November 22, 2023

Good morning friends!

Shall we get right into it…

Quote of the day:

A Musing, Aphorism, and Heuristic (or something like that)…

i) If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is… - Kurt Vonnegut

I used this in a previous Issue many months ago. I’ve been thinking about it and would like to share it again. Take some time today to consider it.

It’s a snippet from a longer quote:

ii) How to learn a skill…

You learn a skill by doing the skill.

You progress quickly by having a small goal within the chosen field rather then a grand goal that encapsulates the field. The reason for this is you can weed through information more specifically.

For example, take Rock-climbing/bouldering.

Rather then having the grand goal of climbing El Cap, pick a boulder problem that is just outside your ability.

Then try it over and over again…

Watch others do it, mimic them, then try to figure out why they do what they do. Don’t think too hard right away. Rather test what you learn on another slightly harder boulder problem.

Did it work? Why or why not? What does this tell me about this specific move or set of moves?

With the grand goal of El Cap you have no idea what’s useful and what’s not useful. Working in smaller goals allows you to test specific movements and in what situations to apply them.

Specific application allows you to understand the circumstances that affect the application of what you’re learning.

iii) One grand challenge a year…

Have a grand challenge or experience you have to work for each year.

One that takes you out of your comfort zone.

It can range from hiking the Appalachian trail, to running a marathon, to starting a family.

The idea is, at the end of your life you can (at least) say you did these 80 (or so) awesome things.

Also, no matter how the rest of the year goes, you can return to this one grand adventure and say “I did that.”

H/T: Jess Itzler

Cocktail Time: Communication tip; the occasional joke; And a fact

Communication tip:

What’s the first thing you noticed in them?

Go up to them, ask them about it, slipping in why you noticed what you noticed.

Bonus points if you can relate it to you in a way without being narcissistic. This gives them something to ask about if they so choose.

Here’s an example if you noticed someone’s golden blonde hair first:

“Hi! Nice to meet you I’m [your name]. I saw your hair and had to come ask if that’s your natural colour? I’ve only met one person before with natural hair that colour! What’s your name?”

The reason this works is simple, it’s because you’re being genuine.

If you want the golden rule of being a good communicator: be genuine.

Interesting fact: 

Did you know there was a rediscovered drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci found in 1998.

It’s still debated if it was done by him, as some of the characteristics don’t match his mastery.

However a big reason for the debate comes from an analyzer who looked at fingerprints found on the work, saying they had eight matching points with other known Leonardo prints. However shortly after this, he was snubbed by an article on him done by a journalist who followed him and reported that his methods were unclear, he would try and work people for money, and worst of all lie to look better.

Regardless this was a minor point in the whole verification case, unfortunately it was the most public.

An interesting debate none the less and an interesting story to unfold, you can find more by searching La Bella Principessa.

One Actionable Tip to Improve your Life Today:

Todays is simple.

I want you to stretch or foam roll or both for 10 minutes every morning.

Do it for at least 14 days and report back.

A Few Resources:

i) An eye opening blog post on the shortness of life and how we spend it:

ii) Discipline isn’t what you think:

Thanks for reading friends!

I hope was able to give you something of value this morning.

If I did can you do me a favor and share this newsletter by clicking the socials at the top.

I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.

- Morning Musing