Thoughts

Our brains are hardwired to follow what we’re curious about. From the moment we’re born and can perceive the world around us, we can’t help but follow what’s interesting. The key is to never lose this flame.

When we follow our interests we thrive. On top of that, if we strive to do our best in each moment while pursuing something deeply interesting to us, something bigger happens. We become even more connected on the path toward mastery. This is the end goal we all strive for whether we realize it or not.

Our task as humans is to ignite the flame of curiosity for others. Friends, family, our children. Everyone. It’s the greatest act of service one can do for society.

I believe all of human flourishing boils down to two skills we all have the capacity to master.

The ability to:

1. Focus on the signal and tune out the noise
2. Turn those signals into action

All of our perceived problems in life can be traced back to one or both of these things going wrong. We either didn’t focus on the signal over the noise, or didn’t turn a signal into action. Or worse, we turned noise into action. This is where most of us go wrong.

All of our victories in life can be traced back to both of these going right.

There are two types of signals:

1. Positive signals
2. Negative signals

Positive signals are ideas and intuitions that guide us in the right direction. When we act on positive signals, we feed the soul. When we feed the soul, we experience what it’s like to truly feel alive. When we don’t act on positive signals, we feel unfulfilled and incompetent. Like we could’ve done more. If we’re not careful, we can fall into a common trap that presents itself as a positive signal. The ego driven signal. The key is discerning what is a positive signal that feeds the soul or feeds the ego. If a signal feeds the soul, we feel it deep down. It manifests as conviction that this is the right path. Ego driven signals revolve around status games. Glorifying ways of life or being. Chasing money or titles. The rule of thumb: if a signal advances our status, it’s probably not going to feed the soul and will leave us unfulfilled.

Negative signals are perceived problems that result in stress. When we don’t act on negative signals, we feel overwhelm and stress. From my observation, most people suffer from not acting on negative signals. It manifests as complaining without doing something about it, undue stress that affects other areas of life, and more.

Each time we don’t act on these signals, we chip away at our self-esteem and confidence. We chip away at our sense of agency and control over our lives.

The faster we turn signal to action, the more in control we feel. The amount of perceived problems and stress decreases tenfold. We don’t complain, we do something about it. We don’t just have ideas, we create.

Products are tools. Humans are toolmakers.

Fundamentally, tools are leverage for human capacity. They transform how something gets done. Before the tool, it was one way. After the tool, it’s another.

The best tools (or products):

• Remove friction and pain
• Transform the way we do something
• Provide leverage to the person using it

Nothing can be made today without a tool that came before it. Everything we know and love is a subset of the tools that came before. Computers, movies, music, shoes… everything.

The first tool was our mind. It’s still around today. We used it to make things real with our hands, fingers, thumbs, and the dexterity we were gifted. Once we learned to leverage those, we built more physical tools, and kept going.

Most people take tools for granted. The true power of a tool is that another human made it. Someone conceived the idea that it would be useful here, then did the work to bring it to life.

This is a big thank you to all the toolmakers who came before. We wouldn’t be here without you.

As a maker of things, there’s a magical moment that happens when the thing you’re making goes from not good, to finally good. A feeling of satisfaction when the thing is finally good and ready to ship. It’s a psychedelic experience for people who care about making things. That’s the thing we’re chasing as creators.

Never stop chasing the feeling of making something great that you’re proud to see in the world.

One can win in life by simply not doing stupid things. It’s less about trying to do the right things, and more about knowing what to avoid.

Knowing what not to do is more powerful than knowing what to do. The age old inversion adage.

Avoid doing what the crowd is doing: mindless scrolling, smoking and drinking, passive consumption of any kind.

Just do things — Do things that matter to you. Do things that are interesting to you. When you do anything, do your absolute best. No half measures. Go all the way.

Never stop learning — Pursue interests and what you are curious about. Learn the lessons from your mistakes and the mistakes of others. Read. There is no winning and losing. Only winning and learning.

Respect others — Hold every person in high regard. Treat them with fairness and kindness. As you would someone you admire. You don’t have to agree with everyone, but you can listen, understand, and learn from them. Above all else, you can treat them well.

Success, in anything, is simply knowing what you want and removing blockers until you get it.

Once you know what you want, identifying bottlenecks and removing them at rapid pace is what separates those who make it from those who don’t. This applies to all fields and lines of work.

The hard part is knowing what you want (and wanting the right things to begin with). Then having the discipline and focus to chase after that thing and solve problems until you get it.

“It’s no good being successful if you can’t find time for people.”

— Roy Keane

When you find yourself questioning what to do or how to do something, do what comes natural to you. It’s the idea of removing all performance. Showing up exactly as you are. It’s ALWAYS better than manufacturing something. Our worries and anxieties try to tell us otherwise, but we can’t let them win. Just be you.

If there’s one idea that I’d want to instill in my children, it’s that there is no losing in life. You either win, or you learn. You can go your whole life and never win, but at least you learned something.

All the work we do throughout our lives can be classified as a series of creative projects.

These creative projects determine how proud we are of the progress we’ve made looking back. Pursuing a creative project requires instinct, intuition, taste, good judgement, and passion. They are a way of transferring who we are into a body of work that others can benefit from, sometimes indirectly.

Creative projects come in many forms. Each project is an iteration to mastery in your craft or a season you’re in. The choice we have to make is which project to work on. The answer is simple… it’s one we are most drawn to. The one that feel like they are calling us or pulling us in a certain direction. To not do this thing feels like we’re fighting against the current. Following the pull leans into our natural curiosities, interests, and strengths. Creative projects are the things that make us feel most alive. They feel like real progress. No matter the discipline or field, there’s a creative project calling our name.

A well-made product has the power change the way people live.

The purpose of any product is to help make someone’s life better. Great products come from an insight into how the world works today, and wanting to change it. Sometimes that means refining an experience that already exists. Sometimes it means creating a new one. In either case, the work begins with the experience itself, with a clear sense of how it should feel when it is right.

A great product can communicate taste, judgement, conviction, and care, without having to say so. When someone uses a product, all of these qualities make it through, and they can be felt.

The best products came from building something the creator(s) personally wanted. They focused on making something they were proud of with their unique point of view. As a consequence, it ended up serving people who share their way of seeing the world. That kind of understanding can’t be manufactured. When you build for others, you lose the ability to create something original.

In most cases, products are built by companies. In my view, a company is simply a vessel for organizing a point of view and a way of being into a collective whole. It is a tool to operationalize ideas, beliefs, people, and resources. This way of being impacts everything downstream. The work that is done, the products that are made, the people that are hired, the customer being served, the messaging in the marketing. Everything. As a company grows, maintaining this clarity becomes harder. The best ones find ways to stay close to their original values. Leaders should provide direction not orders. When direction is clear, alignment follows.

Everything we use and experience today only exists because someone chose to make it.

Someone spent time deciding that this thing should be in the world, and then did the work to bring it to reality.

Creation is the act of making things that express who we are and what we’re about. We are designed to create things and share ideas that move humanity forward. It’s how we put a dent in the wheel of progress.

Creation comes in many forms. Whether you’re making, building, crafting, painting, shaping, serving, gathering, you name it… No matter the discipline or area of life, you are performing a creative act.

Every meaningful act of creation follows a similar set of principles. These principles are the conditions in which great work can be done.

• A clear point of view or something to say
• An idea of how something can be different
• Strong taste, judgement, and conviction
• Intense focus on what’s most important
• Small groups of people built on trust

The most successful creators make things they personally want. They focus on making something they are proud of. They bring their unique lens and perspective so that in turn, they can leave their mark on the world. As a consequence, it ends up serving people and the world anyway. People who share their way of seeing the world, or even better, changes how people see the world.

I believe all human flourishing comes from three capacities we are all born with.

Each capacity is like a leg on a stool. If one falls, our ability to flourish collapses. We all have the potential to maximize the capacities, it’s only a matter of nurturing or losing them over time.

The three capacities are: curiosity, creativity, and connection.

These capacities on their own don’t make humans special. What makes humans special is when the three capacities are working in concert with one another. When the stool is standing.

Curiosity is direction. Curiosity pulls us toward what’s important to us. Curiosity is the engine that moves creativity and connection forward. By following our natural curiosities, we ensure we are always oriented. Without curiosity, flourishing becomes aimlessness.

Creativity is expression. Creativity inspires imagination. Creativity results in making things that express who we are. Creativity turns ideas into reality. Creativity turns insight into form. That form can be art, products, relationships, or new ways of living. Without creativity, flourishing becomes stagnation.

Connection is meaning. Connection is where curiosity and creativity stop being private pursuits and become a shared experience. Connection grounds curiosity and creativity so they don’t drift into isolation or self absorption. Without connection, flourishing becomes emptiness.

In short:

• Curiosity provides fuel for creativity and connection.
• Creativity provides expression to curiosity and connection.
• Connection provides meaning to curiosity and creativity.

The three-legged stool dictates our quality of life. We can ask ourselves at any point which leg is missing or needs to be nurtured to find out the source of our problems. Then it’s as simple as leaning into nurturing that capacity to make sure the stool stays standing.