Food for thought
There’s something deeply satisfying about doing a great job, to the best of your ability. No matter whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, or at a hot startup, or massive company. Entry level or VP. The first recognition has to come from yourself.
Americans used to live within “place-based networks” of clubs, churches, schools, commerce, and recreation that overlapped, wrapping individuals in social support. Local networks protected individuals from isolation and loneliness.
Those networks have largely disappeared, replaced by networks based outside the local community. We shop and interact... See more
Those networks have largely disappeared, replaced by networks based outside the local community. We shop and interact... See more
Why we need to design community into neighborhoods
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Leber • Persistence Prevails
Conversation at MIT in 1953:
Marvin Minsky, "We're going to make machines intelligent. We are going to make them conscious!"
Doug Engelbart replied, "You're going to do all that for the machines? What are you going to do for the people?"
We’re wired for small, close-knit communities, but instead we’re lost in the chaos of a massive, impersonal society. It’s no wonder we’re struggling—this isn’t the environment we were built for. The cracks are everywhere. Just scroll through social media or read the comments on a political post, and you’ll see it: a storm of anger, hostility, and... See more
Poetic Outlaws • The Comfortable Life Is Killing You
Life
Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next
... See moreA friend asked a Busy Guy to lead a project, and instead of saying yes or rejecting it, the Busy Guy said: “I can’t commit to that, but I can commit to thinking about it, and if I come up with something I’m excited about, I’ll do it.”
Such tact in that answer.
-DP
"Focus on the things you are for, not the things you are against.
Many people spend large chunks of their day thinking about what they hate. They are always telling you about something they dislike: this food, that subject, this political party, that coworker.
You are more than your frustrations. Build your identity around what you love."