🏴 On introspection, brainstorming, and joy. Ten Bullets by Zach Pogrob.

To the obsessed,

Here are your weekly Ten Bullets. A list of ideas I can't stop thinking about- to help you build companies, make art, and find your obsession.

1. On your 10-year-old self:

If you're stuck in life, you have to tap into your 10-year-old self. Play sports. Meditate. Go to therapy. Whatever works.

Your job is to time-travel back to when things were simple. Back then, your dreams were pure. Your potential was limitless. Because there was no planning. No procrastination. You just did things. Life gets really good when things are simple, and you do things. Your direction is obvious. You move down it automatically.

When you're clear on where you’re going, and obsession feels like play, magic becomes normal.

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2. On joy:

"Everyone says 'all great art comes from pain.' I think my greatest art comes from excitement and joy. It's a completely different perspective, about being extremely excited about something that is only cool to me."

- Kanye

obsessioncore [04-kanye]

3. On introspection:

When asked if the iconic founders were introspective, Senra replied (paraphrasing):

"Most great founders have lower introspection, because it's not about them. It's about what they create. Low introspection creates a high bias to action."

"Leave it to the biographers."

- David Senra (Founders Podcast) Live Event

4. On brainstorming, and what to do next:

"One of my favorite shows is Mad Men. One of the things that really jumped out was how many times the viewer's expectations were subverted. You never actually knew what would happen. I read an interview with Matt Weiner who ran it, he said that the rule in the Mad Men writing room was, whenever the question was 'what happens next,' they would write down the first five ideas for the plot on a board, and then would cross them all off. Then they would come up with something. So they never did the obvious thing. It forced the writers to go out on the edge- into a creative realm they otherwise wouldn't have gotten to."

- Marc Andreessen, The Ben & Marc Show: AI and the Future of Hollywood (h/t Dylan Jardon)

5. On cult-classics:

Checklist for Determining 'Cult Film' Status:

1. Marginality: Content falls outside general cultural norms
2. Suppression: Subject to censor, ridicule, lawsuit, or exclusion
3. Economics: Box office flop upon release but eventually profitable
4. Transgression: Content breaks social, moral, or legal rules
5. Cult following: Generates devoted minority audience
6. Community: Audience is or becomes self-identified group
7. Quotation: Lines of dialog become common language
8. Iconography: Establishes or revives cult icons

Not sure a cult-classic can actually fit into a 'checklist,' but this list is useful for more than film.

- Dan Bentley-Baker on Cult Cinema

6. On advice:

"If you’re asking for advice, you’re not going to make it.

Making it requires making it, not asking someone else how to make it.

Making it requires learning how to not make it ten thousand different ways, leaving one, which isn’t possible to teach in any practical way nor replicable, because:

Making it requires making it easier for others to make it, which means anyone who could teach you has already taken up the void you’d be learning how to fill

Ask for feedback, not advice."

- Sahil Lavingia (Founder of Gumroad)

7. On legacy:

"A young player should not be worried about his legacy. Wake up, identify your weakness, and work on that. Go to sleep, wake up, and do that all over again. 20 years from now, you'll look back and see your legacy for yourself. That's life."

- Kobe Bryant (h/t Michael Paik)

8. On ideas:

"Your favorite idea is the one you’d be most upset that someone scooped."

- @anuatluru

Enjoying Ana's blog, especially 'Full-Stack Something' and 'The Brunch Test.'

9. On connection:

"When communicating with your fans and contacts, don’t try to sound bigger than you are. Don’t use the corporate 'we'. Say 'I'.

Fans want to connect with you as a person, not as a brand. Don’t appear flawless. Show a charming flaw. Confidence attracts, but vulnerability endears.

Your fans are your friends. Prove you’re a real person. Write every post or email as if it was from you to your best friend“

- Derek Sivers, Your Music and People

10. On obsession:

"Dreams come true when you don’t sleep.”

- Virgil

Here's a great Virgil Abloh lecture from Harvard. His concept of 'personal design language' inspired me a ton a few years ago.