Notes in Progress 7th: A random call can change life trajectory
A really underrated thing to do is to cold email and reach out to people you admire! Today I was able to meet someone I look up to and admire for their work and values and writing, whom I discovered through writing on substack. I don't have have the hindsight view, but it feels like an inflection point. I need to focus, be proactive not reactive.
Be proactive, not reactive. Don't react, produce a question. Don't consume. Create. Don't react to news. Write. Before 12 pm, don't open twitter or email. What to do?
Principles to repeat every day: Add value to others. Find the thing that makes everything else worth it. ( https://adaobi.substack.com) Do something towards the thing everyday! Follow intrinsic value. Write and share online People are kind. Find a way to give back. Reduce the amount of luck needed in the world One big thing per day, every day.
Writers: Adaobi Cate Hall Simon Sarris Kat Hu Derek Sivers cybermonk
How to capture this effervescence of gratitude and store it? Capture this gratitude I feel in a bottle, or store it in a fridge, and drink a little bit of this gratitude every day. I think, it's possible, by writing, by repeating a word you associate with this memory: "Find the thing! " Pair it with a ritual, a daily action: every time you see a 5 in the clock, like 5:05 pm, or 19:05, you can associate it with this memory. And so, if you find yourself tired or empty, and you realize it's 5:05 pm, you can associate with " Find the thing!" and come back to this memory. You can create associations. You can re-program your brain. Do hard work.