Kindergarten rules. On being useful. On understanding better. Reading like a scientist. Willingness to change your mind. Asking questions. Reading matters.
“The best conversations are ventilated.”
― Sahil Bloom
How to use 7 Takeaways: click the links to the articles that interest you and read those articles.
My commentary isn’t really the point; it’s meant only to give you a sense for what I’ve found interesting. My intent is that every week maybe one or two of these will speak to you as well, and that you’ll click through to read the original article.
Curation is not content. It’s just a guide to surface interesting and informative essays and videos produced by others.
I’m mentioning this because I sometimes get commentary on my comments that indicate the person didn’t actually read the content I was commenting on. That kinda misses the point, as far as I’m concerned. To get the most out of 7 Takeaways, I hope you’re taking the time to dive deeper into the various items I share each week.
1. “Simple rules that make life work”
Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten – Tom Greene – (Wit & Wisdom)
I read it, and I’m betting you may have as well. Robert Fulghum’s book was a meme before memes were memeing (if that’s a thing). Greene reminds us of what it meant.
- Share.
- Be kind.
- Say you’re sorry.
- Hold hands.
- Stick together.
- Never lose your sense of wonder.
- Look.
- Be grateful.
…
They’re simple enough for a five-year-old to understand, yet somehow difficult for grown adults to practice. Somewhere along the way, we didn’t outgrow those lessons—we simply buried them under busier lives.
I know that some find them over-simplistic and childish, even. But isn’t that kinda the point? Simple, easy-to-remember rules that make a difference. I know I’m going to dig up the book and re-read it; it’s been far too long. (He’s still with us, by the way.)
Do this: Be kind. Among other things.
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2. “Be useful”
How to be useful – Mike Monteiro – (Mike Monteiro’s Good News)
That’s in response to the question “What’s your go-to piece of advice in life?”
The thing about being useful is that it’s a two way street. You figure out something that you can do to help your friends, your family, your community, and that’s great. But being useful is also an amazing mental health trick. It makes you feel necessary. It gives you purpose.
It’s perhaps one of the most important things you can do: not just serve others, but help yourself along the way.
What often gets missed is that it’s important to be useful in a way that others actually need and want, not some way you think they need or want. Your usefulness is driven by their needs, not your perceptions.
Helping other people makes me feel useful, which re-energizes my sense of purpose.
Can confirm.
Do this: Be useful.
3. “Understanding that challenge better than you already do now”
What’s the best self-help tip, if you could only use one? And how do you put it into practice? – Spencer Greenberg – (Clearer Thinking)
A very serendipitous single piece of advice takeaway to follow the previous single piece of advice takeaway.
It’s often possible to reach deeper levels of understanding than we have. And a better understanding leads to better solutions.
Rather than just paying lip-service to the concept, Greenberg follows with several specific steps to take. Rather than trying to “technique” your way out of a specific situation, these are things to practice so that they come naturally. My take is that this applies to more than the interpersonal challenges mentioned in the article, but just about struggle we might face.
Do this: Focus on understanding before [re]acting.
4. “What matters is putting the idea into your own words”
How to Read Like a Scientist – (Ness Labs)
With the decline in reading skills we’re seeing these days, I thought it timely to see a very relevant “how to” article on reading better. One simple trick (sorry if that sounds click-baity):
Practice 1: Formulate a hypothesis
By explicitly stating what you expect to get out of a book, you will instantly make your reading experience more generative.
What’s fascinating is that it doesn’t have to be super fancy or clever. Testing what you read against what you expect is what keeps you more engaged. Even if you’re wrong (“I expected X, but it was really Y”), the results will be more memorable, literally.
Do this: Read with intention.
5. “Willingness to change your mind is the ultimate sign of intelligence”
A Few Things I’ve Changed My Mind On – Sahil Bloom – (Curiosity Chronicle)
My snarky reaction is that there then sure seem to be a lot of unintelligent people about. That’s harsh, but the reality is we’ve become more cemented in our positions than ever. And, yes, I’m thinking specifically of political and philosophical positions, leading to the divisive mess we’re in these days.
The most impressive people I know change their minds often in response to new information or evidence.
Many people resist even exposing themselves to new information or evidence that might risk contradicting their perceptions.
Bloom’s piece isn’t political, and he shares several interesting things on which he’s had a change of heart.
Do this: Question everything, including your own beliefs.
6. “People are best persuaded by their own arguments, not yours.”
Stop giving advice. Start asking better questions. – Danny Kenny – (Big Think)
… a good question moves someone further than good advice. People are best persuaded by their own arguments, not yours. Telling someone what to do, how to be, or who to be does not work in the long run.
And yet we love to, long to, tell people what to do or what to think.
It’s the classic case of letting other people come up with your idea. When it’s their idea, they buy into it much more deeply. That applies to the workplace, to school, to life in general.
There are several valuable thoughts here on replacing advice with questions. While it’s generally targeted at a business/coaching audience, it really does apply everywhere else we well.
Do this: Learn to ask.
7. “We should treat highly distracting digital garbage like junk food”
Why Reading Matters – Cal Newport – (Blog)
Newport weighs in on the issue raised by The Atlantic article The End of Reading Is Here (mentioned in last week’s issue). In summary, he’s in whole-hearted agreement.
… every cultural attribute that we celebrate – from human rights, to logic, to progress, to the very notion of an independent self – are conceptual children born from the mind-shaping power of the written word.
His “what to do about it” is to treat the presumed cause of the problem — digital junk food, as he calls it — as we do literal junk food.
… something we largely avoid – and purposefully schedule a non-trivial amount of time each day to read, write, and self-reflect, just as we now dedicate time to walking, jogging, and weight lifting.
I’m not sure the metaphor works, or that it’s particularly useful, but I’m all for more thought and discussion on the issue.
Do this: Read.
Random Links
- A 30-Day Protocol to Rebuild Reading Capacity – From Card Catalog, for “readers who miss reading”.
What I’m reading now
- The Gate of the Feral Gods: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 4 – Matt Dinniman
- Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences – Neal Allen, Anne Lamott
- The Way of Kings: Book One of the Stormlight Archive – Brandon Sanderson
- The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke – (Audio)
- The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark – Carl Sagan
My Reading List – everything I’ve read since 2021.
My Sources Page – the common sources I scan/read regularly.
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