Circle Three 69 / Aloha Ke Akua
The Catholic Crypto Conference was this week, connecting two communities that had a lot more in common than you might think. I had a great two days, met lots of friendly people, and presented at what was my first in-person public speaking event in some time. It felt good to dust off the cobwebs and get back on stage.
Contents:
brain bites: Culture
Death of the Key Change
brain bites: Psychology & Health
You’re Theragunning Wrong
Hubris from Scott Galloway
brain bites: Business & Investing
Fundraisers
brain bites: Technology
Catholic Crypto Conference
Lyric: Aloha Ke Akua by Nahko And Medicine For The People
brain bites: culture
Death of the Key Change. Can you recognize a key change in a song? They are disappearing. Dig in here. Key changes are those shifts that make you “feel like you’ve received the Holy Spirit even if you’ve never been to a church.” (sticking with the religious theme this week). Key changes are disappearing in pop music. I’m saddened, as someone who has belted or played my share of key changes.
“Both of the shifts can be tied back to two things: the rise of hip-hop and the growing popularity of digital music production, or recording on computers.”
brain bites: psychology & health
You’re “Theragunning” Wrong. Simple but helpful guide. I’ve bounced off my spine enough to know there are right and wrong ways to massage gun.
Hubris. From Scott Galloway on humility and dealing with success and loss. The last paragraphs copied below were the crux of it.
What is the lesson, what can be learned? Every day, no matter how successful we become, we need to earn our success. We need to be kind and appreciative; we need to surround ourselves with people who will push back on us and question our beliefs and actions. We need to demonstrate humility. You are never more susceptible to a huge mistake than right after a big win, when you begin to believe the falsehood that your success is all about you. Yes, you’re brilliant and hardworking, but greatness is in the agency of others, and timing (and other features of luck) is everything.
The flip side is less discussed but more important. When you’ve f****d up, when things are going poorly — a relationship ends, you have professional disappointment, or you’re in financial stress — forgive yourself. Mourn, then move on. And moving on means finding the people and activities that give you the strength and confidence to believe you have value, that you are the solution to your firm’s needs, and that you could make someone else’s life wonderful. I have known many really successful people. But there’s a distinction between success and happiness. The delta boils down to registering one truth and surviving the accompanying emotions: Much of your failure, and your success, is not your fault.
brain bites: business & investing
Fundraising Environment. Difficult environment to raise capital.
brain bites: technology
Catholic Crypto Conference. One attendee’s takeaways here. My favorite was from Chris Tyrrell’s keynote: “Blessed are the Blockchains?!?”
“Don't demonize humans. People in traditional finance, big tech, regulators, even state-sponsored hackers are still human and can grow in education and morals. Bad acts are obviously atrocious, but bad actors are human and need help.”
Lyric: Aloha Ke Akua by Nahko And Medicine For The People
I listen to this song at least monthly. It’s an inspiring and catchy tune. Reflective lyrics are met with “socially conscious folk and rock with soulful, alt-R&B,” according to Spotify.
The lyrics are deeply spiritual — the translation of this song is “God is Love” — and I’ve always gravitated to piano-based songs as a player. An incredible acoustic version can be found here — the equivalent of T. Swift’s 10-minute version of All Too Well.
Would you believe it?
If you knew what you were for
And how you became so informed?
Bodies of info performing such miracles
I am a miracle made up of particles
And in this existence
I’ll stay persistent
And I’ll make a difference
And I will have lived it
Stay Curious,
Dan