#091 Something Very Noticeable
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Common Discourse is a project designed to help others (and ourselves) think through creativity, focus, and intentional work—from Alex Tan & Alice Otieno.
Every Tuesday we share words from a journal, a few ideas, a quote from somebody else, and links worth sharing. On Fridays we invite a guest to share images from their camera roll and a sound that resonates with them. Words from the Journal come once a month.
A small group of friends and I have lived in Los Angeles for 6 years this summer, which naturally leads us to reminisce on times that were simultaneously beautiful and tragic.
“Whatever happened to that roommate you were living with?”
“Remember when we had no money and ate Papa John’s every day”
“Why were there always strangers at your house”
I’d pay all the money in the world to never go back, but I somehow still miss it and think about it often. It must be what Sigmund Freud was talking about when he said “One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.”
As time has passed, the quality of life and general happiness of both myself and my friends have increased. At some point we realized that focus, discipline, and work-ethic do very good things for the brain. And strangely enough, it’s something you can see.
It is very noticeable when people are transformed through the enjoyment of their life and the people in it. Eyes are more vibrant, energy is a bit more contagious, and conversations go somewhere. People can feel when you love your life—and opposite is also true: people can feel when you are searching for more.
— Alex
A few ideas
I. STRONG LEADERS
Strong leaders can convince people to make “irrational” bets with their own lives, persuade customers or clients to be early adopters, and can inspire people to do what they never realized they could achieve.
These are the people who defy the odds, master the intangibles, and use effort to bypass the naturally gifted.
In the end, talented teams with weak leaders will come up short while strong leaders with an average team will find a way to win.
II. NICHES
Humans have earned significant reward by being in the top 5%.
The top 5% of everyone is a pipe-dream, sure. But the top 5% of a smaller set is often within reach. And could be the difference between doing nothing at all and discovering purpose.
You may never be recognized a top 5% of designers in the world, but with a vision and some hard work, you might be a top 5% designer that specializes in creating typefaces for people who wrestle with Dyslexia.
Niches can make all the difference.
III. NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Innovations are rarely a threat, but rather an opportunity to focus on the bigger problems we never had time to work through in a previous life.
Technology makes old work easier and requires new work to be better.
A quote from somebody else
“True attention is always fresh, never monotonous; you look at the same thing and see something different each time. You’re always going deeper.”
— Ava Huang
Links worth sharing
💌 Reestablishing Connection by ****Rachel Nguyen
🗣 Method acting is a series of voice notes between Darnell Henderson and Kyle Rich. Their conversation touch on topics such as: inhabiting characters, projecting meaning onto objects, and the boundaries of desire.
🎬 It’s a Movie (In My Mind), is an ongoing digital photography project by Lora Mathis that aims to discover poetry in the mundane, day to day life activities.
📖 & Other Stories by Eloghosa Osunde via The Paris Review
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#091 Something Very Noticeable
"It is very noticeable when people are transformed through the enjoyment of their life and the people in it. Eyes are more vibrant, energy is a bit more contagious, and conversations go somewhere. People can feel when you love your life—and opposite is also true: people can feel when you are searching for more." !!!! reminds me of what Prentis Hemphill calls invitational dignity / when you or others embody dignity that makes others be able to feel theirs
thank you!
beautiful, as always. piece with the freud quote was striking. thank you.