James Hsu

I send out a weekly newsletter of whatever’s on my mind. Subscribe here. I also conduct interviews with cool people. Check it out here.

Happiness comes from asking the right questions

Sometimes, in a literal sense. I run two interview-based podcasts (here and here), and my enjoyment of these conversations comes from nudging my guests into certain directions. I recently conducted an interview with a friend in Seattle that was as close to a “flow-state conversation” as any I’ve experienced. THREE freaking hours just flew by.

Other times, in closed settings. I just had a call with my friend Stephenie that helped me make sense of things at work AND served as a great catch-up of sorts.

Focus on asking the right questions, of yourself and others, and the rewards will come.

Compounded effort + sustained motivation = true magic

Compounding is the eighth wonder of the world. We tend to think of compounding in an investing sense – dollar-cost averaging, letting the gains grow, etc. – but it also applies to other parts of life.

I recently joked with friends that I went from being unable to run in 2019, to running a few kilometers a week in 2022, to running my second marathon this month.

I’m no athlete and I was a straight-C student in high school gym class.

What happened?

I ran consistently for a prolonged period of time. That’s it.

When I thought 10 kilometers was my max, I went a little longer.

When I got sore at 16 kilometers, I tried again in a few days.

When I thought 25 kilometers was MY ABSOLUTE LIMIT and my legs started cramping – still cramping, on the second or third try – I didn’t let up.

I wish I could be so dedicated to something in all parts of my life. Opportunity cost is real. But for what I choose to focus on, my flat-footed, non-athletic self has shown me that wonderful things do happen.

This talk by Graham Weaver says it well: do hard things, do your thing, do it for decades, write your story.

You can be introverted, but you need friends

In 2022, I closed myself off from the world during the Shanghai lockdown.

In 2023, I went through dark periods where I wasn’t sure where my motivation was coming from – for work, content creation, relationships, and overall happiness.

What truly worked to turn things around was having good relationships with good people.

I looked at my calendar this year. The months where I met with people face-to-face, or held Zoom calls, I felt the happiest. One-on-ones were the most rewarding interactions for me, as opposed to larger social gatherings.

I am deeply grateful for podcasting with friends and acquaintances. Recording online with people, on a weekly basis, has tremendously helped my mental health.

Find an outlet to be social, even if you don’t think you need it. It’s good for the soul.

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I send out a weekly newsletter of whatever’s on my mind. Subscribe here.

I also conduct interviews with cool people. Check it out here.