5-Bullet Friday — The Art of Happiness, Stephen Fry on Living the Artistic Life, The Top-Performing U.S. Schools, 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 Harbor, a next-generation baby-monitor company and one of my larger new investments. Be sure to see their offer in the P.S.

What I’m reading

​The Well of Being: A Children’s Book for Adults by Jean-Pierre Weill. This was introduced to me by one of the most thoughtful, present, and playful couples I know. They have also infused the raising of their daughters with a similar ethos. From the book description: “The Well of Being, from Jean-Pierre Weill, is an illustrated inquiry into the art of happiness and what it means to be radically alive in our daily moments. Images and a graceful philosophic text invite us to awaken from our constructed stories that we may return to this world and live in the present. The book opens with a perennial account of life’s ultimate purpose and concludes with a unique retelling of the puzzle we call ‘growing up.’ Through art, philosophy, and poetry, we are offered a refreshing and empowering way to rethink ourselves.”

Short video I’m watching

​Stephen Fry on living the artistic life. The link will take you to 1:24:33. This particular segment caused me to think deeply. I’m not sure I totally agree with the premise, but that’s part of the magic that makes it good to chew on.

What I’m listening to

“Soldier of Love” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Sade (@sade).

What I’m reading

“Who Runs the Best U.S. Schools? It May Be the Defense Department.” by Sarah Mervosh (New York Times). Alternate link if trouble with the above.
​
From the article, and bolding is mine:
​
​While the achievement of U.S. students overall has stagnated over the last decade, the military’s schools have made gains on the national test since 2013. And even as the country’s lowest-performing students—in the bottom 25th percentile—have slipped further behind, the Defense Department’s lowest-performing students have improved in fourth-grade math and eighth-grade reading. “If the Department of Defense schools were a state, we would all be traveling there to figure out what’s going on,” said Martin West, an education professor at Harvard who serves on the national exam’s governing board.

Quote I’m pondering

“The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.”
​― James Baldwin​
​(Click here to share on Twitter.)

You can complement this edition of 5-Bullet Friday with this guided meditation from Jack Kornfield, my conversation with author Arthur C. Brooks on how to be happy, and the most recent supercombo podcast episode, featuring coaches Tony Robbins and Jerry Colonna.
​
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.
​
Have a wonderful weekend, all.
​
Much love to you and yours,
​
Tim

P.S. Deal of the Week — Harbor reliable baby-monitoring system.

​Harbor is the only baby monitor with a dedicated local monitor that works with and without internet, which securely connects to the cloud when you want. I invested in Harbor because I’m excited about several of their innovations that solve real, long-standing pain points for my friends who are parents. Harbor provides the best of remote access, including up to four cameras and record/rewind functionality. Their Smart Audio means parents can choose what types of events alert them overnight or otherwise, no extraneous pings. Last but not least, their Remote Night Nanny—real humans and infant-care experts who can remotely monitor your child while you sleep, alerting you in real-time as needed—brings the expertise and all-night guidance of traditional, in-home night nannies at just 5% of the cost. Reliable support and coverage all night long doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. Their pilot families have said Harbor changed their lives and increased their desire to have more kids.
​
​Harbor is giving an extended free trial of their Remote Night Nanny to 5-Bullet Friday readers. ​
​
Their June shipments of baby monitors have already sold out, but 5BF readers can be the first to receive them later this summer. Units are limited, so the race goes to the swift. Click here now to pre-order a Harbor unit and receive a two-week extended trial of their Remote Night Nanny (until capacity is reached).