5-Bullet Friday — How to Find Joy, A Powerful Journaling Prompt, Hilarious Tokyo Blind Dates, Wisdom from a Firebrand, and More

Hi All!

Here is your weekly dose of 5-Bullet Friday, a list of what I’m pondering and exploring. Feel free to forward along if the spirit moves you.

This edition is brought to you by LMNT, my go-to electrolyte drink mix. Be sure to see their offer in the P.S.

Question I’m using for journaling

​“Are You Hunting Antelope or Field Mice?” I often ask myself this, and I lifted it from the most unlikely of sources. Read this in two minutes for context, and don’t freak out because of the first few paragraphs. Strong metaphors can come from all places.

Twitter story I’m following

​Nick Gray’s blind date adventures in Japan. Fellow Austinite Nick Gray came up with this brilliant idea, which he posted on Twitter/X: “I want to do a blind date and go to Tokyo next weekend. If you’re a woman with a passport who likes sushi and Japanese food and can ride a bike in a big city… let’s go. I’ll pay for everything but in return you have to film stupid videos of me for my socials.” One could apply after reading this Google doc, which he included. Here is his latest moving update at the time of this newsletter. You can learn more about the woman who joined the blind date here, and these photos in Tokyo will make you smile.

What I’m reading

​David Mamet’s Writing Memo. Even if you don’t give a shit about writing, you’ll enjoy reading this outraged and brilliant five-page memo from David Mamet. He curses like a sailor and imparts the wisdom of a sage. David won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed-the-Plow. Here are two excerpts from his excellent memo to the writing staff of the TV show The Unit. I preserved the CAPS of his writing for the second part for proper impact:
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​Question: What is drama? Drama, again, is the quest of the hero to overcome those things which prevent him from achieving a specific, acute goal. So: We, the writers, must ask ourselves of every scene these three questions.
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1) Who wants what
2) What happens if [they] don’t get it?
3) Why now?​
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[...]
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​YES BUT YES BUT YES BUT, YOU SAY: WHAT ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF WRITING IN ALL THAT “INFORMATION?”
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AND I RESPOND “FIGURE IT OUT” ANY DICKHEAD WITH A BLUESUIT CAN BE (AND IS) TAUGHT TO SAY “MAKE IT CLEARER”, AND “I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HIM”.

WHEN YOU’VE MADE IT SO CLEAR THAT EVEN THIS BLUESUITED PENGUIN IS HAPPY, BOTH YOU AND HE OR SHE WILL BE OUT OF A JOB.​
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​If you are pressed for time and simply want to skim the lessons, read 9 Brilliant Lessons from David Mamet’s Writing Staff Memo. But truthfully, don’t be so lazy that you rob yourself. His full memo is the way to go.

What I’m listening to

“Masala” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Jean du Voyage (feat. Pierre Harmegnies).

Quotes I’m pondering

“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”
​— George Bernard Shaw
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“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatsoever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I’ve got a hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”​
— George Bernard Shaw
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You can complement this edition of 5-Bullet Friday with my brand-new conversation with Craig Foster of My Octopus Teacher, my interview with Seth Godin on writing and overcoming resistance, and my post on setting audacious goals.
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And, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @tferriss and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it.
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Have a wonderful weekend, all.
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Much love to you and yours,
​
Tim

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