Here are some thoughtful observations from my week.

1. Listening Deeply

Anecdote:
The quieter I've become, the more clearly I hear others. True connection thrives in spaces left unfilled.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
— Epictetus

2. No... Maybe... Yes

Anecdote:
I often say "no" first, reconsider to a cautious "maybe," then embrace "yes"—continually balancing the desire to seize the day with prudence.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.”
— Mark Twain

3. AI & Middle-Age

Anecdote:
When working with AI-generated visuals, I've observed it tends to default to portraying women as either youthful or very elderly. Capturing middle-aged women visually requires intentional effort.

“Age has given me what I was looking for my entire life—it has given me ME. It has provided time and experience and failures and triumphs and humiliations and disappointments, along with maturity and self-acceptance. The result is peace and self-contentment, which women rarely allow themselves.”
— Anne Lamott

4. Naming First, Building Later

Anecdote:
Think about trademarks before creating your app; renaming later is a headache that breaks things.

“Begin with the end in mind.”
— Stephen Covey

5. Conscious Choice in an Algorithmic World

Our behavior is shaped by three powerful and interconnected influences:

• Algorithms & Behavioral Shaping: Algorithms leverage predictability and reinforcement through intermittent and personalized rewards to maximize engagement.

• Subconscious Conditioning & Cumulative Experience: Automatic habits driven by familiarity and comfort require minimal cognitive effort, shaping our behavior quietly but profoundly.

• Dopamine as a Behavioral Driver: Dopamine reinforces behavior loops through reward anticipation, creating cravings that lead to repeated actions.

The Interplay:

• Algorithms shape subconscious patterns via dopamine loops.

• Subconscious habits influence the algorithms (e.g., what we click or buy).

• Dopamine pathways reinforce both subconscious and algorithm-driven behaviors, creating powerful feedback loops.

How to Manage These Forces:
Practice mindfulness to break automatic habits, design your environments thoughtfully to minimize unwanted influences, intentionally reinforce beneficial behaviors, and consciously choose your daily influences.

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
— Carl Jung

Question:

What is the most interesting thing you learned this week?

Closing Thought: A Cherokee Parable – The Tale of Two Wolves

An elderly Cherokee teaches his grandson about life:

“A fight is going on inside me,” he says. “It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil—anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

“The other wolf is good—joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight goes on inside you, and inside every other person too.”

The grandson thinks for a moment and asks, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replies, “The one you feed.”