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I turn 29 next week.
A lot has happened in the last year. Here are a few practical insights I've found useful.
https://theprofile.substack.com/p/11-practical-pieces-of-advice-id
A lot has happened in the last year. Here are a few practical insights I've found useful.
https://theprofile.substack.com/p/11-practical-pieces-of-advice-id
1. The quality of your work will eventually catch up to your ambition.
Ira Glass says everyone who does creative work went through years where they felt their taste didn't match their skill. “It is only by going through a volume of work that you'll catch up and close that gap."
Ira Glass says everyone who does creative work went through years where they felt their taste didn't match their skill. “It is only by going through a volume of work that you'll catch up and close that gap."
2. Find ways to fall into intellectual rabbit holes.
The first way I do that is by pestering interesting people to talk to me. The second is to go on a walk & actively observe. Third is to grab a book, open it to a random page and start reading.
The first way I do that is by pestering interesting people to talk to me. The second is to go on a walk & actively observe. Third is to grab a book, open it to a random page and start reading.
3. Take mental breaks throughout the day.
For me, there are several activities that soothe me, and I use them to break up my day in three chunks. Yoga in the morning, exercise in the afternoon, and a long walk in the evening.
For me, there are several activities that soothe me, and I use them to break up my day in three chunks. Yoga in the morning, exercise in the afternoon, and a long walk in the evening.
4. Chase what you don’t know.
Never let your identity become stagnant. Actor Willem Dafoe says he’s always chasing after what he doesn’t know. “Do things that don’t let you decide definitively who you are and the way things are,” he says.
Never let your identity become stagnant. Actor Willem Dafoe says he’s always chasing after what he doesn’t know. “Do things that don’t let you decide definitively who you are and the way things are,” he says.
5. Be interesting, not perfect.
Whether it’s art, movies, or books, people talk more about the flawed things that get stuck in their heads than the perfect things. Malcolm Gladwell says, “You want an aftertaste & that comes from not everything being perfectly blended together."
Whether it’s art, movies, or books, people talk more about the flawed things that get stuck in their heads than the perfect things. Malcolm Gladwell says, “You want an aftertaste & that comes from not everything being perfectly blended together."
6. Competence is the antidote to fear.
I used to be absolutely terrified of public speaking. At the thought of it, I’d start nervously sweating. But here’s the thing: Things aren’t scary. People get scared.
I used to be absolutely terrified of public speaking. At the thought of it, I’d start nervously sweating. But here’s the thing: Things aren’t scary. People get scared.
7. Your choices belong only to you and no one else.
I’ve learned to normalize my life. Do whatever makes you happy, and stop letting other people’s misinformed judgements dictate your day-to-day.
I’ve learned to normalize my life. Do whatever makes you happy, and stop letting other people’s misinformed judgements dictate your day-to-day.
8. Love is not an emotion; it’s a skill.
One reader told me, “Love has to be worked on; sharpened regularly. Much like any other craft, the time that goes into keeping it fresh and vibrant must be respected. And like all important skills, it must be used.”
One reader told me, “Love has to be worked on; sharpened regularly. Much like any other craft, the time that goes into keeping it fresh and vibrant must be respected. And like all important skills, it must be used.”
9. Life is about good people and good stories.
I’ve become more intentional about the people I spend time with.
Shonda Rhimes: “I now work to see people, not as I’d rewrite them, but as they have written themselves. I see them for who they are. And for who I am with them.”
I’ve become more intentional about the people I spend time with.
Shonda Rhimes: “I now work to see people, not as I’d rewrite them, but as they have written themselves. I see them for who they are. And for who I am with them.”
10. No matter what, always bet on yourself.
One of the more mind-blowing things I’ve realized in the last year is that no job, no person, no amount of money will ever fulfill me if my self-worth is tied to something external.
One of the more mind-blowing things I’ve realized in the last year is that no job, no person, no amount of money will ever fulfill me if my self-worth is tied to something external.
11. Get proximate to suffering.
What Bryan Stevenson taught me: “We must get proximate to suffering & understand the nuanced experiences of those who experience inequality. If you are willing to get closer to people who are suffering, you will find the power to change the world”
What Bryan Stevenson taught me: “We must get proximate to suffering & understand the nuanced experiences of those who experience inequality. If you are willing to get closer to people who are suffering, you will find the power to change the world”
Read the full post here: https://theprofile.substack.com/p/11-practical-pieces-of-advice-id
