Eduardo Santiago
Taught me some valuable lessons, the most prominent being not to jump to conclusions too early.
I feel ashamed to admit that my first reaction, two chapters in, was cynical dismissal. I rolled my eyes as I ticked off the self-help tropes: Fun Personality Type Quiz, Inspirational Stories From Real People, Questions To Reflect On. Then I started realizing that the content itself was good. Very good. Sober, realistic, practical life lessons not just for activism but for being a responsible grownup: managing your focus, time, energy; framing in positive terms; choosing deep work, not shallow; allowing for mistakes and decision fatigue; creating routines. Williams covers, succinctly but solidly, pretty much all the foundations of how I try to live my life, including principles I've understood for decades and some that have taken me much longer to learn. Some I still struggle with despite understanding their importance (self-care, yeah, I know).
It is June 2025 as I write this: we are all activists now, and for the remainder of our lives. Might as well learn to do it right while respecting our limitations.
Taught me some valuable lessons, the most prominent being not to jump to conclusions too early.
I feel ashamed to admit that my first reaction, two chapters in, was cynical dismissal. I rolled my eyes as I ticked off the self-help tropes: Fun Personality Type Quiz, Inspirational Stories From Real People, Questions To Reflect On. Then I started realizing that the content itself was good. Very good. Sober, realistic, practical life lessons not just for activism but for being a responsible grownup: managing your focus, time, energy; framing in positive terms; choosing deep work, not shallow; allowing for mistakes and decision fatigue; creating routines. Williams covers, succinctly but solidly, pretty much all the foundations of how I try to live my life, including principles I've understood for decades and some that have taken me much longer to learn. Some I still struggle with despite understanding their importance (self-care, yeah, I know).
It is June 2025 as I write this: we are all activists now, and for the remainder of our lives. Might as well learn to do it right while respecting our limitations.