I only just saw this now...
It's an abridged version of a commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace to the graduating class of 2005 of Kenyon College. You should watch it.
The full comencement speech can be listened to here.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Tall trees
Here's one piece of advice that you should keep in mind, regardless of your decision to leave or stay: be more communicative.
If you decide to stay, communicate your issues. Not with anger or bitterness or retribution, but with understanding and a true desire to make things better. Your family members are just human, 9 times out of 10 they are not doing it to ruin your life. It's the way they see things. Communicate to them without judgement. Share your perspective with them. Be candid and vulnerable. Try and reach understandings that will allow you to stay. If you don't, it won't work...
If you decide to leave, you will need to communicate this too. Again, not with anger or vengeance but with sincerity. Explain your motives for leaving without expecting understanding (or compassion). Don't get upset if you hit a brick wall, just remember you are leaving, there's no need to raise your voice now...
So many things can go wrong because of miscommunication. It creates mountains from molehills; it pushes people so far up trees that, sometimes, finding the way back down becomes impossible.
My advice to you is: be communicative. It'll be the only thing that'll help you stay away from tall trees...
If you decide to stay, communicate your issues. Not with anger or bitterness or retribution, but with understanding and a true desire to make things better. Your family members are just human, 9 times out of 10 they are not doing it to ruin your life. It's the way they see things. Communicate to them without judgement. Share your perspective with them. Be candid and vulnerable. Try and reach understandings that will allow you to stay. If you don't, it won't work...
If you decide to leave, you will need to communicate this too. Again, not with anger or vengeance but with sincerity. Explain your motives for leaving without expecting understanding (or compassion). Don't get upset if you hit a brick wall, just remember you are leaving, there's no need to raise your voice now...
So many things can go wrong because of miscommunication. It creates mountains from molehills; it pushes people so far up trees that, sometimes, finding the way back down becomes impossible.
My advice to you is: be communicative. It'll be the only thing that'll help you stay away from tall trees...
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Underestimating yourself
Is a tactic used by the Resistance. Underestimating yourself is part of the Resistance's grand plan to keep you put. To keep you from doing what you know you can do.
The term "lean into it" is pretty popular now. Adopt it. If you are thinking you can't do something because of fear of failure or simple performance anxiety, just lean into it. Lean into it and the weight will take you forward.
How? Start small.
Start by writing your plan/idea/goal down. Make it physically real. Then talk to your friends about it, tell them how you plan on making it happen. Next thing you know, you'll be doing that thing you feared... Start small and the big things will happen.
But first, you got to lean into it!
The term "lean into it" is pretty popular now. Adopt it. If you are thinking you can't do something because of fear of failure or simple performance anxiety, just lean into it. Lean into it and the weight will take you forward.
How? Start small.
Start by writing your plan/idea/goal down. Make it physically real. Then talk to your friends about it, tell them how you plan on making it happen. Next thing you know, you'll be doing that thing you feared... Start small and the big things will happen.
But first, you got to lean into it!
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