⭐️ Quotes

Mistakes teach you important lessons one way or the other. Best to make them as fast and early as possible when the cost is low, learn from it, and move on.

If the cost of making mistakes is currently expensive in your line of work, find a way to reduce that cost so you can iterate faster.

​

Socrates offers the most logical explanation for why fear of unknown things is irrational and not wise.

No one knows if dying will be good or bad. In the same way, you don't know whether a relationship breakup, change in jobs, or a new chapter in your life will be good or bad. It could end up being the greatest thing ever.

It doesn't make sense to fear the unknown. Soon enough, you will find out whether your next step is good or bad. Once you do, you can adapt and succeed in that new condition just as you have done with unknown things in the past.

​

📜 Articles

​Japanese philosophies for spending money​

Over the centuries, Japan has been a great source of life-changing philosophies from the famous Ikigai (living a life of meaning)to The Toyota Way (a set of principles that made the Toyota auto company so successful). This hidden-gem of an article talks about three Japanese philosophies that are focused not only on saving money, but on spending it more consciously.

1. Chisoku -- Which means "be satisfied." It's about being happy with what you already have. When you're about to buy something ask yourself: "will this really make me happier deep down?" If not, then you can save that money for something that does make you happy
2. Wabi Sabi -- Which means "recognizing the beauty of imperfection." Companies are constantly making and selling new clothes, furniture, gadgets, and other products; new new new. Wabi Sabi says that those things might look nice, but they're not nearly as beautiful as the older, unique things. That slightly worn leather chair, those old books, and that shirt that you've worn 50 times have character and memories built into them that can't be replaced through the purchase of something new. This perspective really helps with appreciating what one already owns
3. Mitate -- Which means "to see anew." More practically it means that every object has more than one use depending on the time, situation, or need. An old jam jar can be washed out and used to store spices. Old tequila (or other alcohol) bottles can be turned into beautiful decorations. A heavy rock in your yard can become workout equipment. Point being: things can be reused for multiple purposes rather than buying a new item every time

Conscious spending doesn't mean being cheap. It means being deliberate about where you spend your money and creative with how you use what you already have.

​

​How to be Wise​

Darius Foroux shares six behaviours that make someone wise.

1. Rely on facts, not assumptions -- Don't assume that a certain business idea will work; try it, get feedback from the market, and then work off of that information. Don't assume that a person will say no; you need to ask them to find out
2. Think from first principles -- First Principles are the fundamental components of a thing. Drilling down to those fundamentals will help you understand it more deeply and enable you to innovate from there. Instead of following the hype of fancy new technologies and investment types, look at the fundamentals of good business strategy and what makes an asset valuable
3. Read a lot and read wisely -- Wise people read a lot because it feeds their brain with new knowledge, which gives them more wisdom, tools, and skills to navigate the world. They read wisely by selecting material that broadens their knowledge and challenge their current ways of thinking
4. Take enough time to make decisions -- Our current world is obsessed with speed and rushing. But making wise decisions necessitates that you slow down to take the time to fully process the situation. Your brain needs time to remember and fully evaluate all the details. Give it that time to become wiser
5. Listen to other people -- Wise people listen to the advice and opinions of others. They don't blindly follow it all, certainly not. But they understand that every single person they meet knows something they don't and are therefore at least worth listening to with an open mind
6. Learn from your mistakes -- Mistakes are an inevitable part of any knowledge journey. The important thing is that you learn from those mistakes. If you can learn even just a tiny bit from each mistake you make then, over time, your knowledge will compound into extraordinary wisdom

Overall, wisdom is not about having credentials or being a genius. It's about being deliberate and consistent in applying what you currently know and actively expanding your knowledge through new resources: books, experiences, people, and more.

​

📚 Books

​Five Dialogues by Plato​

Socrates is considered to be one of the wisest people of all time, having essentially laid the foundation of Western Philosophy as we know it today. This book contains five "dialogues" in which Socrates engages in a constructive discussion with another person. Through these discussions we get a view into how Socrates thought, worked through problems, and expanded his knowledge.

In particular, by reading these dialogues you can learn the following things:

• Socratic Questioning. Socrates's main method of learning. It involves playing the role of "ignorant student" and continuously asking deeper and deeper questions in order to learn and holistically understand a particular subject
• Insisting on challenging your own knowledge. Challenging your current knowledge is a great way to expand your mind. If your knowledge is good, then challenging it will reconfirm and solidify your ideas. If you discover part of your knowledge to be false, then you'll have found an area for further learning and improvement
• Assuming ignorance. Assuming personal ignorance and that everyone you meet might know something you don't puts you in the optimal position to learn. Your mind will be open to hearing and absorbing new ideas
• Choosing the right way. Socrates believed and demonstrated that the best way to live was to follow the right way. Not just to passively or frivolously live, but to make the deliberate effort to do things fully and to the best of your ability
• Developing pure reason. Socrates had the powerful skill of being able to detach himself from emotion and bias to see the world through objective reasoning. When we can do that, we are finally in a position to discover the truth of our lives and the world

All in all, reading about Socrates is a masterclass for learning how to live well.

​

🎥 Videos

​How to Show Confidence Through Body Language​

Joe Navarro is a former body language expert who worked for the FBI for over 25 years. In this video, he breaks down how you can show confidence through your body language, sourced from both scientific research and his decades of field experience.

1. Having command of yourself -- Smooth yet broad gestures; being deliberate yet controlled with your movement; moving slowly and calmly; not afraid of looking around and making contact (eye or physical) with others. They don't need to rush in walking, moving, speaking, or any other way. Confident people naturally look in control and in command over themselves
2. Modelling as the leader -- Confident people see who the high status people are in the group and they model themselves after that. They dress like the boss, talk like the boss, and do like the boss. This isn't a full copy because you still want to have your own flavour. But it's important to recognise the social structure of the environment and fit well into that
3. Behaviours -- Behave like a person who knows what they're doing. Behave like you're the person in charge
4. Intonation -- Avoid hesitating in your speech. Don't say something as if it's a question, like when your voice tone increases at the end of your sentence. Be deliberate when you speak. Say what you want to say directly
5. Cadence -- Have cadence in your speech. You don't have to rush through your statements. You can pause, take your time, and add emphasis to specific parts that makes people listen
6. Nonverbals -- This is physical body language. It's not about puffing your chest out or talking loud but rather being comfortable. Move, sit, stand, and talk however makes you comfortable. People will recognise your relaxed demeanour as confidence
7. Public speaking -- If you're going to speak in public, the key is to go in prepared. (A) Get yourself physically comfortable (B) Recognize that you know the material better than your audience (C) Rehearse your speech

Simple steps, massive results. That's the power of confidence

​

​FLOW BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI​

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi recently passed away. He is known as the founder of a branch of psychology known as Positive Psychology, which focuses on understanding well-being and what makes life most worth living. For Csikszentmihalyi, the most worthwhile form of living involves flow, which is in essence the ability to act freely:

The video is a summary of his most famous book: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. I've also added my own notes from the book in the points below

1. Being happy isn't about having more. From the results of psychological science and research, having a bigger house, better looks, higher status, or more money won't make you happier for one simple reason: that's just not how happiness works. It's not how our brains are wired
2. Becoming more happy is about changing your consciousness. Many of us today don't live consciously because we're always thinking about something else. When we're working we're thinking about going on vacation; when we're on vacation, we're thinking about working; or any other manner of being distracted
3. To be happy, you must reach a state of flow where you are fully involved in what you're doing. Focused, but not feeling like you're focused. If you're in a true state of flow then you won't be able to think about anything else
4. Think about your happiest moments like when you're laughing, playing a game with friends, or enjoying the moments of being in love with your significant other. These are the moments where you truly disconnect from the world and connect with yourself; you are living consciously and in flow
5. When it comes to work and business, flow is about balancing anxiety and boredom. So you're doing something that is difficult for you and therefore pushes you to grow (less boredom), but not too difficult that it's discouraging (less anxiety). So you're growing and having fun at the same time. That's the kind of work you want to do to be happy

​

🖼️ Beautiful Picture

Fall colour vibes

Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash​