"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Inflexibly, clinging to a single truth never works. There are always more aspects, options, angles and opposing views. Nearly nothing is B & W.
Khe Hy of RadReads & Quartz at Work recently wrote: "The Vexing and Difficult Art of Holding Opposing Views" and it stuck with me more than a bit. Khe even shared his own dualities:
- Delayed gratification vs. living in the moment
- Living a life of purpose vs. a life of financial security
- Reducing my ego vs. embracing my ambition
- Honoring my ambition vs. the anxiety that accompanies it
I'd wager these all resonate with most of you reading this. Obviously, leaning in one direction too far has its implications. And, no: they're not mutually exclusive.
“The best thinkers can hold two opposing views at once.” – Charlie Munger
You've seen me link to Farnam Street to know that I pick up what Munger is putting down. Hy also cites the late John O’Donahue:
“The mind separates, and when it draws barriers in the heart of these dualities, the barrier becomes a real one. There’s no longer porous space for breathing. Then you have dualism and things cut-off that should belong together.”
I agree you have to keep that porous space for breathing in your mind. Aeon.co's "‘Let the soul dangle’: how mind-wandering spurs creativity" has some great ideas about that and posited:
"modern-day research in developmental psychology has shown that children and adults who engage in certain kinds of mind-wandering actually display more cognitive flexibility [..]"
While the aeon.co piece is mostly about the benefits of appreciating art, to me it related to Khe Hy's quest to holding two opposing views at once. Whether in the form of literature, rap (see below!) or abstract oil painting: exposing yourself to new concepts is key. Now, next week, in the New Year and all the years to come.
As always, thank you for reading! : )
Happy Holidays & Happy New Year from Amsterdam,
Jon
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Cycling
IN TRANSIT & UN-LOST | Lian & Camille on the Transcontinental Race
My friend Lian wrote some of her thoughts this epic race:
If you get lost, get unlost. The evil genius behind this race knew what he was talking about. I think all riders get lost at some point. But the ones reaching the finish seem to have found a way to get unlost again.
Also on the TransCon subject, a great interview with exhibition photographer Camille McMillan on Un-Lost. He asks:
‘When we talk about being lost, are we talking about the idea of being lost in terms of who we are, or are we just talking about it in terms of being physically, geographically lost?’
Women’s peloton forms own union seeking fairness, opportunities and wages.
Nearly half of the women’s UCI peloton races for less than 5,000 Euros (A$7,700) a year, with 17.5 percent of that group going completely unpaid, and nine out of 10 signed their contracts without any legal assistance.
Ass Savers Art | Illustrator Enisaurus | Headset Press
We been busy building buzz on this latest iteration of everyone's favorite saddle mounted mudguard.
If you'd like one yourself and/or as a gift: ass-savers.com/products/enisaurus-kollectors-box
Startups
Want Proof That Patience Pays Off? Ask the Founders of This 17-Year-Old $525 Million Email Empire
MAN THIS IS GOOD. Worth taking some time to read:
Some spoiler alert: how MailChimp (Finally) Made It
- Keep Your Eye on New Opportunities: iterate on what you do & who you do it for.
- Be a Hoarder: save old ideas & half finished projects. This is where their main product came frome.
- Free Is Your Friend: MailChimp's tipping point, in Chestnut's view, came when it introduced a freemium model, which lets customers use MailChimp's services for free.
- Above All, Stick to It: It took more than five years for MailChimp to find its sweet spot, and about a decade for Chestnut to feel like it was starting to succeed.
The Pipe | Self-published design, technology, and business ebooks hand-picked just for you.
Heaps to read on the holiday break!
Run Studio Run – the business of running a creative studio by Eli Altman —Kickstarter
Eli thought there were no good books for helping small creative studios build and grow their businesses. So he wrote one.
Sales
An abridged version of what 2018 will bring to UX Design
ok, it is design & not sales but are they that different?
Great stuff from my bud Peter in Vienna : )
Best Ways to Avoid the Spam Folder
There are steps you can take to ensure your deliverability is the best it can be. This post details best practices you can follow to land in your customers’ inboxes.
Top Sales Trends & Predictions Of 2018
If you're in sales. Read this.
Radness
🎧 TELECAST - #001 by Josh Dupree & BLACK THOUGH on Hot 97's FLEX 🔥
Stream TELECAST - #001 by our very own Josh Dupree. His humble aim is to combine the music he finds, loves and wants to share into a set for him and others to enjoy. It is sooo good!
Also, set aside 10min to watch this amazing freestyle by The Roots' Black Thought. Holy Shit. ( Bonus: Funny Fallon interview about it.) Also, the lyrics!