Matt Mylin

Meditate on scripture to change the way you think.

[Andrea S. James @AndreaSJames]

Gently, softly, calmly, let’s talk about what’s happening in DC right now.

Friends, have you ever been through a ZBB process? If not, let me give you my take. So, in a corporation where expenses are out of control, you have to put the entire company through a zero based budgeting process. It is one of the most painful things that people in a company experience.

You basically have to justify every. single. expense. And you also cut a bunch, and then only add back after you’ve gone through a proper ZBB cycle.

The US government is going through a ZBB right now. And that is necessary because spending is out of control. The complexity is so vast that I expect it will take AI to decipher.

You cannot tell me that a government that accidentally wires hundreds of millions of dollars to the Taliban has its finances in order. That signals an underlying disaster. That signals bad stewardship of resources.

In fact, it is a disaster. Over the last 20 fiscal years, the US government has made ~$2.7 trillion in "improper payments," according to the US Government Accountability Office. Trillion! With a T!

That financial management disaster was not caused by @elonmusk. And there is no painless way to clean it up.

Elon is doing what any executive would do walking into a giant mess. You ZBB and then build back.

So, I don’t believe that America is going to be on the wrong side of global right and wrong, as some are saying. I don’t believe that America is going to be permanently isolationist. I do believe that unwatched finances will get out of control in any human system, and that the GAO has been trying to ring this bell for years, and that scaled complexity requires scaled financial management.

Because the US has the largest budget in the world, it will now go through the single most complex ZBB ever undertaken in the history of the world.

Some states do ZBB, but it's never been done at the federal level. President Jimmy Carter tried, but the bureaucratic systems were too complex, and President Ronald Reagan abandoned the attempt.

So, if there is one person in the world chosen to lead this Grand Canyon of projects, we would hope for the president to choose one of the best capital allocators on the planet. Better if that human is also one who can leverage AI and technical talent to manage the massive complexity.

Anyone who has lived through a ZBB at the corporate level will tell you that it’s hell and everyone hates it. This is why I feel really bad for federal workers -- I have a lot of empathy for civil servants and people doing a great job every day for the United States. No doubt, the uncertainty is trying and stressful for many. It's an unfortunate situation.

So, that's my take. I don't want to speak beyond what I know and can observe from the other side of the country. I've worked both in the private sector and the public sector -- the cultures are different. And an Elon-Musk-style culture is going to be the most hard core of them all. No doubt, it's jarring. It's gonna be a lot.

But what I also know is that every time I have ever doubted Elon, I ended up being the one who was wrong.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

Read the rest here:

https://t.co/3DpZCNPtwy

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

Out of all Jesus’ commands, one stands out as the most repeated: “Don’t be afraid.”

He said it more often than “pray” or even “love one another.”

But I’ll be honest – when fear grips me, hearing those words can feel anything but helpful.

[Trung Phan @TrungTPhan]

The foundation under Venice is fascinating.

There is the equivalent of 10 million tree trunks under the Italian city.

At first glance, wood is an inferior option to stronger materials.

But it has proven resilient since 5th century AD, when the wood was first gathered from from Northern Italy and the Balkans (leading to mass deforestation in some areas).

How? Wooden piles are submerged and buried deep in the seabed’s clay, which does two things:

1️⃣ No oxygen: Bacteria rots wood but it needs oxygen to survive and there is none where the wooden trunks are buried.

2️⃣ Salt water: Exposure to salt water for hundreds of years has hardened the wood into a stone-like material.

On top of the wooden piles are a platform made of wooden planks. On top of that is a water-resistant layer of marbles that structures are built on.

And that’s how Venice — which is 118 small islands linked by bridges, walkways and canals — was built in a swampy lagoon.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

@dickiebush This is the kind of writing i'm here for. Using real-world experiences that can be applied to some area of your life.

Thanks for the value you add!

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

A compelling vision written down will serve your people best.

The challenge for me is that writing a compelling vision in a simple way is hard and time-consuming.

Once you see the value, it's motivating to put the time into doing it.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

There is always complexity in anything you lead.

I continue to be faced with this reality.

People need vision written down.

Leaders, especially those with charisma, are tempted to cast vision verbally.

While it may be inspiring, it doesn't last like a written vision.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

Written words have the power of life and death.

Use them wisely.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

Like a good teacher, God gives tests.

A test is not for you to show God how you will respond. He already knows.

Tests reveal what’s inside of you.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

One reason I read the Bible.

It teaches me how to trust God's wisdom for what is out of my control.

(Because so much of life is not in my control.)

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

@RobFinkill Hahaha…too good

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

Canceling comcast today.
Don’t need cable anymore. And too expensive.

Anticipating a long wait, I had a notebook for journaling and a podcast to listen to.

Alas, I was in and out in ten minutes.

Good experience canceling. LOL

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

My best method to understand the Bible is to simply read a passage and then journal about it.

Over time, I began to see timeless truths that have changed how I think.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

I just learned about allelopathy.

It is the suppression of plant growth by a toxin released from a weed.

Jesus calls out three distractions that are like weeds:

• The worries and cares of living in this world.

• The desire for other things.

• The lure of wealth.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

@drewdyck Perfect GIF

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

Jesus said there will be things that choke out his message like a thorn.

A thorn chokes out a seed by competition.

Weeds and seeds are competing for nutrients, water, and sunlight.

What is competing for my attention and keeping me from obeying Jesus?

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

Deep roots take time.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

If you want to grow spiritually and learn how to participate in God’s plan for your life, don’t talk to someone who just became passionately on fire for the Lord in the past 3 months.

Talk to someone who has been faithful to Jesus for fifty years.

You'll learn what it takes

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

If you want to learn what it takes to make a marriage work, don’t talk to a newlywed couple who just returned from their honeymoon.

Talk to a couple who have been married for 25 years or more, are still in love, and still like each other.

You'll learn what it takes.

[Matt Mylin @mattmylin]

If you want to lose weight or implement a healthy exercise program, don’t talk to someone who just lost a ton of weight.

Talk to someone who has maintained their weight for a decade or more.

You’ll learn what it takes.