| Sunday, 16 June 2024 |
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Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],
Good morning dear reader! Sunday seems like the worst day of the week to talk about momentum. I mean, it’s the day when we allow ourselves the time and space to slow down and come to rest.
But perhaps for that reason, Sunday is the best day to think about momentum. For the same reason that summer is a good time to think about the monsoon. It’s easier to understand and imagine the importance of something when we’re not in it.
We understand momentum in the sense of physics—“the product of an object’s mass and velocity.” But we rarely think about it in the context of our own lives, or how it influences our decisions and career trajectories.
I kick myself for not truly understanding two vital aspects of career momentum for perhaps the better part of a decade or two! Firstly, how much easier it is to succeed when you are able to use your existing momentum consciously. And secondly, how much harder it is to achieve momentum when you’re in a state of inertia.
And perhaps the most counterintuitive thing I learnt around building momentum when you’re in a state of inertia is to not spend too much time thinking about the first step.
Welcome to a “regular” edition of First Principles after a few weeks of, well, zagging.
The rains have cooled Bengaluru and turned everything lush. The earth seems to have seasonally tilted enough for the sun’s evening rays to fall much more dramatically in our eyes. Our roads have developed their annual craters, leading to average travel times rising up by nearly 25–30% in the last few weeks. Average drive time is now at 13 km per hour. But hey, can’t have it all. Gabru says hi from his favourite spot on the balcony, watching and growling at the world going by.
Welcome back, and here’s what we have for you today.
1. Letting go of the first one
2. Why loiter? and other assorted works 📚
3. Mixing it up 📸
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