Bryan Tublin

Thoughts on Intentional Living

Anthony Bourdain Reflections

by

Anthony Bourdain’s suicide hit me pretty hard last week.

This was partly because he was the celebrity we all wanted to be. Who wouldn’t want to travel the world eating great food for their own TV show? He seemed to have life figured out, having overcome drug addiction, and dedicating himself to connecting people and cultures through food and storytelling. Bourdain was so good at what he did, and so universally liked and respected, that I don’t know anyone who could say a bad thing about the guy.

[Read more…]

Long Hair Don’t Care: How Growing My Hair Out Helped Me Beat Depression

by

After spending my whole life with short hair, I decided to grow it all out in the fall of 2013. Predictably, one of the most common questions I get asked is, “Why did you decide to grow it out?” I’ve been meaning to tell this story for some time, so for those who were wondering, enjoy!

The Inspiration

I was sitting in a movie theater when the idea came to me. [Read more…]

Success is a muscle

by

The preparation is what allows the success to happen naturally.

– Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs pitcher, after throwing his second no-hitter in less than a year on 4/21/16

As I type this sentence, I’m sitting on a plane following the reverse route of a trip I took six and a half years ago.

It was on the first leg of a two-flight trip out to the Bay Area that I found myself in a conversation I still think about whenever I prepare for something important. [Read more…]

Add Tremendous Value

by

When I graduated college to begin my career in product management, I remember wondering what my role would be within the company I was joining. This curiosity had less to do with the responsibilities of a product manager than understanding how I would be judged and evaluated as an employee.

How will I be evaluated?

What are they really paying me to accomplish?

How will I know I’m doing a good job? [Read more…]

We Don’t Always Know What’s Best For Us

by

I did not want to go to this dinner at all.

It was late on a lazy Sunday afternoon, after an extremely busy week. I was sprawled out on the couch, tired and content, watching the Golden State Warriors go for history as they tried to win their 72nd regular season game. The last thing I wanted to do was leave my apartment, but duty was calling—a good friend was leaving town for several months of travel, and he had organized a last-minute going away dinner with his closest friends in SF.

My intuition was screaming “stay at home!” for so many reasons. I was tired and feeling antisocial. A game that promised to be an instant classic was tied at halftime. And the restaurant my friend chose was pricey and featured small plates. The only reason I went was to hang out with my buddy one last time before he left town.

And it was definitely the right decision. [Read more…]

How to Be a Leader in 200 Words

by

Anyone who aspires to start their own business should read the book Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business by Paul Downs. It’s an honest, no-BS account that details a year in the author’s life running his own small business, Paul Downs Cabinetmakers in Bridgeport, PA.

Paul’s story is raw, fascinating, and a far cry from the typical glossy narratives we read about in entrepreneurship magazines. He’s open about his successes and failings as a boss and business owner, providing a practical lens into what it’s really like to run a small business. [Read more…]

Why I’m Optimistic

by

It’s easy to be optimistic about the future if you believe “everything happens for a reason.”

You can explain away whatever occurs in life as a matter of fate, an outsourced event planned by some external force. Life is predestined to play out a certain way, the logic goes, making all events a necessary stepping stone to whatever existence we’re meant to have. [Read more…]

Why Are Knowledge Workers So Stressed? We Lack a Craft.

by

You have to give the passion that’s necessary, you know? Like I said, I don’t do it for the money, the money’s gonna come. I do it because of the love that I have for it. You know what I’m saying?

– Dr. Dre

“Straight Outta Compton” is a great movie.

I’m not just saying that because I like hip-hop music (I do), or because it was entertaining and well-written (it was). What I enjoyed the most was how much they focused on the art of rap music. [Read more…]

Who Do We Look up To?

by

When I was a kid, I kept images of my favorite athletes on the wall next to my bunk bed.

These were the players I loved rooting for, the stars of my favorite teams. The strides of Emmitt Smith, swing of Derek Jeter, and aerial maneuvers of John Starks were the last pictures I saw each night, and the first to greet me every morning. [Read more…]

We All Lack Empathy

by

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed a few days ago, and came across the following headline:

“San Francisco tech bro: ‘I don’t want to see homeless riff raff’”

The article was referring to an open letter written to the mayor and police chief of San Francisco, with the author expressing his “concern and outrage over the increasing homeless and drug problem” in the city. He goes on to describe “three separate instances and countless times” where he and his family were “approached for money and harassed” by homeless people over the long weekend. The letter contains more than a few eyebrow raisers, including the following passage near the end,

The wealthy working people have earned their right to live in the city. They went out, got an education, work hard, and earned it. I shouldn’t have to worry about being accosted. I shouldn’t have to see the pain, struggle, and despair of homeless people to and from my way to work every day.

Yikes. [Read more…]