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Hello friends - this has literally nothing to do with Will Smith. But it’s fun to think about him pre-2022 Oscars. RIP.

Yesterday I emerged from a week-long Twitter extravaganza where I followed NFL insiders to learn more about where Aaron Rodgers (if you don’t know who this is or don’t care about football just scroll down 2 paragraphs to the actual newsletter) one of the greatest NFL QBs in recent history, will play next year (IT’S THE JETS).

Something about spending hours waiting for updates on what color jersey a grown man will wear is weird. But if that color is dark green and they are playing in Secaucus, New Jersey, it’s life-changing.

Today marks a new chapter in my life. I’m looking forward to football season.

On to the newsletter…

I recently created 2 rules for myself:

1. Don’t be dismissive/sarcastic/pejorative in an attempt to appear intelligent.

2. Gamify things you hate doing, but have to do.

Don’t be dismissive, sarcastic, or pejorative in an attempt to appear intelligent.

The cheapest way to make yourself feel better/ smarter is to make someone else feel worse/ dumb.

I love sarcasm and am quick to use it when I disagree with something. A great way to reduce an argument is by making fun of it, and if you’re dismissive enough you might get away with the appearance of knowing something others don’t.

But this comes from a place of insecurity.

“Oh, that person works out every day *rolls eyes*? Sounds like they are obsessed with their appearance. They must be SO INSECURE”

I’ve never heard a secure person call someone insecure behind their back.

From now on, if I’m not being constructive, I’m being destructive. It’s just easier to go through life that way. As someone who’s obsessed with nuance, reducing an argument just to make fun of it is incredibly hypocritical.

If your goal is constantly to attack the other person’s argument instead of building up your own, you get nowhere. See below.

Gamify things you hate doing, but have to do.

Specifically, when it comes to interactions with people you don’t get along with. There’s nothing more certain in life than having to deal with unsavory folks. No matter how rich you get, unless you completely isolate yourself, they will come around.

Excited about a new job because the people seem nicer than they were at your old company? I have bad news.

For me, getting a slack from someone with a passive-aggressive attitude used to drive me up a wall.

Now I make it a game. That person is just a character in this game called life. So I see how quickly I can diffuse their negative attitude by thinking through ways they might become more amenable.

Dealing with an unpleasant person through this lens will make their words less personal and allow you to approach the conversation with less ego and more empathy.

Challenge yourself! Can you get that person who doesn’t like working with anyone to love working with you? Can you get the cashier who never smiles to laugh at a joke while you grab your morning coffee?

Give yourself a point every time you flip a negative interaction on its head and compete with your score from yesterday. I promise your life will be better.

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