Ask a person, not your phone

It’s human nature to be curious.

In fact, we spend an incredible amount of time just looking things up. Google processes about 2 TRILLION queries every year. That’s almost 100,000 every second.

When was the last time you asked a stranger for something instead of your phone?

I’m down in Charleston with a client team for their annual planning and had a free night to wander around the city.

And I could have googled a restaurant and listened to some website and used an app to book a reservation. Then I could have looked up cool tourist attractions while I ate and booked an Uber to take me straight there.

But Liz’s phone wasn’t working.

So I walked into the Apple store and asked if they had a sim card tool I could have.

And while I waited for the guy to dig around and find one, I asked him where I should have dinner.

And he told me about a great little sushi bar a few blocks away.

Sim tool in hand, I walked to get sushi.

But the tiny 24-seat restaurant was full.

So I asked the lovely woman at the door where I should go.

She said “If you can eat quick, here.” and squeezed me in to the bar before another reservation started.

At dinner, I asked the sushi chef what he would recommend and had two phenomenal rolls.

I asked my neighbor at the bar - who turned out to be a tour guide born and raised in Charleston - where to should go and he gladly gave me a great path to walk.

Which I did.

Until I realized I had to pee.

Which was a problem.

Because I was in a very residential area.

So I walked up to the main room and stopped in a little store.

And they told me there was a bathroom in the hotel lobby across the street.

And now you’re reading an email about me finding a bathroom.

We’ve built up this habit of being alone. Afraid to look stupid or out of place, we constantly go back to the universal source of information in our pocket to make every decision.

But if you stop and ask your neighbor.

You might have a great dinner, see a new place, and avoid a public urination arrest.

All you have to do is ask.

be good

z