The Art of the Pivot | The Hoard Vol. 4
I told myself this week was “boring.”
I didn’t travel. I didn’t launch a massive new project. I mostly just stayed home, took care of the cat, and ate chicken and sardines.
But then I realized something: I don’t have a very exciting life, but I have a good life.
And a good life is usually made up of small fixes and tiny upgrades. This week, The Hoard is dedicated to the tools that help you pivot when things go wrong, and the little things that add flavor to the mundane.
Here are the three things that saved my week.
1. The “Kitchen Pivot” (And the accidental soup) 🍗
I tried to cook chicken thighs this week. I failed. I pulled them out, and they were… questionable. Undercooked.
The old me might have panicked or thrown them out. The 55/35 Protocol me decided to pivot. I threw them into a pot of boiling water, added spices, and turned a failure into an amazing chicken soup.
The Hoard Item: A Good Stock Pot. You don’t need fancy kitchen gadgets. You need one vessel that can turn your “mistakes” into “dinner.” It reminded me that resourcefulness is better than perfection.
2. The Precision Screwdriver Kit 🛠️
Speaking of that pot… the handle fell off. Which brings me to my favorite purchase of the week: A Precision Screwdriver Kit.
You know the ones, they have a hundred different magnetic bits in a cool little case. I bought it on a whim, thinking I’d use it for PC parts later. But 10 minutes after opening it, I was tightening the pot handle.
There is a specific kind of satisfaction in having the exact right tool the moment a problem pops up. It turns a “broken thing” into a “fixed thing” in 30 seconds. Everyone needs one of these in their desk drawer.
3. The Pharaoh Cat Patch 🐱
I am tired of wearing other people’s logos. I found this incredibly cool embroidered patch of a “Pharaoh Cat.” It’s gold and purple, it’s regal, and it looks like something from a cyberpunk Egyptian future.
I didn’t buy a new hat. I’m going to sew this onto a plain cap I already own.
The Lesson: Customization is the ultimate luxury. You don’t have to spend $50 on a branded hat. You can spend $0.69 on a patch and make something that nobody else has. Plus, it fits the VengaDragon vibe perfectly.
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The “Boring” Conclusion
I played some D&D. I donated to a GoFundMe. I cleaned my cat’s water bowl. It wasn’t a movie trailer week. But it was a week where things got fixed, food got made, and life moved forward.
Sometimes, that’s enough.
Venga!
Mark (VengaDragon)
P.S. I’m doing something crazy this weekend…
Speaking of “boring,” I am tired of the boring advice to “Cold DM” people to get subscribers. It’s annoying and it doesn’t work.
Today at 12:00 PM EST, I am posting a video on Notes launching a “Growth Experiment.” I’m going to try to grow the magazine this weekend without sending a single DM. Keep an eye out for it.