Put relationships first.

This has been the conclusion I’ve reached at middle age as well — about marketing, publishing, business, parenting, everything. We’re hardwired for this. That’s why it’s so prominent in my personal publishing principles.

From Cal Newport via Lex Fridman:

“If I was going to give advice to young people...If they haven’t already, bad things are going to happen that you can’t control. So, what’s the plan?...How do you live life when life is hard in ways that are unfair and unpredictable? Relationships is the buffer for all of that...It’s all we’re wired to do. It’s like ALL of our brain is for this...It’s at the core of human thriving. I worry that social media is reducing strong relationships. Strong relationships, where you’re sacrificing non-trivial time, attention, resources, whatever — on behalf of other people — that’s the net that’s going to allow you to get through anything. THEN, what do you want to do with the surplus that remains?”