In The Art of Non-Conformity, Chris Guillebeau tells a story about a man who approached him at an event. The man introduced himself, told Chris about a project/trip/business he wanted to start sometime, and then thanked Chris for being an inspiration to him and his dreams. Sometime down the road, Chris saw the man at […]
Fiction as Inspiration
It can be easy to dismiss fiction as a waste of time, especially if you take your work (or yourself) seriously. I know, I’ve felt the same way on more than one occasion. But when you find a book that engrosses you– the kind you can’t put down… It can be an amazing experience far […]
Life Partners and Entrepreneurship
Making the decision to become an entrepreneur, a builder of things, is scary and life-changing. Even more, starting something is just the beginning of what will be a harrowing journey of ups and downs. That’s just what it means to be an entrepreneur. Young, single founders can get by with little sleep, a ramen diet, […]
The Employee Happiness Ambassador
Today’s To-Do List: – Call Sublime for donuts for Friday’s coffee hour – Order cake for Fernando’s birthday – Organize podcast listening party for Serial launch – Order inflatable Turkey for Thanksgiving lunch – Plan holiday party All in a day’s work for Ashley Wilson, Mailchimp’s Employee Happiness Ambassador. A long time ago in a […]
Generosity as a Strategy for Getting Ahead
Operating from a mindset of generosity creates so many more opportunities than operating from a mindset of selfishness and scarcity. I’ve seen this over and over again in my life, and yet I still see so many people fighting tooth and nail to find tricks to get noticed. What if you just stopped trying to […]
The Odd One Out Pt 2
It turns out there is more than one way to be the odd one out. While smoking might make you the odd one out by subjecting everyone around you to selfish decision-making, there are others choosing to stand out by standing up for something else entirely. While [name your irresponsible clothier here] continues business as […]
The Odd One Out Pt. 1
There are fifty people sitting on a patio. There is one person happily smoking. When forty-nine people are subjected to one person’s decision to smoke, whose responsibility are the side effects? We know unequivocally that smoking kills and second-hand smoke does too. But that doesn’t make the smoker stop to think, even for a second. […]
Visualized
I could say: 68% of the conversations we have are mostly meaningless, chatting about the weather and what we had for breakfast. Another 27% percent of conversations are mildly interesting or important, covering things like family, work, and vacation. And then there’s the 5% of conversations that actually have an impact on everyone involved — […]
What’s Your Time Horizon?
Natural time horizons are just that: natural. We all have a lens through which we view the world. It makes it easier for some to see 15–20 years in the future, while others more naturally see just 6–12 months down the road. There are advantages to each view, of course, but the real trick is […]
Thank you. I love you. Forgive me. I forgive you.
According to Ira Byock, the four things we say before we die or to someone we love who is going to die: Thank you. I love you. Forgive me. I forgive you. Thank you For everything you’ve done and do for me. For the light you shed in the world. For the influence you have […]