Dear Reader, This is my monthly update email. Just like companies send updates to their investors, I send updates to you.
I am grateful for you.
Right now I am sitting in a leather bucket bar stool looking out my window into the green backyards of my neighborhood. The sun trickles through the leaves of trees, and I feel free.
The contents of this update are:
1. TLDR
2. The month in a story
3. Decisions I made
4. Actions Taken
5. Gratitudes and Reflections
6. Goal Completion
7. Feedback Requests
TLDR: Got an apartment in NYC, I’m interviewing 100 people in New York, 60/100 done
My Last Month In A Story
1 month ago I was in sitting on my girlfriend’s flower comforter. In her cozy Brooklyn apartment, my stomach is full of stir fry and salmon, and we had just enjoyed the evening air in our hair on the rooftop.
I had just moved to NYC and didn’t even have an apartment, let alone an attack plan.
The problem was, I almost immediately had to leave NYC, but for good reason.
I surprised my sister, and I flew to Kansas City to do an event with a community I’ve helped build called Quarter Life Crisis.
Once I returned from that I was elated to have no flights anywhere planned, and my focus shifted to NYC. But I still had no action plan.
I had moved, but I needed to choose something big, stake my name on it, and send it.
From some polls I ran to people on LinkedIn and some sharpening from friends I landed on interviewing 100 people in NYC.
The age old strategy of meeting my neighbors, in public (at parks/places), in public (building it in public online).
I’m now at 60/100 people. I’m calling it The Sonder Series.
Decisions Made
Where to move
Interview 100 People In NYC
Joining a Business > Starting My Own
Actions Taken
- Moved into new apartment
- Still avg-ing at least one LinkedIn post a day
- Pre-Read 100,000 words in 10 days to vet others books.
- Interviewed 60 People in NYC in 15 days
- I’ve also written 10 poems towards my 100 Page poetry book. I believe I’m close to 70 poems for that book now.
- Changed my website to be more simple.
Reflections and Gratitudes
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Once you have established that you will do what you say you’ll do, bite off more than you can chew.
Said differently, change only happens as adaptation. Adaptation only happens as survival.
“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲” Martin Scorsese said it. The greatest creations, and the most simple ones, pour out of people. “They are compulsions.”- David Senra
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 > 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 (𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆) The heart’s electromagnetic field is 5000x stronger than the brain’s. Your heart’s energy affects the world around you more than your brain’s.
𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 Being kind is better business than being rude or scarce minded.
The energy inside of you will change the energy you perceive externally, and sometimes literally what happens.
𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 Craftsmen and missionaries. Rick Rubin, Steve Jobs — obsess over specific frontiers of technology and skills. Michelin Brothers, Elon Musk — obsess over specific problems and solution sets.
𝗧𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 People so desperately want depth. With so much abundance, depth makes the difference.
𝗔𝗿𝘁.
/ärt/ 𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯
the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, skill acquired by experience, study, or observation.
Artists win through science. Science directed by heart.
There are also patterns I’ve seen in my interviews I will write a separate analysis of, but here are a few.
“𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?”
→ No one starts at birth. Everyone starts when they moved to NYC.
→ Almost no one has it thought out. They figure it out as they speak. The people that do are more grounded and successful.
“𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂?”
→ Division. Lack of empathy. People not listening.
→ Finding community. Not just finding people—finding depth. → Education, young people’s potential not watered well.
“𝗪𝗵𝗼’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂?”
→ Rarely the people with accolades, more often its resilience that’s admired. → The ones who know themselves well. The ones with strong “no” muscles. → Those that have parents often answer about them
The meta-pattern: Many people react with surprise to my questions. “Wow, that’s deep.” “I wasn’t prepared for that.” People are not used to being asked meaningful questions.
Lastly, I am so grateful for the great outdoors that heals soul, mind, and body.
Goal Complete
To summarize: A report on starting a business vs joining a business + plan
The report: I talked to smart people from A16z, the Forbes list, professional sports, and composers to others that know me well. I concluded the following.
1. Specialist > Generalist. Possible to specialize in 2 ways. First, Domain expertise, second being great at a specific skill.
2. If you don’t know what to build, build distribution. I have done this in a smaller way with my network through giving, and am now approaching this is a bigger way through content.
I think that going into a job where I can focus on a specific domain and skill will be the best suited opportunity for me to succeed long term.
Even if I become a CoS again I will choose wisely the domain to consume knowledge on.
After The Sonder Series is done I’ll have data on the problems that mean a lot to the world, and choose meaningful to me.
In addition, I will have established myself in NYC in a big way.
From there I will make content UP towards the positions/people I want to work in and with. This will both create assets for me, practice skills, and get me a job. Just like Casey Rickey made art for his heroes.
Feedback Requests
What frontiers of technology do you see right now?
What problem in the world is most meaningful to you?
What else would you like to see in these updates?
What’s your favorite experiment you’ve run on your life?
Still the biggest stretch ever. Thank you for walking alongside me.
From my heart,
James Floyd
P.S. I love seeing your responses and am so grateful your here!
Past Updates:
The James Update #1
The James Update #2
The James Update #3
The James Update #4
The James Update #5
The James Update #6
The James Update #7