judge me based on my style—or lack of adherence to trends—then I use that as a filter to steer clear of shallow people.

The bottom line? Be proud of yourself. Be confident in your choices. Efficiency and perfection can be worthwhile goals, but when taken too far, they come with a dangerous side. They push us to conform, often in ways that don’t serve our true interests.

Each of us is unique, with gifts and talents that don’t fit into the mold of commonality. Embrace those gifts. Embrace who you are—your looks, your quirks, your approach to life. You don’t need to filter yourself through an AI to meet some arbitrary standard of beauty or symmetry. That’s not you. You, just as you are, are awesome.

So, as we’re winding down after Thanksgiving and maybe recovering from a weekend of shopping, let this be a simple reminder. Yes, efficiency has its place. Yes, striving for betterment is important. But there’s always a cost. Be mindful of what you might be giving up. And above all, hold onto your uniqueness—it’s your greatest strength.

That’s it for the evening, folks. As always, I like to end with a few reflections. The world is in turmoil right now. Ukraine remains a disaster zone, with constant bombings devastating communities. The Middle East, while improved in some areas, still faces ongoing struggles. And in Africa—particularly mid-Africa—there’s no shortage of conflict. The truth is, you can look at almost any part of the world and find trouble.

If you’re in a position to help, I urge you to consider it. One resource I’ve shared before is UKR7.com, which links to ways you can support the people of Ukraine. Imagine waking up every day wondering if your town—or one nearby—was bombed overnight. It’s a grim reality. Some might argue it’s not our business, but I believe it absolutely is. Evil thrives when good people stand by and do nothing. If we have the means to help and choose not to, we’re part of the problem.

Another organization worth highlighting is World Central Kitchen at WCK.org. They’re incredible—showing up wherever there’s a disaster to provide meals. They often work with local food suppliers, so they’re not just feeding people; they’re also supporting local economies. It’s a fantastic way to help on a global scale.

But let’s say you can’t or don’t want to donate, and that’s okay. You can still make a difference in your own way. Sometimes, it’s as simple as smiling at someone as you pass them on the street. Small gestures like that can brighten someone’s day. You never know what someone is going through, and your kindness might mean more than you realize.

One of the best ways to care for yourself is to care for others. It shifts your focus outward, letting you see the world in a more positive light. Whether through donations, volunteering, or just spreading kindness, you have the power to make the world a better place, one person at a time.

If you found something useful or inspiring here tonight, please share it with someone. And if you have feedback or suggestions for future discussions, drop me a comment. Remember, live the life you’ve dreamed of—it’s your path to walk. Sending love and encouragement your way. Thanks for joining me on 7EveryMinute. Until next week, take care!

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