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| title | date | summary | image | location | tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B3.12 Sculpting myself | 2020-01-20 | Oh, that's right, I never introduced myself... | https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa43d371f-d1ee-4795-b797-6641d22dc93e_1920x1080.jpeg | /B3.12 | Newsletter, self-reflection, animorphs, Duncan Sabian, podcast, jobs-to-be-done |
Sculpting myself
Oh, that's right, I never introduced myself...
Who Am I?
My first issue established my purpose for starting up this newsletter, but I never actually introduced who I was.
So who am I?
Turns out, I'm not sure.
My name is Gordon Pedersen, and I'm a software developer and designer for Aerion Technologies. I have various interests in software development, consumer tech, gaming and productivity/PKM (Personal Knowledge Management).
But lately, I've been thinking about the topic of who I am, internally, and come up mostly empty. I've never really been good at looking to the future, and the very typical question of "Where do you see yourself in x years?" usually stumps me. Even when x = 1.
But I've been reading a rational fanfiction based on the Animorphs books I loved so much when I was younger, and one of the main themes that is hitting me is the various characters' explorations of their sense of self.
The main antagonist has the very villain-trope-y end goal of immortality, but in his exploration of how to attain it, he's very careful to make sure any future version of him is still him. The story has just hit a point where he's noticed something different in his own thought processes, which starts him questioning which parts of those thoughts are him and which are not.
Completely separate to that, a different character starts questioning who she wants to be and noticing how she's changing. How she felt like some of the changes were good and some bad, like she was "a sculptor comparing each new chisel mark against the grand vision".
But what is this "grand vision"? Who is the sculptor that gets to decide what to keep and what to chip away?
The answer is both incredibly complex, perhaps even unknowable - but simultaneously incredibly simple: You.
You are the sculptor of your own self. You get to decide who you are and who you are not. The trick is recognising what is happening and intentionally making the decisions.
So who am I? How do I know what parts of me to chip away at? I got in touch with the author of the story and he gave me some sound advice:
Practice building up the yes, that's it skill within yourself. Like, the skill of noticing when a phrase perfectly matches an emotion, or when a proposed meal perfectly matches the hunger you're feeling.
I think you're most likely to find fulfillment (rather than disappointment or failure or discontent) along a path where you recognize what you "should be trying to shape yourself into" rather than generating it from whole cloth.
I bet the "optimal path" for you will feel familiar, at least a little bit. It'll be like putting on an old shoe that still fits perfectly. And the skill of recognizing your own psyche's response of "yes that's it" is one that a lot of people are rusty with, and can improve by trying.
This advice actually resonated with me. It actually did feel like "yes, that's it".
So, who am I? I'm not sure yet, but I'm on the look out, and hopeful that I can figure it out as I go.
Stuff I've found interesting recently:
Not Overthinking Podcast
I've been listening to Ali and Taimur Abdaal's podcast for a while now and if you like my ruminations above, you'll love the kinds of conversations these brothers have about "happiness, creativity, and the human condition".
They most recently discussed how specific words or phrases have changed their thought processes, and discuss anything from social interactions to how a good kitchen bin can measurably improve your life.
Definitely worth listening to for a different perspective on life advice.
Zbigniew Gecis - 8 things to use in “Jobs-To-Be-Done” framework for product development
The "Jobs-To-Be-Done" framework is an oddly named framing for a way to develop a product. Rather than focus on the features or functionality of a product, focus on the job the customer is trying to do and - more importantly - why they are trying to do it.
The general idea is that a customer is "hiring" your product to do a "job", but that job is in service of a particular goal. The key is to figure out what the goals are, and design and sell your product in terms of that goal.
It's a different perspective on product development and can even be useful in framing your own purchasing decision: "For what 'job' am I 'hiring' this product to do?"
Nat Eliason - Roam: Why I Love It and How I Use It
A great primer on what Roam is, with some great productivity tips.
I've always seen the need for something like a weekly review, but never quite got the hang of doing it. But I'm borrowing some of the tips from this article and working them into my own Roam workflow, and so far it seems to be working for me.
I might write more about this in the next issue.