essays
notes from ascend studio on consumer software, human behavior, technology, design, and the ideas shaping what comes next.
how to actually give feedback→balance intensity with reflection→why your startup will fail (it's not what you think)→your worst self appears in conflict→choosing who to build with→momentum over absolutes→making big decisions→decisions for your life, not theirs→what ambition costs you→survivorship bias is lying to you→life as a market→keep going.→the art of thinking small→there's no such thing as free money→the right city changes everything→finding mentors who matter→how the game actually works→luck: more than you think, less than you hope→separate the art from the artist→clarity comes from solitude→you don't actually know what you actually want→facing the failures of unconventional decisions→being smart does not mean you'll be successful→ambition comes from either a pursuit of status or the necessity of survival→happiness requires unhappiness→to deviate from the mean, you have to be ok with being temporarily misunderstood→your "why" is your first step. the hardest step is doing whats necessary→there are 8 billion people on this planet, but few experience deep relationships & companionship→distribution is a distraction→taste is a muscle→everyone has an edge→happiness = reality - expectation→your lifelong vision may not relate to your career's magnum opus→leverage status and money, but don't let them define you→