Helping overwhelmed creatives, innovators, and leaders turn overthinking into expert thinking…and action! Three useful things every Thursday to gain clarity, get more done, and feel great about it.
Pebbling
Published 6 days ago • 2 min read
Hold That Thought…
Gentoo Penguin by MOF from Getty Images Signature
This week I've been thinking about friendships — how we create them, maintain them, cherish them, and sometimes even let them go.
Here are three four things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking:
“Self-imposed solitude might just be the most important social fact of the 21st century in America.” — From Solitude to Social Fitness, Ep. 101 of the Farewell Podcast with guest Derek Thompson
“We are so burned out by the process of staying afloat in a globalized, connected world that we simply don’t have the energy for the kinds of in-person, easy interactions that might actually give us some energy and lifeforce back.” — Writer Rosie Spinks on The Friendship Problem
“From this perspective, it seems to me that people radically overestimate how long it takes to become friends; they radically overestimate how much time it takes to maintain a friendship; and they radically underestimate the vastness of possibility space of what a friendship could look like.” — the Practice of Friendship, a comprehensive guide by extremely online pilgrim Tasshin
“Of course, solving these issues isn’t as simple as a list of 101 ways to make friends. Many of the ideas below are a great source of inspiration for meeting people—but of course, being a person in the world with other people can be as messy as it is joyful.” — 101 ways to make and maintain friendships by author Madeleine Dore
It's occurred to me that my weekly underthinking link is a form of pebbling. Which is to say, I think of you all as friends. So, this week, please enjoy a silly game of Letterle — it's Wordle, but with one letter.
Extra thoughts…
No article from me this time as I've been busy working on a few exciting collaborations — one of which is specifically for career changers; announcement on that in next week's newsletter. Stick around!
Have a great rest of your week and know that I appreciate you 🪨 Kim
Gentoo penguins are known for giving small gifts of smooth pebbles to show their appreciation for those they build nests with. It's called “pebbling”. Among humans, this can often look like forwarding emails (such as this one!), offering kind words, or leaving tips.
If you have been enjoying Hold That Thought and would like to share a pebble of appreciation, you can do so here:
Hello! My name is Kim Witten and I’ve spent four decades overthinking absolutely everything. I’ve turned this ability into a super skill to get stuff done and now my mission is to help others do the same. Read more about my journey
Helping overwhelmed creatives, innovators, and leaders turn overthinking into expert thinking…and action! Three useful things every Thursday to gain clarity, get more done, and feel great about it.
