SXSW Day 4 was great. The days are long and these posts are getting a bit more succinct. Themes that continue to emerge are: givers, play, stoics/stoicism, humor, laughter (including laughing at one’s self), intentionality, and doing the work. Enjoy the day 4 lessons learned.

  • Featured Session: Lead from the Outside: How to Make Real Change with Stacey Abrams
    • “Sometimes you don’t get over things, you get through [them].”
    • “What is often called voter fraud is actually voter confusion.”
    • “When you’re focusing on you’re enemies, you’re not focusing on your allies.”
    • We need to let people know that we see them and understand them.
    • Ask yourself: am I blaming others instead of solving the problem?
    • We need to have better conversations to help build connection and relationships.
    • Let’s use the power of persuasion in politics.
    • How can each of us be more intentional”
  • Featured Session: Keep Going with Austin Kleon and Debbie Millman
    • Steal from as many people as possible. This will allow us to create more original work.
    • Be a better reader so you can be a better writer.
    • “We need to practice everyday,” even when we don’t want to.
    • Each of us needs to schedule time for our passion/work. We need to put it on our calendar if we need to.
  • Featured Session: Douglas Rushkoff: Team Human
    • “Technology is like a drug when you’re sick…[like drugs, technologies] help us get as close to ‘normal’ as we can.”
    • Each of us are already on Team Human simply by being a member of the human race.
    • Time spent with other humans is time that we can connect.
    • “Corporations are not alive but the people inside them are.”
    • Find the human in people that have differing views from our own. I see you as a person, as a human.
    • We need to ask ourselves, “is this bringing people together or pushing them apart?”
  • Session: The Obstacle is the Way: Ambitious Paths to Success by Ryan Holiday
    • Meditations by Marcus Aurelius was recommended again. Message received.
    • Be intentional and do the hard work.
    • Be humble (even when you make it big).
    • We each have the power to turn “dead time” into “alive time.”
    • “The ability to cultivate that deep work is a competitive advantage that most people leave on the table.”
  • Session: NatureTech: Rewilding Human Habit with Kenner Kingston and Amanda Sturgeon
    • How can we bring a sense of discovery and exploration into our design?
    • How can we use