Nobody Cares About What You Know
Successful people. Making good art. The end of the ride.
IDEA I’M PONDERING
When I mention the word success, which people pop to mind?
It'll be different for each of you, but I suspect that the people you've got pictured in your mind right now share a common trait - they've used their knowledge, skills and initiative to build something.
They’ve created or improved upon something and in doing so, they’ve driven change in the world.
These people are usually incredibly knowledgeable, but it’s not that knowledge that made them successful. It’s the fact that they’ve taken that knowledge and used it to create something useful.
The world doesn't reward you for what you know. It rewards you for what you can do with what you know.
LINKS I’M LOVING
My writing has been on hiatus for the past few weeks, but I’m excited to finally be getting back into it (new pieces on the way soon). As I do, I’ve come across some great links for all you writers, artists and creators reading this:
“There may be something in the very last line of the very last paragraph on page six that you just love, that is so beautiful or wild that you now know what you're supposed to be writing about, more or less, or in what direction you might go -- but there was no way to get to this without first getting through the first five and a half pages.”
“And when things get tough, this is what you should do. Make good art.
I'm serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Somebody on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid or evil or it's all been done before? Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually, time will take the sting away, but that doesn't matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art.
Lex Fridman with Manolis Kellis
The Lex Fridman Podcast is my favourite podcast by a long way. This episode sits atop the list of his best work. It’s long, but it’s absolutely phenomenal. If you’re interested in life, philosophy and the origin of our world, you’re going to love this.
QUESTION I’M ASKING MYSELF
“This ride is going to come to an end one of these days, are you enjoying it? If not, what can you do to change that?”
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