The last time I checked in with a Four P's (#188), I was on my way to Europe to network, meet with, and consume unhealthy amounts of rosé with tens of thousands of brand marketers, agency leads, and publisher/platform executives at Cannes Lions.
As a web3 tech entrepreneur, it was validation that what we've built is fully aligned with where the market is headed. As someone who rarely drinks, it was a validation that I am not as young as I used to be. (Win some, lose some.)
The realization that "getting old sucks" isn't new, but returning home and falling asleep before 10pm + sleeping 8 hours sound for an entire week was a nice post-Cannes gift. It's hard to convince spouses, partners, significant others, etc. that you need a vacation when you come home from a week in the south of France, but it only took a week for my general anxiety to supplant the exhaustion and mind-expanding, sleepless nights to return.
Less fun: daily COVID tests for the past 10 days on account of EVERYONE else in Cannes coming home with the latest, even more virulent, variant.
Something Professional: Innovation Validation
As web3 markets look for smooth air amidst turbulence during their ascent to cruising altitude, they can take some comfort in knowing they are not alone. From the stock market to interest rate lending to oil prices, just about every financial indicator is cause for some concern. Yet unlike the others, web3 and blockchain technology are still nimble and malleable enough to adapt and respond quickly. No matter which asset class on which you have focused these past 24 months, the distractions created by web3 hype projects with weak fundamentals are about to be silenced and shaken out of the market. And that's a good thing. This downtrend will be a proving ground for more functional, practical, and utility-driven NFT and crypto projects across the board. The weak will disappear and the strong will be tested.
It's also what we've been saying, presenting, planning, tweeting, pitching, and activating for the past year with Mint's marketing-focused, white-label features for brands. It was pressure-tested and validated by everyone in Cannes, and even confirmed in an incredibly cogent, concise Twitter thread by the great Chris Cantino:
As marketing leaders, strategists, and creative thinkers transition from "NFT 1.0' to "NFT 2.0," the value of NFTs will become less about speculative financial gains and more practical and innovative. Cantino's token-gated list goes far beyond marketing and brand-building, but it's incredibly directional and worth an hour reading and then re-reading: tokenized hobbyism, professional networks and memberships, minimum viable communities, M&A and DAOs, retail transactions, product development and feedback, loyalty, gaming, content, professional services, livestreams, early-adoption consumers, social investing, vertical marketplaces, non-profit fundraising, fractional ownership, and ticketing. But one prediction for blockchain authentication is rooted in the idea of "soulbound” NFTs. These are tokens that serve as proof of ownership, attendance, or participation, where the idea of liquidity evaporates. No need to transfer birth certificates, driver’s licenses, diplomas, certifications, badges... Now imagine creative directors at agencies taking this technology for a spin. I can't wait.
If this type of thinking interests or inspires you, I'm excited to tease Mint's forthcoming "NFT Strategic Playbook" for Marketers, which will be available for public consumption and application later this month on our new (also forthcoming website). But if you can't wait a few weeks, you can get it sooner. If you claim a free Mint mint NFT this week, I'll send you an advance sneak peek exclusive "pre-final" draft of the playbook (without any design or branding/polish) right to your inbox. Token-gated content at its best!
Something Personal: Regrets Only
I recently made a mistake that could have put someone I care about at risk. Fortunately, no one was physically harmed in the course of my error, but I was flooded with regret. And regret without some sort of correction or lesson is as bad as any of the aforementioned emotions. Yes, We all have regrets. We’re hardwired to have them. In terms of evolution, it’s our brain teaching us to learn from our mistakes so we don’t do the same thing again. But the thing is, we end up feeling regret even when we’ve made decent choices or done unavoidable things. We just can’t stop imagining what might have been.
There are six types of regret:
Hindsight regrets: when you look back and wish you’d known then what you know now.
Alternate-self regrets: when you imagine how your life would have been if you’d followed a different path altogether.
(With both of those, the key thing to do is to stop imagining some other life for yourself with rose-tinted glasses. And give yourself a break – if you really had known differently at the time, or if you had followed a different path, you’d be a very different person right now, and you might not have a lot of the things that you now hold dear.)Rushing-in regrets: when you act too quickly; and
Dragging-out regrets: when you act too slowly – so slowly, in fact, that your indecision costs you dearly.
(These are regrets you can learn from, to improve your future decision-making. Analyze why you made the choices you did, and think about how you could have acted differently.)Ignoring-your-instincts regrets: Well, this one is obvious by the name, but there can be a silver lining. At least you know that your instincts were right! So give yourself some credit for that, and learn to trust yourself.
Self-sabotage regrets: These are common in people struggling with addiction, and may require deeper work. But again, self-analysis and honesty are key. Be clear about why you made the decisions you did at the time.
In my case, the feeling of regret was not acting quickly enough to pull someone out of potential harm. Of course, it’s impossible to shut off regrets altogether. But you can get rid of the “should haves” – and replace them with “what ifs.” Because you can ask “what if” about the future – not just the past. Which, let’s face it, is much more practical.
Something Political: Unchecked and Imbalanced
Are we the frog in the pot who doesn't realize the water is getting warmer? Taking a small step outside of our heads will show that we are living in the most unstable democracy in the United States since the pre-Civil War era. About this, almost everyone will agree or find common ground. But it's not just us. Economic uncertainty has hit all regions and countries and war in Europe is destabilizing just about everything. Here in the United States, the most politicized, unpopular Supreme Court in the last 150 years is in the midst of an all-out attack on individual liberties.
The Supreme Court's current trajectory is running far outside the American mainstream, and public opinion for the high court has dropped below President Biden's approval rating. In what was perhaps the worst decision in a century, the 6-3 extremist conservative majority court struck down the long-standing Roe v. Wade ruling, which had for five decades guaranteed a right to access abortion. It was a rare instance of the court -- whose transformative power on society stretches back to the early 19th century -- restricting rights it had previously extended via the Constitution.
Roe's reversal was partly possible because of the votes of the court's three most recent justices, all of whom were appointed for life by President Donald Trump -- himself elected by a minority of the population though he lost the popular vote -- and confirmed by Senate Republicans representing roughly 43 percent of the country. Just about every day since, ruling after ruling that sets back the course of our nation's stability, including a decision that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have authority to curb planet-warming pollution from power plants. I mean... what?
We are a country in greater peril now than we were even a month ago, let alone a decade or even a century ago. It inspired this Twitter thread early Saturday morning this past weekend.
The Civil Rights Movement broke the dam to advance individual rights. Two World Wars united our country and rallied us out of two periods of economic hardship. Nixon's resignation was validation that our union was, in fact, strong, with the line of succession and chain of command holding on. But the system of checks and balances has broken down to a point of full governmental paralysis. Concerning the court's lifetime appointments, there is only one way to fix it: adding seats to the Court. Unfortunately, DINO senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema likely would not support this... so here we are, with nothing to do. I would look to move live elsewhere, but interest rates make moving anywhere at the moment quite impossible.
Something Practical: It's Okay to Not be Okay
The last few weeks have been, well, a lot. Fuck, the last few YEARS have been a lot. Learning how not to be overwhelmed by the weight of how you feel is a critical life skill that requires constant effort. Being aware that we often have no clue about the enormous weight of feelings that others carry with them can be just as important. Uncertainty. Envy. Anger. Burnout. Even, in some cases, despair. You don't have to have a mental illness to struggle with mental health. But we don't talk about these issues nearly enough.
Uncertainty is no fun. At least when you expect bad news or a negative experience, you can deal with it. But it's all too common to push uncertainty away by busying yourself with other tasks. Don’t do it. Let it in. Face it head-on. If a sense of panic comes on, ask yourself: What are you anxious about? Literally, what do you think might happen? And how would each possible scenario play out? When we plot out scenarios (analysis, not over-analysis), you’ll realize there are some things you can control and some things you can’t. Acknowledging exactly what you’re worried about will put you well on the path to dealing with uncertainty in the healthiest way you can.
Envy is the result of comparing ourselves to others. It's human nature, and social media has made it worse. But the place to start is just like it was with uncertainty: you have to acknowledge how you feel. Say to yourself: What am I envious of? What do they have that I don’t? And how would I feel if that was my life? You might realize that in reality, you don’t want it after all. Or you might realize that your envy is teaching you something useful about yourself. Comparisons can be devastating – but they can be productive, too. If you acknowledge them and think about them, they can teach you a lot about yourself.
Anger is often palpable, usually an understandable, justifiable reaction to actual injustices we see or experience. Anger becomes unhealthy when we try to suppress it or let it run wild. So how do you deal with anger? Again, the first step is to acknowledge it. It's important also to be self-aware and think about how you respond to anger. Some people are anger suppressors, who simply bottle it up – not healthy. Some people are anger projectors, who lash out at others. Some do both (hi!). The goal is to be an anger "transformer," channeling it into something productive, creative, healthy, and clarifying.
If the past three years have taught us anything, it's that burnout is real. And it's a warning from our bodies that something has got to change. It's not just jetlag. It's not just exhaustion. It's a broader question of how to find meaning in what you do... is your job meaningless? Are you happy at home? A friend of mine once told me many years ago that her burnout prevention was about getting comfortable giving a little bit less than 100% all the time. Sometimes you go at 100%, but other times you can let up... and average an operational capacity at about 80%. Crazy concept, and not one people would admit to, but it works. As does reflecting on when the effort you’re putting doesn't truly feel worth it.
Yet the biggest “feeling” so many of us are dealing with lately is despair. Unfortunately, there are no quick wins here. In fact, that’s pretty much the first step you might need to take: realize that it’s not a question of curing it but, rather, of getting through it gradually. You might have heard this bit of advice – take it a day at a time. Scrap that: take it a moment at a time. When thoughts of moving out of the United States flood my brain because I'm in the pits of despair, getting through just an evening can feel like an eternity. I turn to distractions: Twitter, Netflix, gardening, a hot shower, ice cream... Nothing should be off-limits if it helps you get through that time. And if all else fails, talk to people... people who care and people who get it.