And other lessons
Happy weekend, friend!
I don't have an article to share this week, as I've been reading a bunch of new things.
The presidential debate got me thinking about the country's and global political climate through the lens of psychoanalysis and cultural anthropology (I like to take a 10,000-foot view where others get stuck in the details). So I've been reading Carl Jung this week, and apparently he has some very timely things to say.
But anyway, for this weekend, here are three ideas I'd like to share with you.
The value-difficulty conflation
"Look at the car he's driving, look at the watch he's wearing, look at the girl he's with.
That's unattainable to many people, so it seems like it's valuable.
But then you attained it, and then you realize, 'Oh, this isn't valuable. This is just difficult to get.' And there's a big difference.
What's valuable is something that fulfills you intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and lovingly.
Most smart people realize that there is value in stepping outside of their comfort, that on the other side of discomfort is something valuable. We're told that worthwhile things are difficult to attain, because if they weren't difficult to attain, they wouldn't be worthwhile.
This is how nonvaluable but difficult things get slipped into our desires without us noticing.
Attaining something worthwhile is often going to be difficult, but just because it's difficult doesn't mean it's worthwhile."
-- Chris Williamson, podcaster
One of the biggest mistakes we make is identifying the wrong metric.
How do you define success?
What makes something valuable?
What truly brings happiness?
What makes a long-term relationship work?
Half the battle is knowing what the real metrics are.
How to get into bigger rooms
"When I was young, one great piece of advice I got was be the non-complainer. When asked by someone to do something, I would do it.
When asked to build a deck, I did it. And obsessed about every word, transition, image and animation until I felt it was pixel perfect. This took time.
When asked to build a model, not only did I try to understand the purpose, I made the model flexible, structurally sound and elegant. This took time.
When asked to work on a project, I took it on head first, developed some sense of it and then wrote a few pages explaining what I had learned and why it may be valuable as the project went forward, or didn't. This took time.
Meanwhile, I didn't have time to gossip, I didn't have time to make friends at work, I didn't have time to complain.
I made myself indispensable to my superiors by being a reliable worker. They then took me into the rooms they were in because I was essential to them doing well. Eventually, as they transitioned further upwards, I took command of the rooms they used to run.
This is how the process is supposed to work.
So if you want to get into the rooms where it happens, don't complain and don't get distracted. Be a reliable worker to those you work for and with. The rest takes care of itself."
-- Chamath Palihapitiya
Show yourself to be excellent in everything you do. Don't cut corners. Don't half-butt it.
Put out quality work, and put it out consistently. They don't all have to be A+ work, and it's not the end of the world if you turn in a B sometimes. But your effort must be consistent. You'll then show yourself to be reliable.
Finally, proactively take responsibility for things that aren't asked of you.
That's the kind of person who gets opportunities thrown their way.
The world conspires to make you less content and less happy
Your discontentment puts money in people's pockets.
Your comparison with others fuels the marketplace.
Your bitterness is the running oil for the political charades.
Brands and influencers claim to make you more happy and fulfilled, but they remind you again and again how you aren't as well off as the next person, hoping that will drive you to buy from them.
Now, I'm not saying you should never buy from them, but you should be aware of what might be driving you to do so.
Here's a good way to put it: Don't go grocery shopping while you're hungry.
In the same way, while you may benefit from consuming those products, make sure you're making that decision from a healthier place.
Stay purposeful.
– Nathanael
P.S. -- Let me know: what's something you've been reflecting on recently?
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