Author: Herbert Lui
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To earn an opportunity, steer into the concerns
In Backable, Suneel Gupta recalls a time when he was seeking funding for his startup Rise. He’d recently met Reid Hoffman and sought his advice: When Rise was being rejected by investors, Hoffman shared one of the keys to his success in the pitch room. “There will be one to three issues that are potentially…
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5 minutes
In Springfield Confidential Mike Reiss and Mathew Klickstein write: Matt Groening definitely created the Simpsons, and the story of how he did it is truly unbelievable. Matt was a Los Angeles underground cartoonist when he was called in for a meeting at The Tracey Ullman Show. The series had one-minute animated bumpers (as well as…
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Creativity and data
In Nightingale, the journal of the Data Visualization Society, Victor Muñoz discusses applying my post on the four stage creative process to his data physicalization project. I really appreciated Victor’s post, which was a demonstration in how widely creativity is applied. (Other parts I liked: The journey involves Figma, a daily creative operation, and is…
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To find a good position, list out every possible criticism and craft the narrative
I was discussing a recent draft of my next manuscript with my friend and colleague Rahul, and he mentioned Nikita Bier’s tweet: You could replace “your product,” with your work, or your career path, or anything really, and this statement still holds true. When it comes to repositioning, an emotion like doubt comes in extremely…
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Audio and alter egos
When you want to change the way you talk to yourself—your self-talk—one interesting step is to listen to someone else talk, on repeat. For example, Seth Godin talks about how he changed his own negative self-talk by listening to Zig Ziglar tapes, for three hours a day, for three years. Similarly—but slightly different—Cathy Park Hong…
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Meditating on a flight
Here’s a passage that recently came to mind as I embark on travel, from 50 Cent’s Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter: Whenever I’m feeling a little stressed, I’ll sit in that room and say my mantra for ten or fifteen minutes. It’s a very easy way to regain control of my mind. Having that room is…
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“The road is made by walking”
Walker, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more. Walker, there is no road, the road is made by walking. Walking you make the road, and turning to look behind you see the path you never again will step upon. Walker, there is no road, only foam trails on the sea. Border of a Dream: Selected Poems of Antonio Machado, translated by Willis Barnstone
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On why people around you stop you from changing
The people closest to you serve as your anchors. The benefit is that they keep you steady and provide support. The drawback is they also hold you back from making changes that you may want to explore. If they’re not suited in a similar worldview to where you want to go, this force feels practically…
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The right season
A fruit is nothing picked out of season. Even a brute’s praise won’t stand to reason. Border of a Dream: Selected Poems of Antonio Machado, translated by Willis Barnstone
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Put the words on the page
When Lauren Martin was writing her book, and dealing with the anxiety of it, she sought out advice from other writers (via Jimmy Chim). She learned: The consensus was obvious: Stay present. Stay with what’s in front of you. Don’t get ahead of yourself, don’t worry about the middle and the ending, just stick with…