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 you’re all staying safe and healthy. I’ve been trying to reflect more - on the things I read & consume in general, the conversations I have, and pretty much everything I engage with. There is so much to learn at every moment, and it’s good to move through the world with a reflective mindset. Every moment is a learning opportunity, and conversely every moment that we passively move through is a learning opportunity lost. I’ve gotten into the habit of reflecting and feel that it’s become second nature at this point, which I’m happy about.

This shouldn’t be a daunting proposition either. I read an article recently about leveraging our brain for the purpose it was designed for - the brain should just be used for generating ideas and thoughts, not for storing them. Write everything you’re thinking into wherever is most convenient at that moment - journals, various apps, Day One journal and Notion are great for this, even sticky notes - and reflecting becomes effortless and actually quite enjoyable. The important thing is that you get it down, wherever you need, and to liberate your brain to only be in charge of the generating part.

Have a great week!
Daniel


Things that resonated with me this week

  1. I agree with this piece by David Perrell. Be your own thing. We all have a certain combination of interests that make us special and individually distinctive. Don’t “find an existing niche.” Create your own one. Be your own category.
  2. Congrats to my good friend, Matt Schulman, on his raise! I met Matt in 2012 during a weekend at Duke, where we were finalists interviewing for the A.B. Duke Scholarship. A fantastic person - he’s going to transform the fintech space with Pave and has all of my support!
  3. I love the process of music composition and creating new melodies - it’s genuine inspiration. Benny Blanco is one of the best at it, and this was a great article on him.

Things I’m trying out

  • I’m finding joy in cooking and the process of crafting food that both you and others can enjoy. I’m also starting to appreciate flavors more and deliberately trying to pay more attention to that aspect of my cooking.

Stuff that’s on my mind

  • The solutions of tomorrow may look nothing like the solutions of yesterday or even today.
  • An attitude of envisioning what could be versus what already is, is so vital to entrepreneurship and early-stage company-building. It’s such an invigorating process too, with the prospect of creating something genuinely new that redefines markets, opens up new ways of thinking, and encourages the development of new fields.

Quote of the week

“The most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd but to think for yourself.” - Peter Thiel