Launching: Guest Voices

• • What do the following topics have in common: how airplanes work, duck hunting, and the intricacies of trial law? Well, I don’t know about for you, but all three are either barely or not at all interesting to me at face value, yet I’ve found myself fascinated by them at one point or another simply because I had a friend who had a contagious enthusiasm for their area of study or favorite hobby. Have you ever listened to someone talk about something they really, truly care about, and found yourself (surprisingly) wanting to know more? I think there are two beautiful things about this: 1) when we show genuine interest in what someone else cares about, we build a a stronger connection with them, and 2) when we are open to learning about a topic we wouldn’t seek out ourselves, we are broadening our horizons in a way that might come in handy one day. With this in mind, I’m excited to launch a new initiative here at The Next Step, a project I’m simply calling Guest Voices. Every now and then, this email in your inbox (or notification from Substack) will feature a post written by an influential voice in my own life. The themes will remain—you can expect your perspective to be shifted, your self-reflection to be sharpened, and your habits to be challenged—but these voices will bring new ideas and ways of thinking about how we approach life. Don’t worry, I’ve not asked someone to write a technical dissertation on the engineering feat that is the modern airplane (unless you want me to). No, this thought came from a period of reflection about not just what I’m aiming to accomplish here, but what I feel is part of my greater purpose in life: connecting people and ideas to each other. My life would be a shadow of what it is had I not had good people connect me to other good people. Some call it networking, but I don’t think that does it justice. It’s more like community-building, or simply someone giving someone a hand when you see your younger self in them. I’m reminded of the “pay it forward” idea; since I’ve been gifted so many good connections to good people over the years, I’m excited to pay it forward to connect each of you with more good people. Not only do I hope these guest posts will impact you as you read, them, but I hope you’ll follow those voices if they resonate with you. These Guest Voices posts will be part of the regular every-other-Tuesday-morning cadence here, and you can expect to see several of these throughout the rest of the year. As with any new venture, I hope you’ll share feedback with me! Whether you have a post you especially enjoyed and would like to hear from that voice again, or if you just have some feedback or encouragement you’d like me to pass on to them, please send me an email or a message. As always, thank you for being here. I’m excited for this next step. ;) Subscribe now One Thing Differently:Who is a person in your life who has an area of interest or expertise you’ve always avoided asking about because you don’t want them to talk about it for too long and bore you? This week, go out of your way to let them go on that tangent, to get into the weeds on the topic they love. If you’re feeling extra bold, come back here and share in the comments what you learned! Leave a comment