Monday memo #56
Send signals of appreciation, without expectation.
The Monday memo is food for thought to fuel your week.
Hi everyone,
When you share something on the internet, it’s like putting a message in a bottle, corking it, and casting it out onto a vast and endless sea. You don’t know if anybody is out there, if anyone is listening, if anybody cares.
And you are not alone. The social web is a sea of loneliness. We all want attention. We all want to be seen and heard.
When you see, read, listen or watch something online that moves you, that resonates for you, send a signal. Share it, repost it, restack it, retweet it, with a note about why it was meaningful to you.
It is a small effort. It only takes an extra minute or two of your time. It’s a bit of extra work, like picking up litter you see on the street. But you do it because you know that your small effort will help make the world a little bit better, and that feels good.
That one small signal from you will make a difference in another person’s life. This is a kind of grateful generosity. It’s like saying thank you. You don’t do it because you expect anything in return. You do it for someone else, because feeling appreciated — seen and heard — feels good, and making others feel good will make you feel good.
Some people will be skeptical at first. We do not expect people these days to be nice to us unless they want something. We have an expectation of transaction, not of nice. But if you can be nice, and be grateful, and be gracious, consistently, you will be putting good karma into the world. And the world will be a little bit better today, because of you.
And the more people that cultivate these kinds of small habits, the better the world we will create together.
Exercise.
Here’s your exercise for the week: Send signals of appreciation, without expectation.
Leave a comment saying why something was meaningful to you. Share, repost, retweet, restack. Share with a note of appreciation. Amplify and elevate others. Show your appreciation of their work. Let them know that you see them, that you hear them.
See what happens.
Sneak preview and open house.
This coming Wednesday, from 9 to 10:30 am Pacific, I will be hosting a sneak preview or our 2025 season and open house to meet and greet with each other. This is a great chance to see what I’m planning for 2025 and mingle with current and prospective members before we officially kick off on January 15th.
This event is free and open to anyone, but you do have to register. Feel free to share this email with your friends and anyone you think might be interested in learning more about the School of the Possible. Register now!
By the way I messed up the links in my email last Friday. I fixed it on Substack but it was too late to fix the emails that had already gone out. Sorry!
Membership.
Our spring semester will kick off on January 15, 2025. Members get access to all events and our archive of emails, videos, transcripts, recordings, and summaries.
As of this week we have 108 members. On January 15, 2025, membership dues will increase to $30/month, $300/year. If you join now, you will lock in the $20/month, $200/year rate for as long as your subscription remains active. Join us today!
If you’re already a member, thank you. You’re making this possible.
More information for members is below the fold.