Timeless Ideas | May 30, 2021
Here’s your weekly dose of timeless ideas to sharpen your mind, make smarter decisions, and live better.
Quotes
I.
Uncertainty, not outcome, is the root of stress.
― Naval Ravikant
II.
Doubt is the origin of wisdom
― Rene Descartes
III.
We are not disturbed by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens to us.
― Epictetus
Ideas
I.
Our brains cope automatically with all three layers of time—past, present and future. The issue is which one we concentrate on. My suggestion is not to avoid making long-term plans, but once they’re in place to focus wholly on the now. Make the most of your present experiences instead of worrying about future memories. Savor the sunset instead of photographing it. A life of wondrous yet forgotten moments is still a wondrous life, so stop thinking of experiences as deposits for your memory bank. One day you’ll be on your deathbed, and your account will be permanently closed.
Rolf Dobelli in The Art of the Good Life
II.
Leadership is like a fountain. Imagine the leaders are the water near the top, ready to burst out of the fountain. The water about to burst out is being pushed up by water below it. If you want to succeed, find leaders who are doing amazing things in the world, and push them up. Find powerful people and help them reach their goals. If you’re of service to them, they will be of service back.
Michael Ellsberg in The Education of Millionaires
III.
You choose to let things bother you. You can just as easily choose not to notice the irritating offender, to consider the matter trivial and unworthy of your interest. That is the powerful move. What you do not react to cannot drag you down in a futile engagement. Your pride is not involved. The best lesson you can teach an irritating gnat is to consign it to oblivion by ignoring it.
Robert Greene
Articles Worth Reading
I.
Matt Seybold | Aeon
The financial world is a theatrical production, abundantly lubricated by that magical elixir of illusionists. Finance requires, particularly in moments of crisis, the production of confidence in others by those who have none themselves. And the normalisation of this deception is justified by a reasonable fear of the unknown.
II.
You Can Only Maintain So Many Close Friendships
Sheon Han | The Atlantic
The Oxford evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar is best known for his namesake “Dunbar’s number,” which he defines as the number of stable relationships people are cognitively able to maintain at once. But after spending his decades-long career studying the complexities of friendship, he’s discovered many more numbers that shape our close relationships. Dunbar explains the limits on how many connections humans can keep up, and the trade-offs involved when you invest in a new relationship.
III.
People Are Ready To Log Off Social Media For Good
Shannon Keating | Buzz Feed News
Many people have cut entire platforms out of their lives — Twitter and Facebook are common ones — but still use others, like Reddit, Instagram, or TikTok, where millions have sought refuge from the chaos and volatility elsewhere on the internet. There are even fewer who’ve left all social media platforms, but they cite positive changes in their mood and worldview. Those who have left social media entirely don’t necessarily think it needs to be forever. Because there are good things — great things — about connecting with people from all over the world.
Want to read more? You can read the full archives here and other posts on our website as they are published. Was this email forwarded to you? Join the club by signing up below: