davidtsai

Day 9 of 3027 August 2026

Feeding the right wolf

409 words2 min read

I took a break from LinkedIn.

Why? Life got loud, and I needed to actually live it. With family, friends, and people who matter to me.

Showed up fully for those who needed me. Checked in with those doing fine without me. And stopped showing up out of obligation for all the others.

It reminds me of the old adage about there being two wolves living inside us — and the one you choose to feed is the one that gets stronger and stronger, until eventually it eats the other one.

So it’s important to know which one you’re feeding.

One wolf is Resume. It feeds off connections that only exist as a means to an end. It thrives on needing to be “seen” and known.

The other wolf is Relationships. It feeds on sincerity, on seeing others uplifted, and on showing up even when there is nothing to gain.

I realized the Resume was getting too big, so I’m focusing on feeding the Relationships.

And here’s how:

  • Presence over posts. Presence requires you showing up; a post only requires your profile. In real life is the last place you can’t use AI to fake it till you make it.
  • Depth over distance. Digital connections are temporal and shallow. Real life is deep and rewarding. Go old school. Talk to people, not at them.
  • Curiosity over agenda. The best conversations don’t come with an agenda. They’re built on genuine interest and seeing where things lead.
  • Showing up over following up. Nobody remembers generic messages. They remember the person who genuinely asked about their life and listened.
  • Real questions over surface talk. Small talk is a waste of time. Asking the real questions is how you get the real answers.

At the end of the day, your resume may be what you’re proud of. But that doesn’t matter if you’re all alone on top of the mountain you’ve climbed, because nobody wanted to join you on your journey.

When you’re 90 years old, are you really going to be thinking back fondly on your accolades, and how efficiently you managed your inbox, and how productive you were with an overbooked calendar? Probably not.

The memories that last are the ones you made living life with the people around you. The relationships built from showing up when they needed you. And how they could count on you.

Make sure you’re feeding the right wolf.

Before it gobbles up the other one.