Every Sunday, I write a quick newsletter to share some thoughts, things I’ve learned, and a few of my favorite things from the week. Enjoy!

Hey friends,

Hope everyone is enjoying the preliminary stages of Fall. Autumn is definitely my favorite season - growing up it signaled the start of school (which I loved, I admit unabashedly), crisp air, and beautiful color changes in surrounding plant life.

I wanted to touch on a mental model I’ve been contemplating, that I’m calling, “positivity inertia.” I talk about it on the latest podcast episode with my friend, Russell Bogue. It’s the concept that success and big breakthroughs are the result of many many steps, and that, with the accumulation of these steps, an “inertia” is achieved, and subsequent successes and breakthroughs are much easier. I think we can be quick to get frustrated about not seeing results immediately, and I think it’s important to realize that, with small successes, larger successes inevitably come. It goes back to the concept we talked about of loving the grind. Keep the faith and love the process.

Have a great week!
Daniel


Things that resonated with me this week

  1. Kylian Mbappe’s confidence in this match at the age of 19, against Messi’s Argentina, is something to marvel at. I think it’s a lesson in aiming high, dreaming big - because you never know how quickly dreams can come true. It also touches on this notion in soccer, of “being your own player.” It’s important not to walk into a game as a fan of the opponent, but rather as your own player with your own confidence. Pulisic also talks about it here, where he discusses how he focuses on standing on his own as a player rather than idolizing his predecessor Eden Hazard. This idea can be applied to every career and every field. Yes, it’s good to appreciate and be inspired by others around you, but it’s even more important to “be your own player.”
  2. The image of Zuckerberg at his computer, during Facebook’s earliest stages, resonated with me for some reason. His unwavering focus at his desk, calendar filled to the brim. Love the dedication.
  3. I love the creative process of songwriting, as displayed here with Ed Sheeran and Julia Michaels. The cerebral aspects of songwriting, the melodic instincts involved in crafting a top-line melody on top of a chord progression - it’s pure creation. There’s an infinite number of melodies out there, to be captured and written. I’ll share another interview I saw recently from Ed Sheeran that talks more about this.

Things I’m trying out

  • Music playlists for cognitive triggering, i.e. strengthening the association between certain music and certain brain states/modes of focus. I have playlists for Morning, High Focus, Low Focus, Workout, Writing, Chill, and Night. And whenever I’m in that particular brain state, I listen to that music. Our brains constantly look for cognitive cues - it’s a survival mechanism, to always be on the lookout. The brain is constantly scanning, and by giving it cognitive cues through playlists, we’re helping to trigger our brains into that desired brain state/mode of focus that we want to be in. And repetition helps to strengthen that relationship as well. You don’t want to also listen to that music while you’re in another brain state, or else you’re muddle the if-then relationship between the cognitive cue and your brain.
  • Using Drafts for quick capture, which ties back to our mental approach of having the brain just be in charge of generating ideas, while utilizing our apps like Drafts and Notion to store and organize them.

Stuff that’s on my mind

  • Love the grind, enjoy the process.
  • I’m dedicating myself to abstaining from alcohol for the rest of my life. I’ve never been a drinker - I did have a few drinks during my first years of working full-time in New York City, but I am forever dedicating myself to teetotalism for the rest of my life. I’ll write an extended post on the immense benefits of teetotalism, as well as the case for anti-alcoholism advocacy.

Quote of the week

“Fortune favors the bold.” - Virgil, Aeneid X.284