As a child, I walked into a trophy shop. Little did I know I was catching a glimpse of the future.

The attention economy, to be precise.

I'm not referring to the corporate commodity side that extracts and trades in our algorithmically monitored preferences. I'm speaking of the consequences of living and working within it.

My new piece, The Trophy Shop, is about that difference—and where real validation actually comes from. (Hint: it starts with your why.)