Building things can engage us at a primal level of humanity

Humans have always been exquisite tool makers.

Roughly two million years ago, our species first learned how to use objects to extend their ability to modify features of surrounding environments. Such crude but useful implements became the critical step in the evolution of mankind.

How else do you think we climbed to the top of the food chain? Certainly wasn’t our rugged good looks or winning personality.

But from stone to bone to wood to metal, from ideas to words to pixels to bits, there is nothing we humans can’t turn into some kind of device.

Hell, even if the tool we build only helps us, that’s still a win. There’s no shame in exploiting a market of none. Because building things can engage us at a primal level of humanity that reminds us, we’re all creators. That’s a profoundly empowering feeling. It’s more than a skill, it’s an inheritance.

And I don’t mean to objectify everything in life as yet another object to be manipulated for efficiency and utility. I just think there’s something uniquely satisfying and deeply spiritual about making a thing, a tool fit to our exact specifications, which extends our ability to modify features of our surrounding environment.

Particularly when there’s no overhead. That’s my favorite kind of tool. The one that costs no money, takes up zero space, and doesn’t consume any energy.

I like tools that are conceptual in nature, but are nonetheless real, usable and powerful. Because then you can use them anytime, anywhere. There are no barriers to operation.

What’s your toolkit? How do you extend your ability to modify the features of your surrounding environment?

If you’re looking to level up your life experience, claim your toolmaking power.

Start a habit of building things to your exact specifications. Tools that you can use anytime anywhere.

It’s invaluable to feel like you have solid resources to help you decide what to do and where to turn when things get tough.

What’s the operating system for your daily life?