The Person You Needed

What's On My Mind Right Now 🧠

Programming Note: As we enter December, outside of work travel, I'll be focusing on the 'famous' year-end "things I like" annual post. I will get this out before the holidays this year, so fingers crossed.

Last time, I talked about kindness":

Just know that you're not alone out there, and there IS good to be found in this world - you need to be looking for it. Or creating it.

I received a lot of feedback on that, so thank you for spending a little time with a cup of coffee and my somewhat irregularly timed newsletters. I appreciate it.

This past week, I came across a remarkable quote from Ayesha Siddiqi, who wisely said:

"Be the person you needed when you were younger."

It was in the form of a tweet (you know, on that site that used to be helpful before the dark times), and Brad Montague (author of Kid President) talks about this idea quite a lot. For me, I couldn't get this quote out of the inner depths of my brain.

As I get older (err, wiser?), I've been spending more time consciously thinking about how I act/react to things where I want to invest time and who I want to be.

Those nine words are compelling. It's a simple reminder to strive to be the kind of person that you wished you had known growing up or that you have in your corner, whether it's a role model, a mentor, a support system for those who struggle, or simply being there for someone when they are sad or alone.

If you've been a reader of Makoism for some time, you're aware that I won't shy away from talking about real issues, like imposter syndrome, health issues, or lack of confidence.

And I know from talking to many of you that we all suffer from these things. Be that listening ear or a mentor for that person trying to find their way.

I'm often asked during coffee chats, especially with new employees out of school, "what advice would you give your younger self just starting out?" My answer used to be something simple, such as, "Write your own job description," but now I know my new answer: "Be who you needed when you were younger".

It's the kind of kindness many need these days.

If you enjoy these posts, you can buy me a coffee ☕️, check out my store or just share my work. If you'd rather just keep up with my daily ramblings, follow me via your favorite RSS reader, via Mastodon or keep reading my posts on this blog. Your support is much appreciated!

Exploration 🧭

"Slaughterhouse-Five," but Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorites, and perhaps one of the oddest, books that I have ever read. Given the current world stage, it seems incredibly relevant, as the story is told through the eyes of a World War II veteran who survived the firebombing bombing of Dresden. What interested me about the book was the exploration of fate versus free will.

Billy Pilgrim, the book's main antagonist, along with the alien Tralfamadorians, sees time in a circle where everything that has happened has always happened. Billy becomes unstuck in time.

"All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I've said before, bugs in amber."

There is no free will, and you cannot escape fate. At one point, Pilgrim becomes indifferent towards the horrors of war, or even death - because they are destined to occur. So it goes.

Of course, truth is stranger than (even this) fiction. Read about one's person's brain injury that removed their ability to perceive time.

And what it's like to live in a world without time**]

"I referred to every past event in my life, whether it was my doctor’s appointment the day before or an audition I’d taken years ago, as having happened “yesterday.” I couldn’t remember what date, month or even year it was. I forgot what times of day were appropriate to call friends and family on the phone, and I didn’t understand what people meant when they said they were “busy.” Bedridden and unable to comprehend time, my illness seemed to drag on for eternity with no end in sight."

Quite a scary and fascinating article.

Quotables 📚

One of my favorite talks on creativity by John Cleese.

Creativity cannot be explained. Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.

The full video can be viewed here.

Articles Worth Reading 📖

The Pandemic We Wasted is, by far, the most impactful thing I've read in weeks. I debated if this should be the main "lead in" or not, but I figured I'd save that for another time. 'The sad reality is that the last three years (as with all crises) have been an unprecedented opportunity for us to be transformed. We had a chance to become a better version of our nation, and we failed to become that. In what could have been a teachable moment, what we learned was how fundamentally broken we are.'

E.B. White 's famous response of 'I must decline, for secret reasons.' to Eisenhower's Chief of Staff request to join the Arts and Science committee, is the origin of The Absurd Manifesto. I love the idea of trying to put into words the things that matter most: 'Enough with business as usual. It is time for the unusual. It's time we muster all the creativity, compassion, corndogs –whatever we've got– and turn what could be into what should be and what will be.'

My earliest memories of computer gaming revolve around the Infocom classic Zork. Well, apparently, Infocom's ingenious code-porting tools for Zork and other games have been found. Learn all about the famous Z-Machine.

This week has many manifestos; this one is a Manifesto for posting online in 2023. There are many great little tidbits in here, such as "Just because somebody shouts loudly in your inbox does not mean that they are entitled to be heard. Often, it is a good indicator that they are not worth listening to.".

So, You Made a Mistake… was a friendly reminder not whether or not you'll make mistakes, but rather how to handle them when you do.

Somewhat like Billy in Slaughterhouse-Five, Completely letting go of control examines what happens when you give up control over everything. It's 'shockingly beautiful,' but the deep dive into meditation leads this author to feel increasingly less in control of their life and sense of self.

I have no words for what went down with OpenAI last few weeks. It's wild, but I enjoyed these posts, On OpenAI: Let Them Fight.

Ugh, as if the world has enough grim right now, apparently 2023 Cements Its Place in the History of Climate Change. Not in a good way.

While I still am behind and need to watch Oppenheimer, this read on Christopher Nolan on the Promise and Peril of Technology. As a fan, it's a great read with tremendous insight, 'When people are that smart, they can find a way to make anything make sense. It seemed to me that he had a notion that until the bomb is used, people won't understand it.'. It sums up a lot of technology problems these days.

The Slide examines something we've all had at some point in our career: 'Things stop making sense. Team confidence drops. It becomes hard to know what is going on objectively. Everyone has a pet explanation for what's causing The Slide, but no one is right. Or everyone is right, but no one is RIGHT. The team is in a funk and it it seems like you're sliding down an endless slide.' Continue reading on how to change course and reverse the slide.

Imagine viewing the world from the lens through which street maps are used, combined with generative AI, to create a happier and healthier street with the Dutch Cycling Lifestyle.

I often joke that I'm an extroverted introvert, as the article 5 Signs You're Overthinking It explains how we have 'an entire universe brewing within, and with it comes a tendency to reflect — and overthink.'

Recommended 🎸

I've been learning more about how important breathing is, especially the idea of 'box breathing' and its ability to de-stress you.

The idea is simple: a box has four sides, represented here by breathing while you slowly count to four for a total of four times — four counts of breathing in, four counts of holding your breath, four counts of exhaling, and four more counts after your exhale.

Studies show that consciously breathing in this manner will lower stress cortisol and lower blood pressure.

So, when I discovered this Breathe Stone PREORDER, I was all over it.

Be well. ✌🏻