Consume from people who have something real to say

Day three of seven. If you missed yesterday’s post, you can find it here.

Chances are you’ve read, watched, or listened to something recently and—within seconds—called “Bullshit.”

I’m here to tell you to (mostly) listen to that gut.

The internet is a place where just about anybody can say whatever they want. And I’m not here to debate whether that’s a blessing or a curse for our modern day society. (Spoiler: It’s both. Definitely both.)

What am I here to say is this:

There are real people with real stories, spilling their guts, letting it all hang out there, not because they want or need the attention, but because they truly feel that their stories have even a shred of a chance to connect with someone out in the world.

These are the people you want to follow.

These are the people whose work you want to consume.

The medium doesn’t necessarily matter. It could be on social, it could be on a blog or a video, hell it can even be an actual live human being giving a talk in real life…

When you start focusing on and filtering for realness, you realize that you can actually fill your day with substance, and not garbage.

So what practical steps can you take to fill your day with more substance? Here are some thoughts:

• Pay attention to what (and who) you pay attention to, and why

• Curate your feed - i.e. subscribe/follow/save however it suits you best

• Use tools to streamline that curation process - I love using Readwise to save and revisit notes/highlights, and their companion app, Reader is absolutely magnificent. But your standard web reader or RSS feed compiler probably works great too

• Trust stories and experiences, shy away from flat-out advice or directive

• Be sure to interpret someone else’s point-of-view through your own lens

• Consider how you are contributing something of meaning, substance, or value through the channels you swim in… give and you shall receive

That’s all for today…

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