Principles

Rules that I try to live by:

• Be honest (it’s easier).
• Be authentic. Help others do the same.
• Be a leader.
• Be a great partner and friend (and son, brother, uncle, cousin, and coworker). Use effective communication to do it.
• Cultivate a sense of community.
• Be vulnerable, and tend generously to the vulnerabilities of others.
• Contribute to society’s solutions and not its problems, especially when it comes to issues of consumerism, climate change, and the impact of technology on our well-being.
• Work hard and fill the days with meaning (they are fleeting).
• Hold strong opinions loosely, and maintain a learning posture.
• Live a big life.
• Pay attention.
• Do what you say you're going to do (show up).
• Have fun.

And some smaller things that aren’t exactly rules but nevertheless reflect good guiding principles:

• When someone you just met drops your name in a conversation it means they paid attention and remembered it, which signals either manipulation, or intelligence/politeness.
• Calling people and asking how you can help in a time of crisis is not helpful. People don’t want to be victims; they don’t want to think about how you can help. So just help.