
Purpose Struggle
Yesterday, I decided that my blogging career should come to an end. I was doing myself a disservice. I told myself that the goal of the posts was to dig deeper, peel back the layers, get down to the core. But by publishing online (or on-chain as the case may be), I was subconsciously writing for others, even if I told myself that I didn't care if others read. So, in an effort to be more authentic, I figured I'd stop publishing and start doing a private journal. Within 2 hours of that decision...

Value. Happiness.
I feel happy. It's fun, it's light, like a feather floating at the beginning of Forrest Gump. But, like the feather, it's not grounded. It can flitter and float away. Value is also ephemeral. We know it when we see it. We feel it, somewhere deep inside. Something connects to us, saying "yes, this is worth it." The "it" that it's worth is energy. Energy in the form of time, attention, money. The things of which our possession is limited. There's a reason why all the great traditions point to "...

Coffee with AI
Every day for the past month, I’ve had a coffee date with AI. I literally sit down, with a cup of coffee, with an appointment on my calendar that says “coffee with AI”. During that time, AI (I’ve used ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Venice) and I literally have a chat, the way I would with a friend. It’s not “write this letter for me” or “do this or that.” No, it’s a chance for us to have a conversation about whatever topic I want. Many days, recently, at least, it’s been about quant...
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Purpose Struggle
Yesterday, I decided that my blogging career should come to an end. I was doing myself a disservice. I told myself that the goal of the posts was to dig deeper, peel back the layers, get down to the core. But by publishing online (or on-chain as the case may be), I was subconsciously writing for others, even if I told myself that I didn't care if others read. So, in an effort to be more authentic, I figured I'd stop publishing and start doing a private journal. Within 2 hours of that decision...

Value. Happiness.
I feel happy. It's fun, it's light, like a feather floating at the beginning of Forrest Gump. But, like the feather, it's not grounded. It can flitter and float away. Value is also ephemeral. We know it when we see it. We feel it, somewhere deep inside. Something connects to us, saying "yes, this is worth it." The "it" that it's worth is energy. Energy in the form of time, attention, money. The things of which our possession is limited. There's a reason why all the great traditions point to "...

Coffee with AI
Every day for the past month, I’ve had a coffee date with AI. I literally sit down, with a cup of coffee, with an appointment on my calendar that says “coffee with AI”. During that time, AI (I’ve used ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Venice) and I literally have a chat, the way I would with a friend. It’s not “write this letter for me” or “do this or that.” No, it’s a chance for us to have a conversation about whatever topic I want. Many days, recently, at least, it’s been about quant...
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<100 subscribers


There’s a beautiful custom in Japan-or at least there was when I was there-that when the cleaning crew comes off the Shinkansen bullet train, there’s an announcement that says
“Dear customers, we are honored to have had the opportunity to clean this train for your journey” or something like that.
Then, the cleaning crew bows to the customers (who are patiently waiting in a straight line) and the customers bow to the cleaning crew.
I’ve never seen such dignity given to such typically “low status” jobs anywhere else.
But it made an impression on me.
So, I’ve started to go out of my way to express gratitude to bus drivers, movers, landscapers, floor cleaners, and clerks.
And it’s not a cursory “thank you,” but I take a moment to really think about how those people have actually contributed to my life or the life of those about whom I care.
When you do that, you really begin to think about how we’re all interconnected and how, without them, much of what is considered “life” wouldn’t work as you might like it to.
And it’s not about me.
What it is about-and I can see this in the way they react-is how pushing some positive energy in their direction.
They feel, well, seen and I can only imagine (or hope) how this ripples throughout their day and the people they touch.
I can’t change the world, but I can create ripple effects.
There’s a beautiful custom in Japan-or at least there was when I was there-that when the cleaning crew comes off the Shinkansen bullet train, there’s an announcement that says
“Dear customers, we are honored to have had the opportunity to clean this train for your journey” or something like that.
Then, the cleaning crew bows to the customers (who are patiently waiting in a straight line) and the customers bow to the cleaning crew.
I’ve never seen such dignity given to such typically “low status” jobs anywhere else.
But it made an impression on me.
So, I’ve started to go out of my way to express gratitude to bus drivers, movers, landscapers, floor cleaners, and clerks.
And it’s not a cursory “thank you,” but I take a moment to really think about how those people have actually contributed to my life or the life of those about whom I care.
When you do that, you really begin to think about how we’re all interconnected and how, without them, much of what is considered “life” wouldn’t work as you might like it to.
And it’s not about me.
What it is about-and I can see this in the way they react-is how pushing some positive energy in their direction.
They feel, well, seen and I can only imagine (or hope) how this ripples throughout their day and the people they touch.
I can’t change the world, but I can create ripple effects.
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