TSS #032 - December 24th, 2023
on jeffrey, giving whilst living, and the bubblegum dog
Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve!
I write to you from rainy Austin in a half-full Flat Track.
My Southeastern US tour has come to a close (for now) and I am grateful to be settled in one spot, for at least the next week and a half.
This weekend’s study has been amazing. Many uninterrupted hours were spent reading, exploring, and taking notes. (honestly, the hard part has been getting myself to draft this intro and limit what I share to ~5 things…a good problem!!!)
I have the next week off. To say I am looking forward to it, would be an understatement.
Currently, I am scheduling out the week – and right now, the big things are going to be reading, writing, and recording some guitar/bass for a friend’s EP. Oh, and exercising…and some relaxing.
I have been doing a lot of reflection on 2023 — and am excited to share some long-form writing on that and my Annual Review process soon.
Until then, let’s dive into today’s Study.
jeffrey, jeffrey bezos
This is one of the first/few interviews with the famed billionaire and founder of Amazon. Love him or hate him — he has built an extraordinary company that both you and I have used and is pushing humanity towards being a multi-planetary species.
Ant’s top 3 takeaways:
“You don't go to heaven when you die. You go to heaven when you're born”
— Jim Lovell, AstronautThey talk about the Overview Effect, and the perspective shift you get when you view Earth from space. A fragile, pale blue dot. Jeff says, “If you’re not an environmentalist, it will make you one.” This was another reminder to me of how beautiful life is and gives me hope (and motivation) that we’ll be able to pull out of the current climate tailspin.
One-Way vs Two-Way doors
The idea is that most decisions are two-way doors, ie - reversible decisions. Jeff talks about the importance of being decisive and how he values the speed of decision-making. It’s a skill worth to know the difference between the two.
One-Way Doors - reversible decisions that should be made quickly by individuals, teams
Two-Way Doors - irreversible decisions that are costly if wrong and should be made by executives who can slow down and choose the correct path.
I believe that this concept applies to individuals, and life decisions, as well as organizations.
Disagree and Commit
The idea comes from the discussion around building a “truth-seeking” culture. Part of this is so that individuals are comfortable saying, “Hey, we can’t agree on this. We like each other. We’re respectful of each other, but we strongly disagree with each other. We need you [Jeff or executive] to make a decision here so we can move forward.” Again, decisiveness and moving forward on decisions as quickly as you responsibly can, is how you increase velocity in an organization, especially at scale.
on austin, texas
I’ve been asked recently by a few friends about:
a) how I like living in Austin and
b) how long I plan to stay here
Although I believe my original thesis on moving here still rings true, I recently found two pieces on Austin that hit the nail on how I feel and do a way better job at explaining, diving deeper than I would:
What’s Up with Austin by David Perell
Ten Things I Like About Austin by
As for the second part of the question… For a myriad of reasons, I can comfortably say the next 2-5 years. (more on this in another piece)
giving whilst living
Did you know that Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have a ‘hero’ they look up to? Do you know the name Chuck Feeny? … yeah, me neither.
Here is a neat article on how Chuck gave away billions in secret and inspired The Giving Pledge.
"I believe strongly in 'giving while living.' I see little reason to delay giving when so much good can be achieved through supporting worthwhile causes today. Besides, it's a lot more fun to give while you live than to give while you are dead."
— Chuck Feeny
on friendship
Writer C. Raymond Beran on friendship:
"What is a friend? I will tell you.
It is a person with whom you dare to be yourself. Your soul can be naked with him. He seems to ask of you to put on nothing, only to be what you are. He does not want you to be better, or worse. When you are with him, you feel as a prisoner feels who has been declared innocent. You do not have to be on your guard. You can say what you think, so long as it is genuinely you. He understands those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you.
With him you breathe freely. You can avow your little vanities and envies and hates and vicious sparks, your meannesses and absurdities and, in opening them up to him, they are lost, dissolved on the white ocean of his loyalty. He understands. You do not have to be careful. You can abuse him, neglect him, tolerate him. Best of all, you can keep still with him. It makes no matter. He likes you. He is like fire that purges to the bone. He understands. He understands. You can weep with him, sin with him, laugh with him, pray with him. Through it all—and underneath—he sees, knows and loves you.
A friend? What is a friend? Just one, I repeat, with whom you dare to be yourself."
another reminder to me that my friends are awesome and that ‘relationships are the economy of life.’ Grateful.
music i’m jammin to
This song really hit me for some reason. I encourage you to listen to the song before watching the music video.
quote I am pondering
"Over the years, I've learned that the first idea you have is irrelevant. It's just a catalyst for you to get started. Then you figure out what's wrong with it and you go through phases of denial, panic, regret. And then you finally have a better idea and the second idea is always the important one."
— Arthur van Hoff
Believe it or not, I write a lot of drafts, intros, and studies…that I throw away or never use. Although it feels like a waste, I know that it’s part of the process; and I’ve been thinking of this quote recently when scrapping, editing, and rewriting.
As always, if you’ve made it this far, thank you.
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ML + Happy Holidays!
Anthony