February 2024
I’m grateful to share some early results of my Think Different Challenge:
1. Falling out of love
Nature would not dare to build a cell that can’t make ATP. No metabolic route, no organelle or protein, however novel they might be, would be sustainable without it. May our love for biology not blind us but show us, climate synthetic biologists, how to build useful companies that make cash. Decommoditize biology. Engineer value for society. Grow something people want.
Thank you Ananya Chadha, César Puente, Niko McCarty, and Christina Agapakis for expanding my thinking about biotech as a business this month.
2. Taking the elevator
How dare I use an elevator when I’m incredibly fortunate to have legs strong enough to walk up six floors on their own painlessly? Why is the line for for it always so long?
Ryan Holiday’s Discipline is Destiny opened my eyes to efficiency. Taking the stairs to non-urgent and unimportant things will only reduce your sharpness for the things that actually matter. Know when to take the elevator.
3. Reducing my digital flow
I wonder if not scrolling down social media these past months could explain why I’ve found it harder to create content during this time. Though this has helped me focus, I must also admit that content creation is like meditation for me. I can’t not do it if I want to feel well.
This temporal change has been absolutely for good, of course. I have no doubt that my best work is yet to come if I take the courage to give it all.