Lessons from Anthony Bourdain's Suicide

Self-Improvement

I used to disdain suicidal people. Now I have empathy.

When one of Reddit's co-founders killed himself and I got pushback on Twitter for calling him a coward.

I now have a different perspective on the matter. Having had mild depression in the past, I can understand the existential pain of life.

Reading Kitchen Confidential was exactly that. Anthony Bourdain is what I would call a punk rock chef. Someone unafraid of being authentic. Brilliant in his way.

Being a chef is like being a COO at a startup. You must make sure things are running well, on time, with a managed inventory. Consistency is the mother of it all.

The book is good, but not great. After 40% of it, I got tired of his self-loathing. Bourdain's strong identification with having been an anxious junkie made it less fun.

He's better with video, but still a great author. Unlike him, I am not an NYT best-seller, so got no business criticizing him.

I do have the right to my opinion.

It's a shame that I will never be able to eat his food.

What a sad ending for the guy that seemed to have it all.

Be present with the ones you love. Be alone and quiet your mind.

Before you die, that email you sent, that deal you close won't matter.

All you will care about is: was I loved? Did I love?

Focus on that. Love yourself first and then, love others.

Other blog posts

I hustled my way to the ER in 2017

I had a surprise visit to the ER on Christmas. I thought I was having a heart attack and rushed to the hospital with considerable chest pain. I was scared.

Read more
Where it all started to change

This was the shitty and extremely tiny studio I lived in Boulder, Colorado from 2010-2011. It was a tiny place where I started to execute my dreams.

Read more
In 2017 I will podcast: Welcome to Transparent VC

Transparent VC is purely tactical advice on how to raise money in a clean, efficient way while giving you the heads up to avoid all the common pitfalls.

Read more

Receive new essays as soon as they're published

You won't receive spam and you can unsubscribe at any time