Principles, Parenting & Purpose

Put Your Tools Back

July 2, 2023

Many of the earliest principles my dad taught me were about taking care of tools, and using them well. He started teaching me when I was two or three. Ask before borrowing others’ tools. Cut away from yourself. Learn how to use each tool well. Clean your tools when you’re done using them. And, most importantly, put tools back when you’re done using them.

There is nothing more maddening in the middle of a project than searching for a missing tool. The madness is compounded when the possibility exists that it was not your own carelessness which left the tool out of reach.

But, the order of those principles matters. First and foremost, you must use tools intentionally, with appropriate consent. Always cut away from yourself, and use tools well—safely and skillfully.

What if I told you that every day you use two of the most powerful tools ever wielded by a human being—every day! And as you wield them, you have not obtained consent, you’re not using them safely. Often, you cut toward yourself. You never clean them. And you never put them back. You toy with them thoughtlessly and ceaselessly.

Do you know these tools?

As a human being, you have two unique tools: memory and imagination. They are incredibly powerful tools. Used well, they allow us to understand and learn from the past, they allow us to anticipate and choose the future.

But 99% of the human population has never been taught to use these tools well. When they operate by default, without consent or conscious control, they often produce negative thoughts—generally summed up by the words “fear” and “regret.”

How often do you use these tools each day? Do you plan ahead for how you’ll use them each day? Do you have a clear intent as you use them? Are you paying attention as you use them? Are you producing what you want as you use them? Or are these tools controlling you?

Lack of intention yields “implicit consent.” Take back your control.

Remember that these are your tools. You must have your own consent before you use them. Cut away from yourself. Learn how to use these tools well. Clean your tools when you’re done using them—let go—let the thoughts drift away like clouds. Where it’s useful, write down what you’ve seen or learned.

Put your tools back when you’re done using them. With memory and imagination, the effort is not in “returning them to their proper place”—the effort is: “stop using them.” They’ll put themselves back when you use them wisely.

Use all of your tools wisely.