Finding Friends is Like Talent Acquisition
Zayn's Digest - June Edition
Environments have the ability to alter our trajectory. They change how we think, act, and live. The right environments epitomize great peers, mentors, and culture. The more you desire a stellar environment, the harder it is to find fit.
If you’re the CEO of your own life, then you have to seek out the best talent (friends) to build your life alongside. I think about talent acquisition (friend finding) in three ways.
Will this individual increase the average level of thinking in my life? I’m constantly fighting entropy and zones of mediocrity. My standards continuously increase + I want people that have the same mental model around self-improvement.
Along what dimension does this person star in? Multidisciplinary thinkers level individuals up. They offer unique insights, perspectives, etc that most mono-disciplinary thinkers don’t reach.
Does this person have sustainable drivers behind their why? Short-term thinkers are optimizing for finite metrics that don’t usually scale (i.e. - social media followers) whereas infinite thinkers do things that scale and optimize for the long-term. Growth is a focal part of infinite thinking + is the key value I look for in my peers.
Why does this all matter? Change is happening at speed. I recently graduated high school, started my internships, etc. The environment/community I’ve been able to cultivate is incredibly important + I think setting intentions in my approach to seeking out supportive people has been the single most important element in my success.
The above segment is my favorite part of the newsletter. It’s an opportunity for me to share my ideas/thoughts on some of the most interesting topics in the world.
I’m altering the format of the newsletter + am hoping to increase the interaction/relevance to your life.
Old format: My highlights on accomplishments, progress, etc on each month.
New format: Mini blog on my biggest monthly thought, tl;dr on month with three key bullet points, and my favorite growth in public moment! Also - I’m hoping to receive an email from you! intention: I want to hear what you’re working on, what you’re most curious about, and how we’re both moving the needle on our goals.
tl;dr on month
- Started working @MetaVRse as an XR intern. I’ve spent most of my time experimenting with their virtual showroom(s) and built a low fidelity presentation showcase last night!
- Launched Season 2 of Foundations Podcast + hosted the CEO of The Conversationalist, Sophie Beren as the guest! Our conversation consisted of: leadership in social impact, creating great teams, and having difficult conversations.
- Accepted into On - Deck No Code Fellowship! I’m still in figure it out mode for the final project I’m going to build but this company is rapidly becoming a factory for future founders!
growth in public - favorite moment
background: I’ve written 30+ articles in the past 8 months and all of my images have been pulled from google/unsplash and to me, my articles didn’t feel complete. The pictures acted as a void of work between what was borrowed (photos) and what I owned (the content).
Creating my own images and pasting them filled that void + I’m starting to re-train my drawing/animation skills for better audience experience.
You’re the CEO of your life. Think intentionally about the environment you’re in.
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Hey, hey thanks for reading the newsletter! I would love to hear your thoughts on June and send me a note with some items you worked on!
If you want to get in contact with me, here are some quick links: