On this day 644 years ago, JFK faced Nixonin the first televised presidential debate. JFK agreed to wear makeup at the last minute. Nixon, who was overcoming a knee injury, did not. Most viewers agreed that Nixon looked haggard. He later lost the election by 0.17%.
Issue #172: "Aging," Walmart's yodeling, and don't call it the power of "yet"
By Harris Sokol
I have worked at three startups so far, and I have come to know their founders quite well. I would hang out with them late at night. I left the office at 7 PM while they were still there. It’s an all-consuming job. It’s also something that is misunderstood.
Podcaster Harry Stebbings has built a career interviewing VCS, but after writing, "We have made entrepreneurship a safe career path," he received some pushback on Sunday. Really? From the comfort of a podcast studio, or only talking to a narrow subset of founders who are already sitting on a pile of cash (not to mention women and underrepresented CEOs). However, most founders (and freelancers) spend most of their time worrying about runway, minutiae, and whether everything ultimately matters.
Like writers, they question things deeply, which is why they do it. They exist and are frustrated with the tools and stories that want to create something better.
Neela, an entrepreneur on Medium, literally burned her resume (and set off the smoke alarm). If you’re thinking of going it alone, here are some of Neela’s hard-won lessons:
- Schedule "worry time." If you’re being consumed by obsession, block off time on your calendar to contemplate it later that day. (I’ve started doing this, and I’m not even freelancing... it works wonders.)
- Find a mentor who won’t sugarcoat reality. In a crisis, the best thing someone can do is to tell you frankly that you’re wrong.
- The 80/20 stress rule: Most of your stressors can be summarized into just a few issues or people. Identify what they are and focus on improving them.
Elsewhere in the media...
- Travis May is a serial entrepreneur who just launched his own startup accelerator. If your idea (for a business, career, or life) can be easily categorized, you’re probably not thinking big enough. Typically, big ideas are a bit harder to neatly fit into existing categories.
- Let’s start calling "aging" "lifing".
- Your dishware and kitchen lighting change how you eat: Red dishware leads us to eat less (our brains associate red with blood and fire, not comfort). Context is everything.
- Does anyone remember the 12-year-old who went viral for yodeling at Walmart 6 years ago? No? Well, I recently rediscovered this Trenchant satire about the whole thing... and I can’t stop yodeling it.
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The most powerful words you can say to yourself are "yet".
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Scott Lamb & Carly Rose Gillis edited and produced
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