It’s perfectly fine if you think your work gives life meaning
The All-In Podcast became one of my new favorite weekly podcasts in 2021. The thing I love most is discovering David Friedberg.
I love his conviction, his passion, his choice of words, and his commitment to only speaking about what he knows.
YouTube's algorithm took notice and surfaced to me David's presentation at Stanford from 2011.
I've always struggled when people say that 'it's just a job' because I think your job, your work, your daily devotion and focus... those things should give you meaning. Why wouldn't we want to primary focus of our day to give us meaning?
Work gives life meaning, even if we find meaning elsewhere (friends, family, faith, etc.).
I've felt this way since my first job at 16-years-old, bagging groceries at Son's Supermarket in Jasper, Alabama.
I started working at Son's just days after turning 16, which happened to be during the rush of Thanksgiving. Given that Thanksgiving revolves around food, my first week was a crash course in bagging, stocking, customer service, customer surges, corralling loose shopping carts, and trying to place every bag into the car as if Thanksgiving depended on its safety and security… because it did.
Broken eggs ruin recipes.
I took joy in my work because who wouldn't want to help make the rush of Thanksgiving a little bit better.
My work gave me meaning. I can't remember a time since where I felt any different. I've been a lifeguard (keeping folks safe!), an event space manager (gatherings of importance!), an eBay reseller (retro items and unique trinkets that bring little bits of joy to others!), a chemical salesperson (cars gotta go, and without quality oil, that ain't happening!). I could go on, but you get the point.
Work gives life meaning.
Video Notes & Highlights
Entrepreneurs need to…
Be nimble
Be brutally self-honest
In 40 years none of your failures will matter. None of the small successes you have will matter.
“Existential entrepreneurialism” — finding meaning in life by doing what you’re doing.
Innovation is the only sustainable competitive advantage any company can have.
Innovation at scale requires perpetual change.
The challenge with innovating at scale is that you have to get people in the mindset that failure is a part of the iterative process.
Written while enjoying…
🏒 Predator vs. Jets
🍫 Pocky Cookies & Cream