I expressed my exasperation to Col’s 6-year-old son Deakin. His response was so funny it completely dissolved the tension.

Being funny is a great quality. Even if you’re not exactly sure what’s funny or why. In this Fink Tank, Col and I laugh about the nature of humour and why it matters in life and work.

Being stand-up-comedian level funny is beyond most people, for effort and talent reasons. But we think everyone is capable of adding a bit of humour to their repertoire.

Skip to 6:25 for some terrible jokes. Better yet, put your shit go-to jokes in the comments!

When I was 15, I stole an esky full of drinks from a random campsite.

Not exactly the heist of the century, but it felt huge in the context of my teenage attempts at rebellion.

I was fingered as the perp the next morning. I feared the worst, but the poor bastard whose beers I nicked had other ideas.

In this Friday Fink Tank I share a story Col had never heard. I definitely never told mum or dad!

My selfish teenage idiocy had wronged a good man. I was expecting humiliation and punishment.

Instead, he chose grace and forgiveness.

I don’t even know his name, but I’ve never forgotten him.

I came home to human poo in the driveway. Our fridge broke the same day.

Life will always have problems. Are they actually problems though?

In this Fink Tank Col Fink and I laugh about the human audacity to complain about things that were luxuries unavailable to even kings or queens only a hundred years ago.

In a great 2024 article about the quality of problems, Alicia McKay wrote:

Most of the problems I complain about are:

a) Entirely the result of my own choices

b) Actually a sign of progress and privilege.

Yours probably are too.

If you don't like your problems, get better ones.

If you already have good ones, but you forgot, this is your gentle reminder.

Well said Alicia, as usual.

What’s the poo in your driveway right now??

I rented an e-bike and shot myself in the foot.

By making life “easier” I accidentally made it less rewarding.If you run a business, it’s quite likely you love some parts more than others. In this Friday Fink tank Col Fink and I talk about the bits we love in our work, and the bits we like considerably less. And the difficulty of maintaining touch with the parts that light you up.

We admire the audacity of successful operators like Dr. Jason Fox (wizard) 𓃦, who stopped doing email, and Alicia McKay, who stopped taking meetings.

How's the balance in your work?

Did it hurt?

When you read something so profound it left you reeling. A book that laid your soul bare. An article that prised open your brain. A quote distilling the human condition to its essence. An idea so poignant it simply MUST be shared with your bestie. You buy them the book. You email the article. You forward the meme.

You anticipate deep connection, gratitude, shared metamorphosis.

Instead you get… meh.

Yeah. That hurt.

Sometimes the meh person is yourself, a few days or months later.

The Fink Tank is back! And we’re here to see the world not as it is, but as we transiently foolishly are.

Col’s four year old daughter Darwin rode a pedal bike for the first time last week. If it weren’t for the Fink Tank, I would have missed it.

In our final episode for this year, we reflect on the surprising longevity of the project, and the multiple ways it has brought joy to our lives.

Since June 2023, we’ve dropped 114 episodes in 130 weeks. Apart from season breaks, we’ve only missed one Friday publishing deadline. For anyone who knows the Finks, that is ASTONISHING.

We love the conversations and connections the Fink Tank brings. To all you beautiful people who’ve joined in the fun, THANK YOU. You’re the reason Col and I keep playing in this magnificent sandpit.

See you next year!

If you’re a member of the Dead Parent Club, today’s Fink Tank is for you.

Our dad Tony died 27 years ago. On his anniversary yesterday we honoured him in Col’s shed.

I’m now about the same age as Dad was as I remember him. When I was younger all I could see were the differences. As I’ve aged, I’ve been quietly chuffed to grow into the similarities. I love seeing echos of his character in Col.

We’re all a reflection of our parents, for better or worse. Tony was a wonderful dad, so most similarities are for better. Apart from Col inheriting a filthy smoking habit for a decade. And my penchant for leaving things to the absolute last minute*.

If you’ve lost a parent, we’d love to hear from you.

People warned us about going to the United States. With alarming news at saturation point, we had doubts ourselves. Here’s what happened:

Everything was fine.

In Florida, people warned us about going to New Orleans.

New Orleans was amazing. We went to a Halloween street party in the suburbs, and it was pure delight. But the people there warned us about going to downtown New Orleans.

Downtown New Orleans is fantastic. We took the kids for a sunset walk on Bourbon Street, and they loved it.

The news paints a distorted picture of the world, where danger and catastrophe lurk at every corner.

The world is mostly great. But that doesn’t make the news, because reality is boring. Yes we’re privileged, and there’s a lot of real suffering in the world. The news machine knows we feel guilty about our comparative ease, and exploits our empathy.

You already know that just being “aware” of the world’s atrocities doesn’t help. What actually helps is money.

So, Col Fink and I wonder, should you stop watching the news?