On serendipity & magic

Some cool shit is happening over here, y'all

The past three weeks of daily writing are starting to create magic in my life. I can't really explain or control it. All I can do is notice it and ride the wave.

It started early on in this project, when one of my marketing heroes, a dude named André Chaperon, joined this newsletter. I often tell people that I divide my life as a marketer into two distinct eras—Before André and After André. His work has influenced me more than anyone else, and singlehandedly restored my faith in the idea that internet marketing could be a deeply human endeavor. So just knowing he was reading this newsletter was freaking cool.

But then last week André joined The Frontier and became a customer of MINE. My friends can attest to how much I freaked the fuck out in their DMs when this happened. It blew my mind into a million little shards of delight. André and I have since been chatting and sharing more of our lives, and are on the fast track to becoming friends. A month ago, that would have been inconceivable to me. But here we are.

Last year, on the back of publishing the Ungated Manifesto and my essay on non-coercive marketing, Sari Azout and I became friends. We've really bonded over our shared vision of building a more beautiful internet. On Tuesday, I ran a little salon with her and the startupy community. We jammed on the idea of internet oases, and submitted our favorite digital destinations to the Oasis Builders website. It was a blast.

Then, on Wednesday morning, I woke up to a message from Sari. She was set to do a panel for the Thesis conference this weekend, but came down with a case of the flu. She asked if I wanted to take her place and speak about building a more beautiful internet. I said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "fuck yeah."

So this evening I'll be jamming on my favorite topic with Sonya Mann, another twitter person I've long admired, all as part of a conference full of heavy intellectual hitters. It feels wild, magical, and a bit out of my comfort zone. But again, I'm just trusting the Universe and rolling with it.

Beyond all of that, my mind is buzzing with zesty ideas because of the daily writing. I've already figured out what my next big project for Ungated is, and started working on it. I also suspect there's a book brewing here, and I know exactly who I'm going to publish it with. The stars are aligning.

The equation for everything I'm doing is stupidly simple.

Do work that brings you alive + Make lots of friends + Trust the flow of serendipity as it emerges. I'm exercising very little control over any of these outcomes. If anything, I'm letting go of the need to control things. I'm getting out of the way. I'm surrendering. I'm trusting.

Increasingly, that feels like a pretty reliable formula for magic, and for a life that feels vibrant and connected and true.

Aliveness + Friendship + Trust = Awesomeness

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Rob's Daily Invitation

I need to go get prepared for the Thesis Festival later, so my invitation is to go check that out lol. I don't get any kickbacks or anything for recommending it, but it seems like a rad event!