You have to remember that there will be plenty more Past Yous before you die. You can’t decide that you dislike or trust them all or you’ll lose all. You must remain confident in your ability to generate Future Yous that will win.
Author: James Walpole
James Walpole is a writer, startup marketer, intellectual explorer, and perpetual apprentice. He opted out of college to join the Praxis startup apprenticeship program and currently manages marketing and communications at bitcoin payment technology company BitPay. He writes daily at jameswalpole.com.
Leadership, Ennoblement, and Why We Still Love Monarchies
We tend to view leadership in a hierarchical way, with leaders and followers. But our actual experience of good leadership is different. We tend to notice quickly when a leader is keeping the people around them down. The best leaders we see are surrounded by competent, able, confident, and free people – not servants. Good leadership does not keep people down – it pulls them up.
10 Habits for Crushing It in Stressful, Uncertain Times
Change can bring wonderful opportunities if you notice what’s happening. And there are some habits you can develop to be better prepared to notice those opportunities, and to ride the wave of change. Here are a few I’ve been developing.
Put Your Random Acts of Kindness on Schedule
Sometimes you don’t just need the pleasure of a vacation or a self-indulgence. Sometimes you need a reminder that your presence is making the world better (even slightly). And you’ll never know when exactly you’ll need it.
You Are Someone’s Stereotype
I realized recently that I am a stereotypical native of Charleston, South Carolina. Yes, unfortunately it’s true. I wear boat shoes and occasionally even what might be described as “preppy” clothing (it’s unintentional, I assure you). I sail boats. I know how to dance the shag. I have an unusual proclivity for Southern hospitality and old-fashioned gestures.
When Are Video Games a Waste of Time?
Video games were a big part of my childhood. Even though I sometimes wonder why I spent so many hundreds of hours playing them when I was younger, I still look back on many of the game titles fondly. I have some good memories and great feelings attached to games from Krash Bandicoot to Harry Potter.
Lyft and Uber Are Bringing Cultures Together
By now, if you haven’t ridden in a Lyft or Uber vehicle, you at least have heard one amazing story from a friend who has. Philosophical conversations, sports talks, business opportunities, and friendships have all been born of these rides taken with strangers. One of the things I love about these rides with strangers are the moments of randomness they insert into my life.
10 Ways To (Almost) Instantly Grow Your Self-Confidence
There are moments in all of our lives when we can go from a feeling of low confidence to feeling unstoppable. These moments usually happen only at rare occasions, and they seem more like near-miraculous exceptions rather than rules. But what if we operationalized these as regular parts of our lives?
The Tragedy and Beauty of Lines at the Post Office
It is a diverse line snaking around the line in the Monday afternoon post office. We are united in our misery: black, white, and brown. One girl spoke German, one woman spoke Spanish. Suffering breeds solidarity, and Atlantans suffer equally under the oppressive boot heel of the postal service.
The Social Benefits of Hipsters
Through all their creativity – which may after be driven out of arrogance or snottiness – hipsters deliver a massive benefit to their societies. They bring back some magic into the mundane, and they bring new life to the parts of our world that might otherwise die slow deaths.