September 2018 : A newsletter
/Status: Pumpkin Spice (preseason)
Here’s a quick rundown of ten observations on topics + experiences I’m finding interesting.
What I’ve learned from logging 210 activities on Strava so far in 2018 can be summarized by Newton’s First Law: Objects in motion will remain in motion (unless acted upon by an opposing force not including vacations, weekends, or weather). 🍎 Still recording times + distances + locations on my Fenix 5, which has proven impervious to rain, wind, sleet, snow, heat, cold, the ocean, lakes, slip-n-slides, and lemonade spills.
I’m diving deeper into the pursuit of mastery: what it means, how it’s achieved, and the type of person who achieves it. This has led to Mastery, by Robert Greene, which I’m enjoying immensely and annotating with vigor. I’ve also started reading The 33 Strategies of War, ibid. And it’s equally good if not better. The Laws of Human Nature, also by Greene, will be released on October 23, 2018.
One runner and writer acquainted with mastery is Malcolm Gladwell, whose book, Outliers, remains a classic. BTW: Gladwell, at age 53 in 2015, ran a 5:03 mile. Quickness. He also has a podcast, Revisionist History, which is worth a listen. Am playing (then muting, then playing again) Malcolm Gladwell’s 12 Rules for Life as I type. Practical psychology.
Mastery is a process like any other. While 10,000 hours of practice is a useful starting point, here are two articles I found worth 1/80,0000th as much time: How to Master a New Skill and The Best Leaders are Constant Learners.
Meanwhile back at the office, we’re translating data into product marketing strategy into creative ideas into brand impressions into sales. Twenty-first century alchemy? Not sure but we’re keeping it interesting. In the pursuit of our own mastery, we’ve been gathering inspirado from multiple sources, including: Creativity’s bottom line: How winning companies turn creativity into business value and growth ; The secret to great marketing analytics: Connecting with decision makers ; Customer strategy and marketing insights from Bain ; and The 10 best business and leadership books of 2018 so far, according to Goodreads readers. Brain food.
Let’s say you’re scanning this on a train, bus, or other moving object aboard which you’ve willfully surrendered all logistical control. You have limited interest in stories written in second-person and are tired of reading. You think maybe it’s time for a video and haven’t yet viewed Marques Brownlee’s Tesla Factory Tour with Elon Musk. You click here then hit play. And you think, “There’s a master at work.” Then you watch a bunch of additional MKBHD videos and think, “💯.” Then you decide you might want to learn more about Tesla and the next thing you know you’re thinking a new electric car in cherry red would be totally sensible. From that point I have no idea what you do but I cannot be held responsible.
Worth following on Twitter: Lin-Manuel Miranda, the supertalent who brought Hamilton to life. Also a master. Also an unceasingly insightful, hard-working, positive person.
Fast Company’s list of The Most Creative People in Business is now available for 2018. Worth a read, if not to double-check the list for the people or brands you might know then at least to spur big ideas of your own. Anything’s possible.
And in sports podcasting news (there’s no easy segue for that but here goes), it’s still baseball season. Whether your preference is analytics or the opera of competition, there’s something for many on the Baseball Tonight Podcast. It’s also my best bet for keeping up with 11-yo fans able to devote more than 15 minutes per day to highlights.
And now a quote: “Actually, your past successes are your biggest obstacle: every battle, every war, is different, and you cannot assume that what worked before will work today.” So true. And still so many perceive it untrue. Source (who else?): Robert Greene.
Stay flexible. I’ll do the same.
-John