Philosophy & Wisdom, page 2
Stoicism, meaning, ethics, life lessons, big-picture thinking. 100 links, newest first. Page 2 of 2.
Links 51 to 100
How to Find Your Niche
Read · experimental-history.com · 50 min · Issue #176
Adam Mastroianni argues that everyone has a valuable place in the world, because humans occupy a cognitive niche they can customize in countless ways.
Summary
Adam Mastroianni argues that everyone has a valuable place in the world, because humans occupy a cognitive niche they can customize in countless ways. He names three reasons people fail to find theirs: local roles go unfilled as attention globalizes, finding a fit is treated as purely personal, and some believe a fit is impossible. The essay uses examples such as a professional bridesmaid and underwater pizza delivery.
Filling gaps with self-knowledge shapes how we see
Short · instagram.com · Issue #175
An actor from The Office is quoted explaining projection as the source of wrong assumptions
Summary
When we don't understand someone, we fill the gap with what we know about ourselves, so we see the world as we are.
An actor who played Andy Bernard on The Office says that when we don't understand someone, we fill the gap with what we know about ourselves. Rob Bell's idea that everything is a projection is cited, with the realization that the whole behind the parts makes divisions partly an illusion. They also quote Anaïs Nin: you do not see the world as it is, you see it as you are.
Key points- An actor from The Office is quoted explaining projection as the source of wrong assumptions
- Rob Bell is cited saying that seeing everything as one reveals divisions as partly illusion
- The speaker quotes a French novelist: you see the world as you are, not as it is
Some quotes to think about
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #174
A short TikTok collecting a few quotes to think about.
Summary
A short TikTok collecting a few quotes to think about.
Memorable moments keep paying returns
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #171
Bill Perkins' book Die With Zero argues beautiful moments return value when recalled
Summary
Memorable moments keep paying returns in memory, so the truly wealthy finish life with abundant memories.
The speaker recommends the book Die With Zero by Bill Perkins. The book argues that creating memorable moments pays off each time you recall them, so the more memorable experiences you have, the wealthier you become. The speaker describes the truly wealthy as having an abundant source of memories that keep paying dividends.
Key points- Bill Perkins' book Die With Zero argues beautiful moments return value when recalled
- The more memorable moments you create, the wealthier you become by life's end
- The speaker says the truly wealthy have memories that keep paying dividends
Love of fate means accepting everything
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #168
Life involves loss, illness and betrayal, and complaining means you do not accept it
Summary
Love of fate means accepting everything that happens, since pain and loss are part of life.
Robert Greene explains amor fati, meaning love of fate: loving everything that happens to you as a way of learning and toughening yourself. He says life involves pain, loss, illness, and betrayal. Complaining that things should be otherwise means you do not accept life, so the practice is to accept what happens and find the purpose behind it.
Key points- Life involves loss, illness and betrayal, and complaining means you do not accept it
- Accept what happens, find a way to love it, and see the purpose behind it
- The speaker says animals have always had to deal with the same hardships
Calmness is the cradle of authority
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #167
He quotes Josiah Gilbert Holland: calmness is the cradle of authority
Summary
Calmness is the cradle of authority: the most powerful person listens and stays silent because they have nothing to prove.
The speaker says the most powerful person in a room is usually the calmest, most dignified, and most composed. Quoting Josiah Gilbert Holland, "calmness is the cradle of authority," they argue that people who lose their temper lose control. Truly powerful people rarely need to assert themselves, and are often the ones who listen and stay silent, having nothing to prove.
Key points- He quotes Josiah Gilbert Holland: calmness is the cradle of authority
- Anyone who starts yelling has lost control of themselves, he says
- The truly powerful listen rather than speak, and their power speaks for itself
The Question Everyone Should Ask Themselves
Read · markmanson.net · 13 min · Issue #166
Mark Manson argues that what you get from life depends less on the good things you want than on the struggles you are willing to endure.
Summary
Mark Manson argues that what you get from life depends less on the good things you want than on the struggles you are willing to endure. Most people want success, fitness or love without accepting the costs, such as hard work, risk and rejection. He suggests asking what pain you want in your life and choosing your struggles wisely.
Judge character by the company someone keeps
Short · youtube.com · Issue #165
Friends and associates reveal character more than a person's own presentation
Summary
Judge a person's character by their friends and associates, since people can mask themselves but their circle is harder to hide.
The speaker suggests judging someone's character by the character of their friends and associates. People can put up a mask themselves, but their friends and associates are less likely to. Enemies can also be a signal, since if evil people dislike you, you may be doing something right.
Key points- Friends and associates reveal character more than a person's own presentation
- Even enemies can be a signal, since evil people disliking you may mean you are doing right
A Moving Story About Stephanie Peirolo
Watch · youtube.com · Issue #163
A short video telling the moving story of Stephanie Peirolo.
Summary
A short video telling the moving story of Stephanie Peirolo. It is meant to make viewers stop and reflect on life, and it suggests that growth is not always about hard skills, new knowledge or interesting tricks.
The only way out is through
Short · youtube.com · Issue #162
Quotes Peterson answering whether feeling everything deeply is a blessing or a curse
Summary
Peterson's advice is that the only way out is through: take more of what poisons you until it becomes a tonic.
The speaker recalls a live talk by Jordan Peterson where an audience member asked whether feeling everything deeply is a blessing or a curse. Peterson answered that the only way out is through: you take more of the thing that poisons you until it becomes a tonic. The speaker initially found the answer harsh.
Key points- Quotes Peterson answering whether feeling everything deeply is a blessing or a curse
- The speaker calls the answer awful, yet an analytic piece of life advice
Experts vs Imitators
Read · fs.blog · 2 min · Issue #157
Shane Parrish argues that many people who claim expertise lack it, so real experts need to be told apart from imitators.
Summary
Shane Parrish argues that many people who claim expertise lack it, so real experts need to be told apart from imitators. He cites Charlie Munger on money managers who copy Warren Buffett's talking points. The article lists five signs of an imitator: they struggle with first-principles questions, hide behind jargon, resist simple explanations, avoid admitting mistakes, and ignore the limits of their knowledge.
Do You Have Free Will?
Watch · youtube.com · Issue #155
The Kurzgesagt video asks whether free will exists or is an illusion, setting determinism, the idea that physics fixes outcomes, against the sense that people choose what they do.
Summary
The Kurzgesagt video asks whether free will exists or is an illusion, setting determinism, the idea that physics fixes outcomes, against the sense that people choose what they do. The description argues that our bodies are made of particles that blindly follow the laws of physics, so every outcome may already be predetermined.
Why Time Flies
Tool · maximiliankiener.com · Issue #154
Maximilian Kiener's Why Time Flies argues that time seems to speed up as we age, because each year is judged against the total life already lived.
Summary
Maximilian Kiener's Why Time Flies argues that time seems to speed up as we age, because each year is judged against the total life already lived. A week is a quarter of life at four weeks old but only a fiftieth by the end of the first year. The theory is credited to Paul Janet in 1897, and the piece closes with a call to act rather than postpone things.
Bamboo that bends beats oak that resists
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #153
Proverb: the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists
Summary
The speaker shares a Japanese proverb: the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. He takes it as advice to stay flexible in difficult situations rather than rigid.
Key points- Proverb: the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists
- Advice: stay flexible in difficult situations rather than rigid
A proverb on staying flexible under pressure
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #152
Proverb: the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists
Summary
The speaker quotes a Japanese proverb: the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. The point is to stay flexible in difficult situations rather than rigid.
Key points- Proverb: the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists
- Advice: stay flexible in difficult situations rather than rigid
Avoid Clickbait: Schopenhauer on Bad Writing
Read · fs.blog · 3 min · Issue #149
Shane Parrish of Farnam Street applies Arthur Schopenhauer's essays On Authorship and On Reading to clickbait.
Summary
Shane Parrish of Farnam Street applies Arthur Schopenhauer's essays On Authorship and On Reading to clickbait. Schopenhauer separated writers who write to understand a subject from those who write for pay, and the second group produces much of today's clickbait. The article advises avoiding bad writing so your mind gets better raw material, and lists warning signs such as headlines built for clicks.
Missed windows open again and again
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #148
Concedes elite gymnastics often needs training to start by age six
Summary
The speaker argues it is nonsense to say your chance has passed, since windows like this open again and again.
A dialogue presents two views. One voice says that a window has closed, such as gymnasts needing to start by age 6, and that a missed potential is a personal failure. The other argues that reaching a peak would bring no lasting bliss, that the daily work is enjoyable, and that striving out of fear is suffering.
Key points- Concedes elite gymnastics often needs training to start by age six
- Says most elite mathematicians do their best work before age 25
- Argues that reaching a peak does not guarantee lasting happiness afterwards
Four leadership lessons from Marcus Aurelius
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #144
Marcus studied under his stepfather Antoninus for almost twenty years
Summary
The speaker draws four leadership lessons from Marcus Aurelius: find a mentor, never complain, guard against power, stay a student.
The speaker draws four leadership lessons from Marcus Aurelius. He studied for about 20 years under the emperor Antoninus and treated it as an apprenticeship, so the speaker urges finding a mentor. Aurelius did not complain, even privately. He guarded against being changed by power, and he remained a student of leadership and life.
Key points- Marcus studied under his stepfather Antoninus for almost twenty years
- Leadership comes with perks and responsibilities, so do not complain
- Guard against being changed by position, like being dyed purple
Ego is the most dangerous part of us
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #144
A little ego helps you keep moving, but too much becomes a power freak
Summary
The speaker says ego is the most dangerous part of us, and unchecked ego creates power-hungry leaders.
The speaker calls the ego the most dangerous part of us. A little ego helps a person keep moving, but unchecked it produces power-seekers. The speaker points to corporate greed and abuses of power in the news as examples.
Key points- A little ego helps you keep moving, but too much becomes a power freak
- Points to corporate greed, power and corruption seen in the papers
- Presents ego as the enemy to be managed
People have not changed since Renaissance Italy
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #118
A finance minister threw a party that outshone Louis XIV, then was imprisoned
Summary
The speaker says people have not changed since Renaissance Italy, and outshining a leader can get you punished.
Robert Greene argues that people are no more progressive than in Renaissance Italy in Machiavelli's time. Manipulators today are less violent but still do similar things. He illustrates with Louis XIV's finance minister, who threw a lavish party to win promotion, was jailed the next day because people liked him more than the king, and whose story opens Greene's book The 48 Laws of Power.
Key points- A finance minister threw a party that outshone Louis XIV, then was imprisoned
- The speaker says this story opens the 48 Laws of Power
- Claims modern power plays are similar to Machiavelli's, just without the violence
Feelings are evidence of happiness, not its definition
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #117
Compares feelings to a turkey smell being evidence of Thanksgiving
Summary
The speaker says feelings are evidence of happiness, not its definition, which is enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose.
In this Simon Sinek clip, Arthur Brooks argues that feelings are evidence of happiness, not happiness itself. He says happiness has three parts, enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose, that science can explain. He adds that faith, family, friendship and service bring these more reliably than money, power, pleasure and fame.
Key points- Compares feelings to a turkey smell being evidence of Thanksgiving
- Happiness has parts like a dinner has macronutrients: enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose
- Says faith, family, friendship and service bring happiness more than money or fame
Leaving finance for a life of his own
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #115
Chose finance after a book compared degree earnings potential over time
Summary
The speaker left a finance career after a 2007 promotion made him feel trapped, and chose a life of his own instead.
A scene from the documentary Minimalism shows a man recounting his career in finance. He describes choosing finance after reading about degree earning potential, and being promoted to junior partner at the end of 2007. Alone in his office afterward, he says he wept, realizing he felt completely trapped by the life he had built to win.
Key points- Chose finance after a book compared degree earnings potential over time
- Wept in his office after a promotion, realising he could never leave the money
- Took the elevator down 28 stories and decided to build a life of his own
Luxury goods stop signalling status for the wealthy
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #109
Describes post-luxury buyers who no longer buy to show their wealth
Summary
The speaker argues luxury goods are a scam, since the wealthy stop needing them to signal status.
The speaker argues that luxury goods are a scam, since the concept was created to make people spend money to signal status. Wealthy buyers who no longer need goods to signal wealth are described as post-luxury. A second speaker calls themselves pre-luxury: they own nice things for quality and buy without logos or status in mind.
Key points- Describes post-luxury buyers who no longer buy to show their wealth
- Calls his own stance pre-luxury: he owns nice things with no status signal
- Claims luxury goods do not deliver the status people expect from them
Stoicism: Become Undefeatable
Watch · youtube.com · 12 min · Issue #102
Aperture's April 2021 video presents Stoicism as a way to get through hard times, starting with common modern misconceptions about it.
Summary
Aperture's April 2021 video presents Stoicism as a way to get through hard times, starting with common modern misconceptions about it. It covers a 'voluntary discomfort' exercise for building resilience and the dichotomy of control as the philosophy's most important principle. It also covers the four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance and justice.
Friendship is built with time, not money
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #91
One friend gives $5,000 for a moving van, the other spends a whole day helping
Summary
Time and energy are worth more than money in friendship, since those who give their time earn lasting loyalty.
Simon Sinek argues that time and energy are non-redeemable, so they are worth more than money. In his example, one friend gives $5,000 toward a move while the other spends the day packing and driving, and the second friend is the one a person would turn to later. He defines love as giving time and energy without expecting a return.
Key points- One friend gives $5,000 for a moving van, the other spends a whole day helping
- Six months later both ask for a favour, and you go with the one who gave time
- The speaker defines love as giving time and energy without expecting a return
Life advice list from an 80-year-old
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #91
Choosing your life partner carefully brings 90% of happiness or misery
Summary
A friend's list of 50 points from an 80-year-old includes choosing a life partner carefully and never depriving someone of hope.
Per the post's description, actor Henry Cavill shares a list of 50 life points a friend sent him, which he rereads daily. Points cited include choosing a life partner carefully, since one decision brings about 90% of happiness or misery, never depriving someone of hope, telling loved ones you love them, and the claim that 80% of job success depends on dealing with people.
Key points- Choosing your life partner carefully brings 90% of happiness or misery
- Never deprive someone of hope, and never waste a chance to say you love them
- The list says 80% of job success depends on dealing with people
10 Philosophical Concepts You Should Know
Read · thecollector.com · 15 min · Issue #88
A TheCollector article by Viktoriya Sus, who holds an MA in philosophy, introduces ten concepts.
Summary
A TheCollector article by Viktoriya Sus, who holds an MA in philosophy, introduces ten concepts. They range from Plato's Theory of Ideas and Descartes' cogito to Kant's categorical imperative, Nietzsche's God is dead and existential crisis. Each gets a short, plain explanation of its core idea, aimed at readers without formal philosophy training.
Stoic Discipline: Self-Control and Industriousness
Watch · youtube.com · 14 min · Issue #78
The Einzelgänger video explains that Stoics treated discipline as a virtue, alongside perseverance, endurance, high-mindedness and self-control.
Summary
The Einzelgänger video explains that Stoics treated discipline as a virtue, alongside perseverance, endurance, high-mindedness and self-control. It covers what self-discipline is, the power of self-control, and industriousness as a Stoic virtue, ending with a segment called 'the star in the sky'. The channel promotes its book Stoicism for Inner Peace.
A farm parable on judging outcomes
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #78
The horse runs off, and the son calls it a nightmare for the farm
Summary
A farm parable shows that a bad-looking event can turn out good, and that the outcome cannot be judged at first.
The speaker retells a parable about a farmer whose horse runs off, then returns with fifty wild stallions, and whose son is later injured by one of them. Each event seems good or bad to the family, while the old father repeatedly says he cannot tell what it means. When an army comes to draft men, the son's injured leg means he is left behind.
Key points- The horse runs off, and the son calls it a nightmare for the farm
- The old father says he cannot call it, since it may not be a nightmare
- Days later the horse returns with 50 wild stallions, and the family becomes rich
Witty aphorisms on taxes and childhood
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #78
Taxes are a yearly subscription to your country
Summary
A short list of witty aphorisms. Taxes are described as a yearly subscription to the country you live in, and childhood as the free trial. Asking someone's name is likened to asking what sound will get their attention. The last line says people spend their lives gathering guests for their own funeral.
Key points- Taxes are a yearly subscription to your country
- Childhood is the free trial
Loyalty to people over values confuses midlife
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #76
Those who put people above values may find their life does not make sense
Summary
Being more loyal to people than to your values leads to a confusing midlife, the speaker says.
The speaker argues that people who are more loyal to others than to their own values may feel unhappy and confused in midlife, because their lives stop making sense. This can lead to a reset, which the speaker calls a Great Awakening. The speaker says they have never consciously cut anyone out of their life, and prefers to live in a way that lets others decide whether to stay.
Key points- Those who put people above values may find their life does not make sense
- Such people risk becoming part of a what-should-have-been life
- The speaker says he does not cut people out, but lives so they choose to leave
Enjoy each wave like a surfer
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #68
A surfer knows the wave will crash, so they enjoy the ride while it lasts
Summary
Enjoy each wave like a surfer, since challenges and highs are two parts of the same experience and more waves always come.
The speaker says happiness comes from what they call the surfer's mentality. A surfer enjoys riding a wave without assuming it will last, knowing another is always coming, and prepares for the waves that crash over them. The speaker argues that the challenging moments and the highs are two parts of the same experience of being alive.
Key points- A surfer knows the wave will crash, so they enjoy the ride while it lasts
- There are always more waves coming, so prepare for the ones that crash over you
- Enjoy the challenging moments as much as the highs, the speaker says
Most problems can be figured out
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #68
Rule one: all problems or dreams are figure-outable
Summary
All problems and dreams are figure-outable, unless they are laws of nature, and if you don't care enough, find something you do care about.
The speaker offers three rules. First, every problem or dream can be figured out. Second, a problem that cannot be solved is a fact of life, like death, taxes or gravity. Third, you may not care enough about a particular problem to solve it, which is fine, so find something you care about deeply and return to the first rule.
Key points- Rule one: all problems or dreams are figure-outable
- Rule two: a problem that isn't figure-outable is a fact of life, like gravity
- Rule three: if you don't care enough, find something you care deeply about
Your purpose is what you do now
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #65
You are life itself, not something that starts at birth and ends at death
Summary
Your life's purpose is whatever you are doing right now, because life only happens in the present.
The speaker argues that people search for a life purpose because they see life as a span between birth and death. Life is only happening here and now, so the purpose is whatever you are doing in the present, such as walking your dog or working on a project. Looking for a purpose outside the present means missing your life.
Key points- You are life itself, not something that starts at birth and ends at death
- Walking the dog or working on a project is your life's purpose in that moment
- Looking for purpose outside the present means missing your entire life
Justice builds a better world than revenge
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #64
Resentment is poisonous, since resentful people want to act but feel unable or afraid
Summary
A dialogue debates revenge and justice, arguing that justice builds a better world while anger signals that something is wrong.
The video stages a debate between revenge and forgiveness. One side argues that forgiveness mostly benefits the wrongdoer and that resentment is poisonous, since resentful people feel powerless. The other side argues that proper justice, unlike revenge, aims to build a better world, and that anger signals something wrong and should be channeled rather than repressed.
Key points- Resentment is poisonous, since resentful people want to act but feel unable or afraid
- One voice says the justice system channels injustice, though it is not perfect
- Anger is necessary, one voice argues, because it tells you when something is wrong
Suffering is pain times resistance
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #63
Pain at 10 with resistance at 10 gives suffering of 100
Summary
Suffering equals pain times resistance, so reducing resistance cuts suffering even when the pain stays the same.
The speaker shares a formula, pain times resistance equals suffering, that was given to them by another person. If pain and resistance are each rated 10, suffering is 100, while zero resistance means zero suffering. The speaker says the formula is rough but gives practical steps for handling a difficult feeling.
Key points- Pain at 10 with resistance at 10 gives suffering of 100
- With zero resistance, suffering drops to zero, though the speaker notes some variance
- The formula gives practical steps to take when feeling a certain way
Setbacks can be our greatest lessons
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #58
A young man's riding gift seems lucky until he breaks his leg and war spares him
Summary
Setbacks can become our greatest lessons, because good and bad news are both uncertain, as the monk who says 'we'll see' shows.
The speaker retells a parable about a gifted young rider whose fortunes swing after a fall and a war, while a monk repeatedly says we'll see. The speaker says their own career began in a period of lost passion, which turned out to be the best thing that happened to them. The takeaway is that some of life's hardest struggles teach the greatest lessons.
Key points- A young man's riding gift seems lucky until he breaks his leg and war spares him
- The monk answers 'we'll see' to every turn of fortune
- The speaker says his career began in pain and became the best thing that happened to him
A Moving and Inspiring Story
Watch · youtube.com · 13 min · Issue #52
A video the newsletter describes as a very moving and inspiring story, presented as the essence of what the newsletter aims to convey.
Summary
A video the newsletter describes as a very moving and inspiring story, presented as the essence of what the newsletter aims to convey.
Every yes is a no to something
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #52
The speaker said yes to a Florida talk and lost time with kids, writing and exercise
Summary
Every yes means a no to something else, and saying no to the unessential leaves room for what matters.
The speaker describes realizing that every yes is also a no to something else. A talk in Florida, for example, meant missing an evening at home with the kids, a writing routine and exercise. Citing Marcus Aurelius, the speaker says that saying no to inessential things also means saying yes to what matters.
Key points- The speaker said yes to a Florida talk and lost time with kids, writing and exercise
- Marcus says saying no brings a double benefit
- Saying no to unessential things is saying yes to what really matters
Stop Trying to Get It: The Backwards Law
Watch · youtube.com · 11 min · Issue #49
A 2021 Einzelgänger video on the backwards law, the idea that chasing something too hard tends to produce the opposite result.
Summary
A 2021 Einzelgänger video on the backwards law, the idea that chasing something too hard tends to produce the opposite result. The video argues that letting go of the effort is how to get what you want, and frames this paradox as a source of ongoing dissatisfaction. Chapters move from what we are trying to get, through a sense of lack, to how to have what we want.
Sadhguru on the Lost Concept of Heaven
Watch · youtube.com · 15 min · Issue #39
A clip from episode JRE #1791 with Sadhguru, posted by the PowerfulJRE channel in March 2022.
Summary
A clip from episode JRE #1791 with Sadhguru, posted by the PowerfulJRE channel in March 2022. Its title suggests Sadhguru discusses why the idea of heaven has lost its meaning for many people.
Stoics do not suffer in imagination
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #39
Seneca says to look at things as they are now, not suffer before we need to
Summary
Stoics do not borrow suffering by imagining worst cases, because we suffer more in imagination than in reality.
Citing Seneca, the speaker says a Stoic does not borrow suffering by imagining troubles before they arrive. Preparing for the worst case is fine, but suffering in advance is not. The speaker cites Seneca's line that we suffer more in imagination than in reality, which breeds anxiety, worry, and doubt, and leaves us unprepared for the present.
Key points- Seneca says to look at things as they are now, not suffer before we need to
- Premeditating the worst is prudent, but dwelling on it brings anxiety and doubt
- Projecting terrible futures makes us miserable and unable to do what we should
But Life Had Other Plans
Read · danlebrero.com · 3 min · Issue #39
Daniel Lebrero's March 2022 blog post recounts a planned year of family care that took an unexpected turn.
Summary
Daniel Lebrero's March 2022 blog post recounts a planned year of family care that took an unexpected turn. After his wife tested positive for a BRCA2 mutation, she had preventive surgery in 2021, and an embryo conceived just before it went undetected until she was about five months pregnant. The post uses dark humor to describe the complications and reflects on life's unpredictability.
Naval Ravikant on Our Most Common Mistake
Watch · youtube.com · 2 min · Issue #38
Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngelList and author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness, discusses what he considers the most common mistake people make.
Summary
Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngelList and author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness, discusses what he considers the most common mistake people make.
Judge yourself by your own scorecard
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #37
Think about the critic's character, addictions and accomplishments before you accept their view
Summary
Measure yourself on your own internal scorecard, not on the opinions of people you don't respect, since they work against who you want to be.
The speaker recommends an exercise for criticism: think about the critic's character, habits, and accomplishments. Seen this way, a critic whose opinion you were about to accept may be the opposite of who you want to be. The speaker advises measuring yourself against your own internal scorecard rather than other people's opinions.
Key points- Think about the critic's character, addictions and accomplishments before you accept their view
- We love ourselves but care more about others' opinions, which the speaker calls insanity
- Focus on who you want to be and on your own sense of self
How to Ikigai
Watch · youtube.com · Issue #36
Tim Tamashiro's 12-minute TEDxYYC talk, published in 2018, presents ikigai, a Japanese concept from Okinawa, as a guide to finding happiness and purpose.
Summary
Tim Tamashiro's 12-minute TEDxYYC talk, published in 2018, presents ikigai, a Japanese concept from Okinawa, as a guide to finding happiness and purpose. Tamashiro, a former musician who performed for about twenty years, also wrote the book How to Ikigai: Lessons for Finding Happiness and Living Your Life's Purpose.
Daily Stoic book listing
Short · empik.com · Issue #14
A bookseller's page for Daily Stoic, a book.
Summary
A bookseller's page for Daily Stoic, a book.
About the book Daily Stoic
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #14
A short TikTok about Daily Stoic, a book.
Summary
A short TikTok about Daily Stoic, a book.
Valued goals create meaning and emotion
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #13
Choosing a goal means sacrificing other options, which creates a hierarchy of values
Summary
Pursuing a valued goal creates positive emotion and meaning, and the higher the goal, the richer the experience.
The speaker says a valuable goal creates meaning and positive emotion, and the better the goal, the richer the experience of pursuing it. Pursuing it means facing frightening challenges, like becoming a better speaker, writer, or thinker, which stretch you. The speaker links this pattern to the myth of rescuing a father from the belly of a whale, as in Pinocchio.
Key points- Choosing a goal means sacrificing other options, which creates a hierarchy of values
- Moving toward the goal brings positive emotion and meaning along the way
- Stretching goals bring frightening challenges, like learning to speak or write better
3-2-1: Authenticity, Feeling Unqualified, and Win-Win Relationships
Read · jamesclear.com · Issue #9
James Clear's August 2021 3-2-1 newsletter offers three ideas: balance between absorbing setbacks and achieving wins, being yourself as an ongoing daily effort, and the fact that people rarely feel fully qualified before trying something new.
Summary
James Clear's August 2021 3-2-1 newsletter offers three ideas: balance between absorbing setbacks and achieving wins, being yourself as an ongoing daily effort, and the fact that people rarely feel fully qualified before trying something new. It adds two quotes, a Hindu proverb about many paths up a mountain and Don Herold's I'd Pick More Daisies, and asks which relationships are win-win.
Related reading paths
- Find your purpose8
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