Expectations

My expectations for this writing thingy

I’m that tech boy now that’s entered his substack phase lol. I’m outlining my (semi) expectations/goals/thoughts for these clumps and heaps of words as my first piece because I want to be conscious of the space in the rooms or houses it fills up for people reading it (and for myself), amongst the vastness of the internet. So here's to writing more.

What are my goals? Why am I writing?

• I’ve been struggling a lot recently with just keeping up with my relationships. I’ve always tried taking the approach of responding to everyone and everything, and as the months and past years have gone on, I’ve realized that this is impossible. Conversations with hundreds of people a day, even if it’s a few texts create a lack of focus and subtracts the time that I would love to commit to the people I love the most. 25% of many conversations are life updates anyways (and another 25% their’s) so thought I’d share some thoughts, and maybe even updates here so we could skip the “catching up” part, and maybe immediately dive into deeper conversations.

• I recently have had heaps of conversations around finding your tribes amongst the internet and around the idea of serendipity — my conclusions (for now) being that I want to pursue both: tribe finding for hearing of social(and almost familial)-fulfillment but also experimentation to help understand human coordination better, and serendipity because I’ve realized 70% of the experiences which hold most significance in my life stem from the most serendipitous moments. Writing allows me to pursue both in an exponential manner. Shoutout James for pointing this out and frankly unknowingly helping me start somewhere, which is this.

• Tied to this, I'm writing to find people that I’d love to spend more time with, share experiences with, or have conversations with. Email or DM me if there’s some overlap :)

• I want to become a better writer. Frankly, I’m not great at writing. Writing can only help me right? The best salespeople are just amazing storytellers. It’s useful to be able to sell. The best storytellers connect with people in a deeper manner and spark amazing relationships (s/o to Kidus for being such an amazing and thoughtful storyteller and also unknowingly sparking more realization about this for me — he also wrote me one of the best cold emails ever which is how we originally connected, a great example of how it’s useful). I’ve also been reading and writing a ton of applications recently and have realized that I am in dire need of some practice lol. As such — if you’re reading this and want to jam about writing or give feedback — PLEASE do. Honest feedback is what I’d appreciate the most.

• Reflection and inspiration are two things that I find lacking on a daily basis in my current life (which was previously serviced through making music, journaling, or watching content), and I’ve been actively trying to find other solutions to this that might work better for me. If I, or frankly anyone can be more reflective day to day, or find inspiration from my musings, then I’d call it a win. It also allows me (and perhaps others) to be more honest with myself. Writing also allows me to pause, and embrace silence and tranquility which ultimately is where the most creative ideas and innovation have lied, at least for me. The most formative times in my life where I’ve had the best insights have been in the moments when I’m most proximate to the human condition, to what makes humans happy, what they care about, and understanding how to form connections.

• I also know what I don't want my writing to be for, at least for now: 1. Something to growth hack my way into becoming a Sahil Bloom LOL (essentially optimizing for “value” and clicks), and 2. Just my musings and reflections. Otherwise, this should be private and it feels like I’d just be delivering ego to my own front door.

• I don’t actually want to have any expectations for this, which might sound counterintuitive or even hypocritical given the fact that I just gave long bullet points of things I want to take out of this. I want to be able to freely write, whenever I want, about whatever I want. I feel like society today forces you to think about the “marketable” way to do things, like adding upfront, tangible value by branding this newsletter in a way that optimizes SEO or is easily digestible through social media mediums. It almost feels like we’re making noodles from scratch, and as chefs, we’re tasked to strike a fine balance between sharing with enough people to attract those that feel inclined to reach out, and focusing on things that matter true to self. If we pull the noodles too much, they’re too thin, and not enough and no one wants to eat them. It may also be how my mind works sometimes oops. This being all said, I know (realistically) I will have expectations for this, but I’ll keep them low and as such, these piles of words will be serviced in influxes, while stagnating at times until I clean up the cobwebs and write again.

Looking forward (idk whether to do this on every posting, but again — no expectations lol):

• I’ll be in Europe 11/16 - 11/24 (though I might extend it to 11/26)!! Planning on Madrid, Naples, and Paris (and maybe Lisbon after) I’ll still be working and such, but please let me know if you’re close by or if you have any recs :) I’m excited I’ll be spending 1:1 with someone I deeply care about, and catching up with friends (one friend in particular) I haven’t seen in a while.

• We’re hosting a lot of stuff and also continuing rolling applications for Verci!! Please please please hit me up if you’re in NYC. We have our first Rabbitholeathon (think Hackathon but for learning anything, s/o Naz for taking initiative on this!!), a non-thanksgiving, a film screening/gathering, a gallery, our weekly circles, and a concert we’re planning!! Hmu if any of these spark your interest!! Also, I’m writing the tail end of this at the writing club James hosts every Sunday at the space, and if you also want to write — I’d encourage you to do so.

• I’ve told myself I’m getting BACK in music making, even if it’s just one piece a month or jamming once a week. Brought my cello again into the space recently and was jamming for a bit (found myself getting some sparks of flow but also genuinely enjoying the cello for the first time in a while).

• WORLD CUP YAHOOOOO!!!!!! 🇯🇵 ⚽️ 🇯🇵 ⚽️ IM SO SO SO EXCITED Y’ALL DON”T EVEN KNOWWWWW

• I MAY be in LA for a few days from the 7th-10th of December and will definitely be there over the new year, starting around the 12/29ish into January!! Let me know if you're around.

• I’ve had some issues with relationship-building 🧱🏗 and maintenance lately because I’ve had too many properties to manage, and also have poorly dealt with some leakages and I promised myself I would put time into figuring this out.

• I haven’t been taking care of my body as much recently, so just watching what I consume and playing more soccer!! will be a short-term solution. Lmk if you have any fitness recs pls :))