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It’s so difficult to go from being an underdog to being successful (happens to 1% of people?), and it seems so unlikely when you’re slogging, that... when they get successful, it seems like only 1-5% of *those* are able to adapt and reorient What got you here won’t get you there
The relentless make it from stage 1 to stage 2 It takes self-restraint to go from stage 2 to stage 3 but most of the people who possess the self-restraint to go from stage 2 to stage 3 never make it past stage 1 (too restrained)
“From standin' on corners and porches just rappin' To havin' a fortune, no more kissin' ass But then these critics crucify you, journalists try to burn you Fans turn on you [...] they want you to lose your mind Every time you mad” https://t.co/NGuIjH3PeZ
people who pursue fame hoping to feel less lonely often find that superstar fame is lonelier than anything else - people pedestalize or demonize you, both of which are dehumanizing, and with potentially ruinous consequences https://t.co/IdZWOmYIED
So does that mean that pursuing fame, or success that has fame attached, is a rigged game that you’re destined to lose? I don’t think so. You just have to face reality, have relationships that ground you, & you have to love the work. Don’t take it from me: https://t.co/9BI1hQQmD2
The thing I really enjoy about this exchange between Obama and Seinfeld is that you can see that they’re both very curious people, intellectually rigorous, each dealing with unavoidable filter bubbles, and each recognises that the other person has a valuable perspective https://t.co/rGQGfv0f5b
Back in my local blogger days, I stumbled into making content that legitimately felt important and ~relevant~ because so many people were into it but they didn’t actually care about me or what I said, and I’m really glad I got out. It’s like drugs IMHO https://t.co/ZSGa1XcAzd
I “got into” political blogging because I was really mad about a flagrantly misleading bit of statistics in the national newspaper. I wrote in about it, and they completely neutered my criticism. So I got madder, and took to the Internet. The rage-mob gave sweet, sweet approval
Upstream of *all* of this I think is the fundamental problem of loneliness in modern civilisation. The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes to me that it’s probably the most important problem for me to work on, given my skillset + background + POV https://t.co/K35tzbcMHs
When kids want to be vloggers, youtubers, Instagram hotties, etc - I believe this is part of what they are drawn to. The prospect of people caring about you. The dominant condition of modern civilisation seems to be loneliness. Kids aspire to not be lonely
And my personal best-fit attack vector to strike at the problem of loneliness is to teach people how to make friends. You are all invited to join me on this. 🤓 The world gets less lonely every time you make a friend ❤️💪🏾 https://t.co/6WtZ9OdCQV
Several conversations with several friends - and also the story of my entire life - is getting me to crystalize some thoughts The most valuable thing I know is how to make friends The most powerful + valuable thing I can do is teach it to other people
That said, an important thing to know about making friends, for people who aren’t good at it, is that you usually shouldn’t ask people “will you be my friend?” It’s too big an ask if you’re a stranger https://t.co/68B40xmph9