How to think. Have a good day. Radical optimism. Embracing discomfort. AI fluency. Imposters within. Who's an asshole?
“In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
– Eric Hoffer
1. “Great models teach you how to think, not what to think.”
How to think like the masters: the mental models behind every breakthrough – Stepfanie Tyler – (Wild Bare Thoughts)
It’s hopefully no secret that I advocate critical thinking, and thinking better in general. I’m drawn to articles and essays that explore the topic, or that provide a foundation I consider to be useful. This essay falls into the latter camp. Tyler describes twelve mental models or frameworks she finds fundamental. While you might have heard of some, she traces not only what they are, but where they come from, how they apply today, and when you might apply each.
If you don’t regularly interrogate your beliefs, you’re probably serving someone else’s.
There’s a lot of thought provoking information here. It’s worth a read.
Do this: Thinking well is a skill, invest in it.
Support 7 Takeaways
(Or just forward this to a friend.)
2. “A good day involves clear bowels and clearer thoughts”
What Does a “Good Day” Even Mean? – Joan Westenberg – (YouTube)
It’s a legit question. Too many people feel that if they haven’t produced something, then it wasn’t a good day. A good life, a fulfilled life, is so much more than what we produce.
A good day doesn’t need to be epic. It needs to be yours.
Many don’t even pause to notice the day, good or bad. Of those that do, too many are disappointed if somehow “epic” doesn’t apply.
Do this: Notice. You’re probably having more “good days” than you realize, particularly if you notice what truly matters.
3. “It takes courage to be an optimist.”
Why I’m a Radical Optimist At 80 – Gary Buzzard – (Enjoy the Moment)
Gary’s captured a state of mind I aspire to.
I believe most people are good and that the universe is a friendly place. I believe people are not out to get me — they are out to help me. I believe things will get better, and I can make that happen.
I would previously have said “that I agree with”, but I gotta say, my mindset’s taken a bit of a beating the last few years.
Being an optimist takes more than courage; it takes effort, especially now. We need to pay more attention to all the good that surrounds us. Yes, it’s there; it’s just being drowned out by all the headlines and social media posts that don’t profit off of it.
Do this: Pay attention and “assume that things can get better.”
4. “Discomfort is unavoidable.”
The Route You’re Looking for is Straight Through the Woods – David Cain – (Raptitude)
A lovely metaphor describing well-worn paths through the woods as the comfortable and easy paths we’ve built for ourselves in life.
The more paths you’ve carved out, the less necessary it feels to head into the woods again.
The problem is that well-worn paths aren’t just a little easier to travel on than non-paths. They’re something like ten times easier – ten times less discomfort per mile.
And yet it’s traveling those paths-not-yet-created that allows us to grow, learn, and do new things. They’re the paths that give life more meaning. Traveling only the well-worn, comfortable paths is stagnation.
Do this: Forge new paths.
5. “AI is a tool we’re all still learning to wield.”
How I’m Preparing My Parents—And Myself—To Be Fluent in AI – Vivian Meng – (Every)
While we might not yet know all the ways it will impact our daily lives, AI is here, and the application of AI is only growing. That leaves us with a problem.
Being locked out of technology isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s about dignity, agency, and independence. It’s about the quiet, unseen grief of feeling like the world is moving on without you, and that the ground you once stood firmly on has turned into quicksand.
Honestly, and somewhat frustratingly, this is nothing new. What’s new, though, is that it’s morphing into an entirely different form.
Where the internet age demanded technical literacy, the AI age demands epistemic fluency. It’s no longer enough to know how to use the tool; we must also learn how to question and guide it.
And, I might add, evaluate its answers and actions.
Do this: Don’t ignore AI, regardless of what you think about its value, its morality, or even its impact on humanity. Learn to use this tool.
6. “Don’t talk to yourself like someone you hate.”
How to Know You’re Not a Phony (gift link) – Arthur C. Brooks – (The Atlantic)
Early in my career, I had the good fortune of having one of the best software engineers I’d ever know working for me. One day he confessed he was concerned that someday, somehow, someone would find out that he wasn’t really a competent engineer. I was floored.
That was my introduction to “imposter syndrome”, and yeah, I felt it too.
You are not an incompetent idiot; you are simply a person hoping to learn and improve.
It’s sad, really, how many people live in fear of being “found out”, when there’s absolutely nothing to justify the feeling. Brooks’ article discusses origins and tactics to overcome it, but it requires an internal acknowledgement that maybe, just maybe, you are doing better than you fear.
Do this: Be honest, and kind to yourself.
7. “Humans are programmed to be partial assholes”
How to be less of an A*hole – A.J. Jacobs – (Experimental Living)
Of course, the knee-jerk reaction is that some folks are more “partial” assholes than others. Or even perhaps complete assholes.
We’re all assholes at times. There are perhaps even evolutionary reasons for it. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing, or even an appropriate go-to reaction that many seem to adopt. Naturally, it comes up often when discussing ideological differences. One “solution” to being less of an asshole is to be more curious.
Here’s what I’ve found to be a far more productive method: Treat the conversation as if it’s a puzzle. Why do they believe what they believe? Why do I believe what I believe? What evidence would change their mind or my mind? What do we agree on? Is there anything productive we can do together, even if we don’t agree on every issue?
Coincidentally, that approach has been shown to be the most likely to contribute to someone changing their mind.
Do this: Do what you can to reduce your “asshole-ism”.
Random links
- What the Smartest People I Know Are Quietly Reading These aren’t bestsellers. They’re blueprints
- Radio Shack Catalogs – Every single annual catalog. Memories.
What I’m reading now
- Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World – Anne-Laure Le Cunff
- The Hero of Ages – Brandon Sanderson
- The Inner Compass: Cultivating the Courage to Trust Yourself – Lawrence Yeo
- Creative Intellegence – Greg Storey
My Reading List – everything I’ve read since 2021.
My Sources Page – the common sources I scan/read regularly.
Support 7 Takeaways
Your support helps keep 7 Takeaways viable. I appreciate your consideration VERY much. I have options for recurring Support (Monthly/Quarterly/Yearly options) as well as one-time support over in The Ask Leo! (my “day job”) store. Purchasing any of the books using the links on my Reading List also helps.
Another thing that really helps is sharing 7 Takeaways with a friend. Just forward this email on. And if you received this email from a friend, you can subscribe at 7takeaways.com to get your own copy every Sunday.
Note that some links above may be affiliate links.
Thanks!
If you’re having difficulty viewing this email, visit 7takeaways.com/latest.
If a link to a source above leads you to a paywall, please read my note on paywalls.
Some links above may be affiliate links.
If someone forwarded you this email, subscribe at 7takeaways.com.