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How do you think it’s going to turn out?
Imagine that any time a meteorologist forecasted the weather, the prediction changed how the weather would be that day. So for example, if they predicted it would be sunny, then it was more likely to be sunnier that day. If they predicted it would be rainy, then it would be more likely to be rainy.…
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Ask people to give you what you want
In December 2009, Patrick McKenzie invited Thomas Ptacek out to coffee in Chicago. This was unusual for Patrick, because he wasn’t comfortable writing cold emails at the time. While Patrick’s original intention was to gossip about Hacker News threads—they were the top two users by karma points—the conversation shifted to Thomas asking Patrick about SEO…
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Don’t let the name stop you
Naming your business or your project is an important decision. A good name will help people remember your work and make a good guess about what it is, a bad name will confuse them or worse—give them a reason not to take your work seriously. Julien Smith wrote a really good guide here, and I’ve…
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Re-appraising perfection
The story of perfect: Perfect is free of fault, incompletion, and error. Perfect is safety. Perfect is first place, a gold medal, or 100%. It is happily ever after, the peak of excellence, something to remember while also setting and forgetting. This is the imagined reality we live in, a story based on the assumption…
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Liberating rules vs. governing rules
In my early 20s, I found myself getting easily distracted by social media. So I introduced a rule into my life, which was to check social media only after 6pm. That particular rule was great, because it freed me from the possibility of getting a quick, thin, reward. I was free to be more present,…
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Coping with reality
Imagine you have a bag full of papers you carry with you everywhere. Each paper has a set of instructions. Every time you experience a strong enough negative emotion, you instinctively pull one of these papers. You do that because you know you will feel better after you follow the instructions. You’ve done this for…
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What’s right vs. who’s right
Shane Parrish was talking to a woman who was one of two candidates to become the next CEO in her organization. She approached him with a difficult problem that the organization faced, and her proposed solution. It would work, but it would be complicated and risky to execute. She also told him there was another…
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Basketball evolved because its inventor let go of control
On December 21, 1891, there was a big blizzard in Springfield, Massachusetts. Students wouldn’t be able to go outside for days. A thirty-year-old Canadian teacher at the YMCA Training School, James Naismith, had to figure out how to keep his students busy. James started off with a game of indoor football, which was too violent,…
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Building confidence on a foundation of practice
In March, I appeared as a guest on my friend Michael’s podcast and discussed the creative process and daily blogging. Shortly after, he decided to blog every day for 100 days. I really enjoyed his writing—some highlights include his reflections on identity, mental health, and leaning into your strengths—and I found myself checking his blog…
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The story of Mohini
Mohini was a white tiger who lived at the palace of the Maharaja of Rewa until the director of the National Zoological Park in Washington, DC bought her for $10,000. The people working at the zoo planned to build a natural habitat for her, but it would take several years to complete—so in the meantime,…