Growing up, I lived next to a family that always set a high and respectable standard for themselves and those around them. The man that set this standard, as far as I am aware, was the father — Evan. Dr. Evan, that is. He set a high standard for himself, and as a result, required that same standard from his family. The ripple effect was very profound, and easily recognizable. This family rather quickly became one to emulate. Now, this is a roundabout way for me to dictate why exactly I am writing for 30 minutes for one month. Dr. Evan reached an age where he was too feeble to write. I do not want to get to that age and find out that I wrote too little, or that I did not discover my voice.
Now, where this experiment will go, I haven’t the slightest clue. I just want to write… Maybe tomorrow I will write poetry, and the following day the outline for a romantic comedy starring Ben Stiller, and for the hell of it, Will Ferrell… I have few metrics to determine success or failure… Well, not yet. As with all things, I firmly believe in consistently seeking out areas where I can improve my output. The notion of “fail fast” resonates with me here. The phrase indicates consistently reflecting on shortcomings in my writing, my speaking, my output. I have no teacher here. If people start reading and critiquing my writing, then I will. But until those days, I will be the critique and man in the arena — how about that!
This is interesting, and clearly tangential, but very often, I focus on my shortcomings and ignore my successes. I almost never, and I mean never, celebrate my wins. I have come to learn ever-so slowly that understanding why I was successful is as critical as recognizing where I fell short. Both are of equal value in fostering personal and professional growth.
I think tomorrow, or maybe even tonight, I will write about the book The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. Speaking of Josh, I really hope, I firmly desire it, to create an impact, or the type of success, similar to that created by Josh. In reading the extremely unique and colorful weekly email called Monday Musings by David Perell, I found most intriguing the point that there are two types of fame. The is Celebrity fame, where every person on the planet knows you, whether in a positive or negative light. That type of fame, that celebrity, is the opposite of attractive to me. The only way that I could find that the least bit attractive would be if I were in the shoes of an Elon Must or Bill Gates, who need the global spotlight to shed light on really critical and fundamental issues that they are focused on solving. The other form of fame relates to your industry. If you are a doctor, you are the most well-known neurosurgeon because you have successfully completed three of the most rigorous and/or unique surgeries. You are respected, revered, for your accomplishment and/or abilities, but only by those in your industry. This type of fame, in my opinion, is that which is for those confident in their abilities, and proud of what they have done. However, there is no desire for attention, only to do and be better. I have always felt that I want to be seen as accomplished, not feeling the need to vocalize my accomplishments. To me, needing to tell others what you have done is a clear display of lacking confidence/self-esteem and means that you do not feel that your accomplishments are worth anything without the approval of others. No, thanks. I prefer to appreciate my work, and only tell others when seeking advice for improvement. Others can learn about my successes from others. Not from me. Lastly, on this note, I am living my life for me and only me. I will not live my life for others, as that will not lead to my ultimate happiness.
Another possible topic of discussion could be the Lex Fridmen podcast with Ray Dalio. So much to dissect in that podcast. Fridmen also host a podcast with a college student named Ryan Schiller, who has created an app called Librex, which allows for anonymous discussion between students on campuses (though, largely only elite colleges like the Ivy’s, MIT and Stanford). I do feel that this is largely masking the fact that people do not feel safe to express their opinions without being cancelled, labelled a bigot, without any opportunity to explain themselves. Having intellectual, fringe-type discussions needs to be encouraged, not discouraged. Much more to be said on this topic. These critical and lacking discussions are certainly a post I should attempt.
Thought: Should I draft these? Wow, quite the question. Does that lose the candid nature of my prose? Who cares ;) — I will leave these are terrible or tremendous as they originate in my brain!
Maybe tomorrow I will try a specific writing tactic? Perhaps I should be boisterous and detail oriented and largely outlandish?
I want one of these discussions to be about seeking out discomfort. This focus on discover all of the areas of my life that make me uncomfortable is what draws me writing for 30 minutes per day. Yes, this post is all over the board, and I feel encouraged to explain myself, but the truth is who cares? I expect nobody to read these, and I view this post as metaphorically looking at a massive lump of clay. David was not shaped over night, and nor do I expect progress to be perfectly linear. I am looking forward to those days where I am so tired and do not feel like writing. I will produce complete shit that day, but completing my writing that day is better than not writing at all. I have drawn heavily on the notion that when the game gets tough, we fall to the lowest level of our training. I aim to make that level really damn high. I care little if others see or hear my effort, but I know that I will.
One of these posts will have to be about Vertical Farming. Now that would be fun to write about. I have so much to learn about this, however!
Thought: Everyone looks to history for some kind of insight that will answer their prayers and provide a roadmap to perfect success. In reality, everyone fights their own daily battles, and you generally lose more than you win if you are really in the arena… Too many people, myself right now very much included, work in jobs that provide us work but do not challenge us to be more. These are corporate jobs, typically.
Thought: I’d like to write about news outlets. They largely are garbage.
And on that note, my attempt to be more like Dr. Evan, but also foster who is Drew Bassini, begins!