I met Paul in the spring of 2023. He was on a journey to transform his life, and I found his unique outlook on life to be refreshing and insightful. Paul is a software engineer who found himself with crippling loneliness during COVID after a 10-year relationship breakup and a job layoff. With his partner gone, no colleagues, and no social interaction, he found himself at a crossroads in life. He decided at that moment to quit watching television and take back control of his life. He sourced a job, quit video games, and quit watching television. He discovered Meetup.com, and built a social life with multiple groups that collectively have hundreds of members now.
Paul and I started dating after some mutual friends of ours (shoutout to sneaky snakes Tim and Jen 😉🐍) set us up on a few double dates. He knows that I have a strong desire to learn the skill of interviewing, which is one of my goals for HYPRfocus. With his encouragement and support, we decided to do my first interview together.
I hope you enjoy the interview, and please like and comment if this resonated with you. I appreciate and look forward to hearing your feedback!
The Interview | Formulas for Life
As a software engineer and a Sparketype™ Essentialist, Paul is highly skilled at organizing and distilling information and data. But it doesn’t just stop there — he also organizes data and observes patterns in everyday life. By vetting hundreds of members for his Meetup.com groups, he has witnessed multiple patterns of human behavior and created formulas for life.
In this interview, we talk about the formulas for:
becoming unperturbed in the face of judgment
running a successful social group and vetting members
lifestyle design for finding love
focusing your energy and eliminating distraction
The Next 12 Months | House Hacking & Microsoft Power Platform
Paul is currently learning Microsoft Power Platform for his day job and just bought a house in May 2024. 🎉 His plan is to start house hacking (renting out some of the rooms of his house) and eventually implementing the strategy of coliving (individually renting out all the rooms of a house). You can see more of his story on his YouTube channel @TheMangineer or his website PaulDavidSantana.com.
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheMangineer
Website: https://pauldavidsantana.com/
Resources
Sparketype: https://sparketype.com/
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker: https://www.priyaparker.com/book-art-of-gathering
Hamza Ahmed’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hamza97
Build a Wealthy Spirit Podcast with Sammie and Michelle:
7. Formulas for Life | Paul David Santana