What Unlocked Meaning Making for Me?

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"I think what unlocked meaning making for me was that first choice to make a tough decision," he says. "You form the habit of doing the meaningful thing or the easier but maybe intellectually more challenging thing." The world is set up in a way where it's actually hard to learn this meaning making trick except by accident, he adds.

Venkatesh Rao is a writer, consultant, and author. He has been writing about indie consulting for years and has recently published The Art of Gig, Volumes 1 & 2, which together take an in-depth look at the gig economy. Venkatesh joins the show to discuss tragic luck, becoming slightly nonsensical, the advantages of mediocrity, and a whole lot more! Important Links:

Show Notes:

Origins of The Art of Gig
Paycheck People
Learning how to take risks
Is there a risk-taking gene?
The case for fixed-point futurism
Finding meaning
Personality types, narrative, and becoming a courageous thinker
Don’t get tragically lucky
Generational agency
Sparring, pressure and meaning-making
Be slightly nonsensical
Teaching others to appreciate randomness
Towards infinite games; be mediocre
Understanding divergentism
MUCH more!

Books Mentioned:

The Art of Gig: Volumes 1 & 2; by Venkatesh Rao
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich; by Tim Feriss
Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself; by Daniel H. Pink
The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story For Work and Life; by Paul Millerd
Tempo: timing, tactics and strategy in narrative-driven decision-making; by Venkatesh Rao
The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By; by Dan P. McAdams
Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life As Play and Possibility; by James Carse
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity; by David Allen