Jonathan Moore
I am a designer who lives in code, entrepreneur, and an idea incubator driven to make our world a better place.
I am a designer who lives in code, entrepreneur, and an idea incubator driven to make our world a better place.
“It’s not that successful and productive people don’t … feel that same fear—it’s just that most of the good ones have figured out how to either accept the fears as a natural part of the process, or they just choose to ignore each fakey barrier the second it appears.”
Merlin Mann on Doing Creative Work
Quote found on the iDoneThis Blog, Getting in the Writing Place Every Day
There is something magical about going to the beach as the sun is rising, just in time for the dawn patrol. Even with a wetsuit the air feels crisp and cool, but the moment you step into the water your feet are reminded of just how cold the Pacific is. With a leap onto your board you give yourself a boost as you paddle towards the spot beyond where the waves breaks. Paddling into the first small wave you can’t help but taste the saltwater. It’s a great start to the day.
Now the waiting begins. The water is quiet and peaceful as your board rises and falls over small rolling waves. Scanning the horizon you look for the next set of waves that will take you all the way back to the shore. As the set builds, it’s tempting take one of the smaller waves for a short ride, but the energy it takes to catch it will either leave you tired or trapped inside the break when the real waves come rolling in.
Occasionally the timing is perfect and you will paddle out just in time for the next set of waves, but more often you’ll have to watch and wait for the set. When that powerful set wave finally comes in, get ready for a ride of your life.
“Live in the future, then build what’s missing.”
(via brycedotvc)
Fantastic post by Y Combinator’s Paul Graham on the process of noticing startup ideas.
Throughout life we are impacted with moments that are rich with meaning and significance. Regardless of the joy or sorrow that these moments create, it is our job to listen and respond. This summer I was given the gift of one of those profound moments.
On a warm August afternoon, my wife and I invited some close friends over for lunch to spend the day swimming in our pool. We were in the water playing with our kids, watching them one-up each other jumping in, and playing all the usual games.
One of the times my daughter climbed out to jump back in, she cried out in pain after stepping on a bee. As soon as I pulled out the stinger left behind in her foot, one by one more bees began to swarm. Thinking that the dead bee was attracting others, I picked it up and went inside to throw it away.
The moment I opened the trash in the kitchen I heard my wife scream outside. It wasn’t an ordinary scream. I look outside right at the moment she was diving into the water. Racing outside I was certain that she was being attacked by the aggressive bees.
I made it to the edge of the water right when she was coming up. My heart sank. In her arms was our little boy, blue and lifeless.
As I sit in the passenger seat of my car today (wife is driving), I am utterly distracted by the countless political yard signs plastered across my city. But what boggles me most, is the candidates absolute failure of differentiation. Every single candidate does the exact same thing and expects to be noticed, understood, and voted for. How stupid is that?
From Dale Partridge article on how to be an orange dot in a sea of color.
“Build not only an organization that does good, but an organization that teaches people to continue doing good outside their experience with you.”
Dale Partridge, founder of Sevenly on leading a generation towards generosity at Identity Conference 2012.
“It’s better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way.”
Alan Watts
The quote is from a recent post on Shelby White’s (Wanken) blog asking “What Do You Want To Do?” If you take money off the table completely, what is it that would get you up in the morning anxious to dive right in?
If you’re part of a startup, I believe that your success might actually be defined by whether you are willing to be inconsistent. This means that actually changing your mind is not just a good trait as Jeff Bezos has mentioned, but “staying consistent” might actually be the reason your startup fails. I think this also probably applies to a much wider context than startups: I think your success might be determined by how willing you are to be inconsistent.
A well thought out response to 37signals’ “Some Advice from Jeff Bezos” post by Joel Gascoigne founder of Buffer.
I’ve made the mistake of plunging headfirst into a business commitment that wasn’t fulfilling, spending more time trying to make it work than actually getting stuff done. I’ve felt red flags early on in a startup but waited nine months to listen to my intution. I’ve put off my own ideas to help others actualize their visions because it was less scary. — Amber Ray
If you can’t answer yes to all of the eight items on the list, it’s time to reevaluate the work you’re doing. Make something that you love.
Written by Amber Ray, go follow her on Tumblr.
I could write endlessly about everything I learned and experienced at last week’s Brooklyn Beta conference**, but Jonathan Mann aka Song A Day Man’s three day montage manages to do it a small slice of justice.
**Conference is the wrong word, it’s more of a summer camp, family reunion hybrid for people who love making the internet.
“A great product is closer to an accident. It’s the byproduct of the environment you build at your company. This environment may actually be harder to build than the product itself, but you’ll be left with a better everything by the end of it.”
Zach Holman, from his presentation The Product is the Byproduct
In response to the glut and excess of todo applications, Jeff Atwood makes the case for ditching the list’s “soul-draining exercises in reductionism”.
Here’s my challenge. If you can’t wake up every day and, using your 100% original equipment God-given organic brain, come up with the three most important things you need to do that day – then you should seriously work on fixing that. I don’t mean install another app, or read more productivity blogs and books. You have to figure out what’s important to you and what motivates you; ask yourself why that stuff isn’t gnawing at you enough to make you get it done. Fix that.
For quite some time I have kept a simple, daily, mental (or sometimes handwritten) things to focus on list consisting of the three things that are priority for the day. If I start to get off track or tackle projects that are not a priority for that day it’s a good reminder to get back on track.
“The biggest myth ever perpetuated in the design field is that good design sells itself.”
“It’s not about the amount of wealth you can accumulate, it’s about the impact and change you can create.” —Neil Blumenthal
