Hello, Dears. Happy Tuesday.
The Letter (or whatever we call this gem of a word pile) is officially over the hill. Issue 40 is here. Arms up, it’s time to free fall.
Let’s start with a photo.
That’s me with David Perell, Founder of Write of Passage, and Craig Frazier, the designer who’s rebranding us.
Yesterday, David flew from Austin to the Bay Area where both Craig and I live. After a smart and absolutely delightful couple of hours of reviewing designs, we landed on a direction. There’s A LOT of work to be done, especially with me as a first-time Creative Director, but we’re on our way. I’ll share more as time goes on.
My Guru Strategy (yes, I put those words together)
I pick a teacher, podcaster, author, or person of interest and I stick with them (almost exclusively) for a year.
Too much input from too many sources is not helpful—at all. Bouncing from one theory to another is noisy. One dogma says to wear blue shoes, the other says blue shoes are for the devil. For every framework, another is contradicting it, calling it by a different name, putting another shade of lipstick on it. I’m not interested.
I’m interested in the purest, most indisputable forms of personal development. I don’t care about popularity. In fact, I prefer teachers who are lesser-known. I don’t want your podcast recommendation, therefore I’m shy about sharing mine.
In any event, my current teacher is Joe Hudson. A middle-aged white man living in the Bay Area with his wife and two teenage daughters. Exotic.
I’ve included his podcast in my newsletter before. You undoubtedly know what I mean if you’ve followed my lead. If not, that’s just as well. You do you!
If you’re curious, dive in anywhere (though I don’t recommend the latest episode). Enjoy the rewards!
404 Page Not Found
My favorite way to describe utter confusion is, “I’m experiencing a 404.” If it’s really bad, just say, “404.” You don’t want to completely short circuit.
In tech, 404 describes a dead link, a broken web page, a system error, page not found. The same happens to our brains. The code disrupts. The synapses break. The bridges and tunnels become clogged with traffic.
Next time you’re unsure of what to say, confused, or distracted, please don’t say you’re having a “brain fart.” Don’t ever. Ever.
404, on the other hand, is an illustrative way of describing a relatable experience. So, enjoy the confusion and give someone a smile. I call this a win-win.
Your Leggings Need Leggings
We need more leggings like we need more Starbucks. We don’t. (Except when we need a bathroom and Starbucks is the only humane retailer—then we need more Starbucks.)
I had never shopped in Athleta until Sunday when I stumbled in (not drunk) and left with a GREAT pair of spandex. The simplest black leggings. No pockets or bells, Bluetooth, belts, or bows. Add to cart!
I only recommend what I like, and I like these leggings.
You. Are. Welcome.
Press Two to Take a Brief Survey
Thank you to those who wrote me with content suggestions. I hope I responded directly to you. If I didn’t, I apologize. Your input was received, is greatly appreciated, and will be incorporated as the weeks roll on.
You asked for more recommendations, parenting thoughts, alcohol-free thoughts, deep thoughts, art, and more prescriptions.
It's All Downhill From Here
I can't wait to see what you are cooking up!
Great edition, Simone! This passage had me nodding along and also made me laugh:
“Too much input from too many sources is not helpful—at all. Bouncing from one theory to another is noisy. One dogma says to wear blue shoes, the other says blue shoes are for the devil.”
Also, love the 404 coined term.