Yodels For The Win!
A friendly reminder that Drake’s is still open for business. Twinky eaters, there is hope.
(this message was not paid for, or approved by, Drake’s)
I think that digital technology does flatten people. But it flattens more than just people. It flattens objects, concepts, publics, and relationships as well. And it’s not just digital technology that flattens things; the daily act of working, of day-to-day practical living flattens things too.
Reporters may go into journalism to be with the public; they eventually find beats and sources and the daily grind instead. Reporters may go online to find a community more responsive than the one they encounter in their daily work, but it’s a community that can be exhausting, pummeling, and not quite real. So get offline if you wish. Get online if you can. But in either case, never make the mistake in thinking that you’ve found a community, a public, a reality, that’s more authentic than the one you’ve left behind. We can’t will authentic community into being. It sort of sneaks up on us. And just as quickly — as soon as we turn our heads — it’s gone.
I was reminded of this old piece by C.W. Anderson tonight. It’s an important reminder, at least for people like me, of just how fleeting the authenticity of digital communities can be. (via azmatzahra)
I really like this line: “Never make the mistake in thinking that you’ve found a community, a public, a reality, that’s more authentic than the one you’ve left behind.”
And once in a while, but not often, and usually when you least expect it, you leap
Go Out And Get It!
Supertramp: I mean, the core of man’s spirit comes from new experiences. And there you are stubborn old man, sitting on your butt”
Mr. Franz: Sitting on by butt, I’ll show you
-Into the WIld
The most common lament in this collection is from people who worked at the same company all their lives and now realize how boring they must seem. These people passively let their lives happen to them. One man described his long, uneventful career at an insurance company and concluded, “Wish my self-profile was more exciting, but it’s a little late now.
The Life Report by David Brooks
I still can’t get this David Brooks column out of my head. The column describes a collection of essays written by the Yale class of 1942. In the essays, the alumni look back and recap the stories of their lives. Risk is a strong theme, here’s my favorite line:
Nobody regretted the life changes they made, even when they failed.
Read the full column here.
Related: Buridan’s Donkey
Someone has to be the new, great filmmaker, artist, scientist, author, etc. So why not let that someone be you? What’s different today than back then is that there is no clear path anymore. Lines are smudged, career trajectories are murky. But that’s also what makes it so exciting, don’t you think? You can create your own journey and become a trailblazer. I mean, is that a ridiculous thing to suggest?
Wise Words for The New Workforce
If I had a commencement address to give, this would be in it. It’s spot on.
Especially poignant: The line about smudged lines and murky career trajectories. It will only get more blurry as we go.
You will be judged (or you will be ignored)
Which Would You Prefer?
I came across a great Seth Godin blog post that I think is worth sharing (and so, here I am, sharing it). The title is “You will be judged (or you will be ignored),” the rest of the post is quoted below. It will take a minute to read, and is well worth the time. Make it happen:
Those are pretty much the only two choices.
Being judged is uncomfortable. Snap judgments, prejudices, misinformation… all of these, combined with not enough time (how could there be) to truly know you, means that you will inevitably be misjudged, underestimated (or overestimated) and unfairly rejected.
The alternative, of course, is much safer. To be ignored.
Up to you.
Seth’s Blog: sethgodin.typepad.com
The ‘What I Really Do’ Meme
I find that the ‘What I Really Do’ meme gets interesting when you look at those focused on careers. When it comes to careers, we usually just throw out a term - Journalist! - and assume everyone knows what it means. But the truth is that we’re often content to allow the ‘What People Think I do’ misconceptions exist without going out of our ways to correct them.
In almost every one of these memes (ok, actually, in every one I’ve seen), the ‘What I Really Do’ slide is pretty awful. I wonder if that means there are only X number of jobs that are actually cool, and those that get the rest are doomed to unhappy workplace existences.
Take this into account. Not too long ago, a series of animated videos popped up and ridiculed those looking into getting into professions without an understanding of what they were really about. (See, again: So, You Want To Be A Political Operative). The videos are all examples of ‘What Society Thinks I Do’ vs. ‘What I Really Do.’ The end result is a cold shower for anyone thinking about getting into a profession with the hopes that it may be glamorous or exciting.
Bottom line: The next time someone tells you they love their job, I would guess they really mean it’s just tolerable. Let me know if you think different.
Queensboro Plaza on Friday afternoon.
View from SI #latergram #FBBT
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