A Close Shave

On Friday, I bought a new electric shaver. I decided to splurge and go for a high-end Norelco that cost over $150.

I was excited about the new shaver, because let’s face it, I am a hairy man. With my old shaver, I would finish shaving at, get it as close as I could, look at myself in the mirror, and have a 5 o’clock shadow – at 8 in the morning! On top of that, it took me 20 minutes to get a shave with the old electric. I hoped that the new on would take care of both of these issues…

The next day, I had to get up early to go deliver a training session. I woke up excited to use my new shaver – yes, as we get older, these are the things that excite us. Not Nintendo. Not candy. A new electric shaver. But I digress.

I used the shaver, and I will say that it did take less time. I pack up my stuff and drive down to the client. After I get myself set up in the room we are using, I pop in to the bathroom and catch my reflection in the mirror. And it’s back – my 8am 5 o’clock shadow. Curses! on top of that, it seems like since I was using a new shaver, I may have missed a spot. I have a little dark patch on my face where the shave wasn’t as close.

I now had to go out and face the client looking not only unshaven, but poorly unshaven…

You may be wondering why I am sharing a shaving story with you. There are three lessons here:

1) I am all for innovation and trying something new, but you should pick your spots – Getting a new shaver was a great idea. Using for the first time the morning of an important gig was not a great idea. I should have picked up the shaver earlier in the week and had a few days to get used to it. Set yourself up to win: when you try something new (and you should) don’t add extra complications by trying it “live” for the first time.

2) Attitude is everything – As I stood in the bathroom staring at my reflection, concerned about my facial hair, I realized that if I acted like everything was fine, then people might not notice. And if they did notice, my energy and focus would make them quickly forget it. So that’s what I did – I put it out of my head and want about my business. And you know what? The session went great.

Many time the things we think are huge issues in our own head are trivial to others. When Ding! Happens, The less you act bothered by them, the less others will notice.

3) I clearly have shaving issues – If anyone wants to recommend a system that a) can give me a super close shave b) can be done at home and c) does not involve shaving with a razor “against the grain,” I would love to hear about it!

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