Bend Reality in Your Direction

The reality distortion field is a concept I first came across in Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Jobs had a gift to get others around him to execute on his timeframe — the reality distortion coming from the seemingly unrealistic deadlines that would still be met regardless.

None of us are Steve Jobs, but we can take away a certain component of his work and bring it into our own lives.

Today I participated in a video challenge where I attempted to taste 100 olive oils in 2 hours. Not something I’d recommend to most readers but for degenerates like me it’s quite fun to discover the great oils. I could try 30 oils before I finally hit a good one. I may convince myself of things like “I forgot what a good oil tastes like” or “nothing at this show is good” until finally one hits — and it’s the best feeling ever. Truly. Once you watch the video you’ll be able to find the subtle (or not-so-subtle) cues I provide indicating my desire for an oil.

100 oils in 2 hours is honestly the perfect example of reality distortion. The reality bending at play here is finding a reason to talk about olive oil and interact with producers. Recently I’ve struggled to find the reason to reconnect with producers I’ve developed relationships with, had some sour communication with others in the industry, as well as a general dry spell for myself of even caring about olive oil.

What changed was simple: I turned on the camera and started filming. All problems solved immediately. So many benefits just came to me:

• Met a really cool olive oil influencer decades past me in his journey

• Reconnected with several old friends

• I got great joy out of trying olive oils

• I discovered new products that I deeply enjoyed

• I have a cool video to share on my YouTube page.

While walking from Javitz to Penn I felt gratitude (for about 3 seconds) that I leave the show with cool content. A nice gift for the road.

I am not writing this to toot my own horn — I’m writing this because something I noticed in my own life is the camera as a reality distortion vehicle. I take out a camera, and perspective changes completely. Not only for me but for the people around me.

Simple actions such as going to the gym at 6am daily or putting electronics away 1 hour before bed can create a new reality for yourself. Sick of hangovers on Saturday mornings? If you prioritize the 6am wakeup, the late night shots you took the bar all the sudden gets avoided (something I’ve personally found helpful). And the electronics away 1 hour before bed is probably better than any sleep medicine you would ever take.

You are in the driver’s seat.

-Jack