Daniel TedescoDaniel's 2021 Annual Letter
Dear Friends, I had no good reason to be unhappy in 2021. Flora and I were healthy, our families were safe, we had good jobs, and we were able to live quite freely in terms of going out and domestic travel. Yet I still felt bad almost every day, and the low mood kept me from pursuing things I thought were important. I’ve had years like that before, and I bet more will come. It’s surely more common than social media feeds would have us believe. Fortunately, unsatisfying times trigger reflectio...
Daniel TedescoDaniel's 2018 Annual Letter
Daniel’s 2018 Mid-Year UpdateDear Mentors, Colleagues, and Friends, I'm sending an extra update because of some life changes. First, I graduated business school and found a job at Google. My team helps local technology companies in Asia bring their products to people around the globe--I'm so excited to start this next part of my career. Second, I wrote my first piece of software, a web application called Tasky. You can try it out here. In my last note, I mentioned my goal of positiv...
Daniel TedescoDaniel's 2017 Annual Letter
Dear Mentors, Colleagues, and Friends, Happy 2018! Last year, I left Beijing and completed my first year at Columbia Business School. Below are three anecdotes about my year that I hope you find enjoyable.Fishes and PondsI had a clear purpose in China: through multinational businesses and nonprofits, to build ties between China, the U.S., and the rest of the world. I was the American guy who spoke Mandarin. I volunteered for nonprofits to build intercultural ties. I built many strong groups o...
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For the past several years, I’ve written an annual letter to family, friends, and colleagues. It’s both an update (since I don’t post much about myself on social media) and a reflection on the previous year. Shuffling between the U.S. and China during college, I started writing the once-a-year missives as a way to keep in touch with people I don’t see often. However, I never expected how transformational and therapeutic the practice would become.
A letter forces me to summarize my year. What am I proud of? What did I fail at? I find it easier to talk about both in writing more than in person. Getting rejected from beloved schools, then eventually being admitted. Failing miserably at dozens of job interviews, then eventually receiving an offer from Google. It’s an opportunity to be grateful for whatever I’ve learned and the times that I enjoyed throughout the year. Like when one week with Flora in Bali packed in more fun than the rest of a year. To write the thing, I have to consider what I did that actually matters to me. (Spoiler: I spend much more time doing things that don’t matter so much.)
Each letter is also a time capsule. What was I thinking and feeling at that stage of my life? Now that I have a several year history of letters, I can see patterns emerge. I see myself changing. From a flag-waving, nationalistic Fulbright Scholar in college to someone who’s wary of jingoism and big governments everywhere. From a wanna-be philosopher-king to a practical businessperson. From someone with a childlike interest in computers to a self-trained (and still quite incompetent) software developer. All of those Daniels are still within me. They’ve only evolved and intertwined as I’ve aged, like T.S. Eliot’s ‘old stones that cannot be deciphered’.
Most meaningful, is how every year about 5% of recipients reply with their own updates. The replies have rekindled dozens of old friendships, uncovered new shared interests, and inspired others to start their own annual bulletins. People even refer to the letters when we meet, saving many obligatory “so how have you been” monologues before real conversation. I feel deep pride when I receive updates from younger people I’ve coached, as I hope I’ve had some positive impact on their development. Likewise, I hope my letters serve the same purpose for the countless people who have mentored me through the ups and downs in my life. Even though it’s a bulk email, the letter at least opens the door to richer personal connection.
Friends still rib me for it. “Dan, when are you sending your Annual Letter to the Shareholders?” they quip. They’re amused by this absurd discipline and the gall I have to bore people with my trifling about year after year after year. It’s deserved. I take myself too seriously. After all, I am the first-born Tedesco grandchild and all that. I can laugh along and recognize the silliness of the endeavor.
But you know what, there’s always a glint of jealousy in my friends’ teasing eyes. It’s not that hard. You, too, can write an annual letter. Or at least something regular and with more depth than an Instagram post. If you do, I’d love to read it.
Until then, here’s a whirlwind tour of my annual letters so far:
For the past several years, I’ve written an annual letter to family, friends, and colleagues. It’s both an update (since I don’t post much about myself on social media) and a reflection on the previous year. Shuffling between the U.S. and China during college, I started writing the once-a-year missives as a way to keep in touch with people I don’t see often. However, I never expected how transformational and therapeutic the practice would become.
A letter forces me to summarize my year. What am I proud of? What did I fail at? I find it easier to talk about both in writing more than in person. Getting rejected from beloved schools, then eventually being admitted. Failing miserably at dozens of job interviews, then eventually receiving an offer from Google. It’s an opportunity to be grateful for whatever I’ve learned and the times that I enjoyed throughout the year. Like when one week with Flora in Bali packed in more fun than the rest of a year. To write the thing, I have to consider what I did that actually matters to me. (Spoiler: I spend much more time doing things that don’t matter so much.)
Each letter is also a time capsule. What was I thinking and feeling at that stage of my life? Now that I have a several year history of letters, I can see patterns emerge. I see myself changing. From a flag-waving, nationalistic Fulbright Scholar in college to someone who’s wary of jingoism and big governments everywhere. From a wanna-be philosopher-king to a practical businessperson. From someone with a childlike interest in computers to a self-trained (and still quite incompetent) software developer. All of those Daniels are still within me. They’ve only evolved and intertwined as I’ve aged, like T.S. Eliot’s ‘old stones that cannot be deciphered’.
Most meaningful, is how every year about 5% of recipients reply with their own updates. The replies have rekindled dozens of old friendships, uncovered new shared interests, and inspired others to start their own annual bulletins. People even refer to the letters when we meet, saving many obligatory “so how have you been” monologues before real conversation. I feel deep pride when I receive updates from younger people I’ve coached, as I hope I’ve had some positive impact on their development. Likewise, I hope my letters serve the same purpose for the countless people who have mentored me through the ups and downs in my life. Even though it’s a bulk email, the letter at least opens the door to richer personal connection.
Friends still rib me for it. “Dan, when are you sending your Annual Letter to the Shareholders?” they quip. They’re amused by this absurd discipline and the gall I have to bore people with my trifling about year after year after year. It’s deserved. I take myself too seriously. After all, I am the first-born Tedesco grandchild and all that. I can laugh along and recognize the silliness of the endeavor.
But you know what, there’s always a glint of jealousy in my friends’ teasing eyes. It’s not that hard. You, too, can write an annual letter. Or at least something regular and with more depth than an Instagram post. If you do, I’d love to read it.
Until then, here’s a whirlwind tour of my annual letters so far:
Daniel TedescoDaniel's 2021 Annual Letter
Dear Friends, I had no good reason to be unhappy in 2021. Flora and I were healthy, our families were safe, we had good jobs, and we were able to live quite freely in terms of going out and domestic travel. Yet I still felt bad almost every day, and the low mood kept me from pursuing things I thought were important. I’ve had years like that before, and I bet more will come. It’s surely more common than social media feeds would have us believe. Fortunately, unsatisfying times trigger reflectio...
Daniel TedescoDaniel's 2018 Annual Letter
Daniel’s 2018 Mid-Year UpdateDear Mentors, Colleagues, and Friends, I'm sending an extra update because of some life changes. First, I graduated business school and found a job at Google. My team helps local technology companies in Asia bring their products to people around the globe--I'm so excited to start this next part of my career. Second, I wrote my first piece of software, a web application called Tasky. You can try it out here. In my last note, I mentioned my goal of positiv...
Daniel TedescoDaniel's 2017 Annual Letter
Dear Mentors, Colleagues, and Friends, Happy 2018! Last year, I left Beijing and completed my first year at Columbia Business School. Below are three anecdotes about my year that I hope you find enjoyable.Fishes and PondsI had a clear purpose in China: through multinational businesses and nonprofits, to build ties between China, the U.S., and the rest of the world. I was the American guy who spoke Mandarin. I volunteered for nonprofits to build intercultural ties. I built many strong groups o...
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