If I had to share a universal truth or caution to the world, I would say: be mindful of trying to receive a disproportionate amount of value from things that simply cannot provide it.
In many ways, I’d say this is one of a few defining lessons from my life. For years I tried to get value from all sorts of things: school, sports, work, social life, traveling, the next coffee or meal out.
And I still struggle with it. I know the next trip, fancy dinner or purchased life upgrade isn’t going to bring lasting satisfaction but it often feels like a high school version of myself wrestling with a more evolved self that has learned and then forgotten many of these lessons.
Perhaps my favorite line from any Tuesdays with Morrisey episode was when Jerry Colonna, famed venture capitalist and executive coach, commented that much of his life is a continued struggle, striving and failing to integrate the wisdom discovered in his own life and of the great thinkers throughout human history.
What I see playing out in my own life, I increasingly see reflected at a cultural level as well.
I may break some of these topics out into longer form observations, but for now here are the highlights:
Socioeconomic - Between “the scariest chart in the world”, the fact that the top 10% of earners make up 50%+ of consumer spending, and general cost of living (e.g. housing as a percentage of income), I foresee a return for more traditional values and even multi-generational living as society questions whether American hyper-individualism still serves us. For more on this topic check out the TWM episode with Dr. Corey Keyes, or my article on Family Values.
Meritocracy - Last year, David Brooks wrote an article in the Atlantic titled How the Ivy League Broke America. While I don’t necessarily subscribe to the idea that America’s effort to optimize everything is directly related to the Ivy League, I do wonder if it’s working. A few years back, I attended a well-known men’s retreat. The core demographic was 35-year-old guys that sold a company, made a bunch of money, and were trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Seeing this pattern from guys that “won the game” should be a caution that perhaps there are other things we should be optimizing for, whether that’s presence, enjoying the process, focusing on the inputs, or having fun.
Homogeneity - When I was in college, our friend group got the opportunity to create our own vernacular. These days kids from coast to coast all sound the same with terms like “mid”, “gyat”, “bet”, “skibidi”, “rizz” and “67”. I suspect we’ll see a more homogenous generation emerging, going after the same career paths, in the same cities, and foregoing the essential life opportunity of cultivating their individual uniqueness. One of my mantras is “if you don’t know what you want, you’ll only be left with comparison”. There is a lot of danger to our young people failing to create their own dreams, and falling victim to comparison as expectations for what life should be continue to rise.
Luxury and Leisure - Concepts and experiences seem to be more built for the digital world rather than the material world driven by influencer culture. What I find interesting is that many of the “creators” we celebrate are not creators at all, but super consumers. I’m also seeing this continued trend I call “minimalist luxury” where hospitality operators offer a lower level of service at higher prices in exchange for “the vibes”. I discussed how social media impacted society, culture and the human need for status in the TWM episode with an American author living in Tokyo, David Marx.
Technology, AI and ChatGPT - It’s concerning how much time people spend on phones and ChatGPT, and outsourcing brain capacity to technology. I worry about college and school-aged kids who may never learn the foundational skills behind the things they are automating, whether that is financial analysis, programming, or writing. I also worry about what “answer platforms” will do to human intuition, judgment, and ultimately the future of work.
Amazonification - Last month I spent 10%+ of my after tax income with Jeff Bezos’ owned companies, specifically Amazon and Whole Foods. I “woke up” when realizing that I am giving Amazon 8-15% of the proceeds from private businesses that I really like simply out of convenience and habit without any critical thought. It’s a reminder that financial decisions are moral decisions and we have the opportunity to “vote with our wallet” every day to support communities and businesses with intention. This month my goal is to spend $0 with Bezos.
In my view, a lot of what we are seeing societally is a derivative of the attempt to get disproportionate value of things that aren’t going to be able to provide it, whether that is comfort, convenience or status.
So where do we go? There is a lesson to be learned from Gay and Katie Hendricks, a couple that I consider to be some of the original conscious leadership and personal development thinkers. In our podcast conversation, they shared their view greatest expressions are creativity, authenticity, and love, with the inputs for these being presence, ownership, wonder, honesty, and courage.
I think they are right, and these observations serve as a reminder that the things that really bring value and richness are internal and enduring: authenticity, presence, emotional capacity, comfort with self, an underlying sense of trust. Ideals that stand in contrast to where society and powerful forces point our attention.
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