On Lessons from Life and Writing

Right before turning 61, Writer Anne Lamott shares her wisdom on life, truth, family, writing, God, death, and more. I found it particularly poignant and insightful. You might too. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. “Life is filled with heartbreaking sweetness, beauty, desperate poverty, floods, babies, and Mozart."
2. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
3. “If it's someone else's problem, you probably don’t have the answers anyway. Help is the sunnyside of control.”
4. “Try not to compare your insides to other people’s outsides.”
5. “You can't save, fix, or save anybody. Radical self care is quantum.”
6. “Every single thing that happened to you is yours and you get to tell it.”
7. “Families are hard.”
8. “Laughter really is carbonated holiness. It gives us back to ourselves.”
9. “Death. You will never get over these losses. The person will live again fully in your hearts. Death is as sacred as birth.”
10. “When all is said and done, we’re all really just walking each other home.”

Hear the rest at TED.

On Advice From a Founder

This week, we’re focusing on reflection. This recent piece by Threadless CEO, Jake Nickell, really resonated with me. Many of you are in the transition stage from college to career. Some of you will switch jobs many different times, some of you will start your own companies. Each of your journeys are unique and special. Respect your own journey. “Don't worry about figuring out your purpose super early in your life or career, but always be on the lookout for it.” I, along with the team at Experience Lab, are here to support you as you look for your passion and purpose. LInkedin.

On the Limits of Friendship

In this piece of the Ethicist by the NYTimes, a white reader writes of her confliction on whether she should remain friends with her long-time white friend who voices racist beliefs and who does not support the BLM movement. Kwame Appiah responds that “perfect friendships” are rare, as it is shared between individuals “who are good and alike in virtue.” He also notes that many of us can and do maintain close friendships with people who share dissonant views from us. But in cases like this, “what most effectively discourages the expression of backward views isn’t rational argument but social sanction.” If the friend sees that her racist views are not tolerated by her friends, she might be more incentivized to reflect on them, out of fear of losing her friends. Have you experienced a similar dilemma in your friend group? Give this a read and you might gain some insights. NYTimes.