24th / Running. Zuck. Incomes. Indispensable.
New internal and external boundaries through racing.
Welcome to Circle Three!
Last week’s most-clicked link was on how to learn data science. Read the Inner Circle this week for a big personal challenge, too.
Hope you can get outside and appreciate nature this week. See me running through Central Park in NYC.
Cheers,
Dan
So what’s Circle Three? For new readers, the name comes from Seth Godin’s Linchpin, where he posits that the internet has created a circle beyond family and business: a tribe. Where knowledge is exchanged and our gifts are shared.
Thanks for being a part of this third circle. Let’s create something.
One Big Idea
“You don't become indispensable merely because you are different. But the only way to be indispensable is to be different. That's because if you're the same, so are plenty of other people.” — Seth Godin, Linchpin (27)
Strange, bizarre, unique, special. Different comes in many shapes and sizes. What makes you different? What do you, and only you, bring to the table?
Circles of Thought
“We visited 264 families in 50 countries and collected 30,000 photos. We sorted the homes by income, from left to right.” It’s humbling and unifying to look through detailed photos of how people live around the world and to see similarities and differences. Whose story is your favorite?
Need a colorful character as a placeholder? Joe Schmoe is an illustrated avatar collection for developers, designers, or anyone else who might need a schmoe representation.
Mark Zuckerberg’s commencement address to Harvard’s Class of 2017 is one of my favorites. Not just because he’s surprisingly funny (which he is), but he talks about why finding our own purpose isn’t enough. He is also honest about his own journey with Facebook, including dispelling some myths from The Social Network.
Communication and deliberation are key when deciding how long you should stay at a job. I’ve found having a loosely defined ‘master plan’ helps keep everything in perspective. Read Scouted’s article for some quick tips whether you’re considering leaving or not.
In the third issue of Circle Three, I had an alternative finder for just about anything. This week, here’s a similar tool for software-specific alternatives.
Inner Circle: The MidState Mile and Beans
Learning about yourself by voluntarily pushing new boundaries.
You wouldn't expect it, but during a video about a man who ate his weight in beans (more below), he contemplates two of life's important questions.
(1) How well do you know yourself?
(2) How can you challenge yourself to know yourself better?
To answer question 2: in June, I'll be competing in an ultra-race.
An introvert by nature, always striving to understand myself, and valuing a challenge, I love the possibilities these questions open regarding adventure. After all, I've been reflecting a lot recently.
Oftentimes, we think adventuring coincides with traveling. And it certainly does. Sometimes.
But what about adventure inward? Into an unfamiliar place, diving within ourselves to see how we respond outwardly?
That's what The Human Bean did. Here's a quick background.
He only ate beans, 191 cans, for 40 days. Life got hard eating only beans. Especially since he's a runner. I'll let you watch the video on your own at the link up above, but I wanted to pull this quote out:
"When I'm running well it feels like I'm part of a world-class symphony. Everything is in order, the conductor has their eyes closed, and the crowd never doubt what they're hearing. When the running is bad, it's as if part-time musicians got together, got drunk, and started playing an instrument they never played before."
By exploring ourselves through physical, emotional, or spiritual adventures, we can answer those two questions. For me, there's something daunting about a physical challenge. It's possible to find parts of yourself you didn't know existed or to learn that there are parts of yourself so deeply engrained that you can do nothing but embrace them.
I'm registered for the Midstate Mile this June. It's my first ultra race. It's in a different state. It's going to push me physically. It's going to push me mentally. It's my version of an answer to "How can you challenge yourself to know yourself better?" With any luck, the training and the event will help me answer Question 1 so I'll learn a little about myself too.
Physically, the race is a 1.1-mile loop. Every 20 minutes you get on the starting line until you can't finish within that 20 minutes, or you give up.
Mostly though, the race will push my emotional state, doing the same lap over and over. No music allowed. Just mind over matter and small steps. I imagine I'll enter new places in my mind that require deep digging and positive self-talk. Chadd Wright, an absolute beast, won the event last year, he's pictured above, about to embrace the second-place finisher after they duked it out for 90 miles.
My goal is 24 laps, or 26.4 miles, a little over a marathon. There might be a breakdown or two in there. But I'm excited to learn about myself, and open to pieces of advice!
State of the Circle
Dan is a mechanical design engineer interested in human-centered design. I love coming up with intuitive solutions. Reply to this email with what you’re working on.
🔊 Listening: Nahko and Medicine For the People
📖 Reading: Steal Like an Artist
🔑 Travel Key: Plan ahead, but not too far ahead.
🍺 Untappd: Nature Nut (non-alcoholic brew)
👁️🗨️ Looking Ahead: As life begins to resume, how long will physical reminders like “Stand Here” stickers be around in cities like New York?
This week was: project-driven
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