Reading Time: < 1 minControlling your temper is something that many people struggle with, and it’s a main thread in much of the stoic writings that you might come across. For example, in Ryan Holiday’s book “The Obstacle is the Way” he shares this quote from Epictetus: “In life our first job is this, to divide and distinguish things […]
Empathy
Be a better ancestor
Reading Time: < 1 minIn reading Adam Grant’s latest book “Hidden Potential“, he brought up some interesting thoughts related to our role in life as a descendant versus an ancestor. He said: It’s more important to be good ancestors than dutiful descendants. Too many people spend their lives being custodians of the past instead of stewards of the future. […]
I don’t know what I’m wrong about
Reading Time: 2 minWith all of the reading and learning that I do, there is a clear path for much of it. I find areas that are new to me, dig in, and try to learn more. In many cases, though, my gaps aren’t readily apparent and I simply don’t know what I’m wrong about. In her book […]
Ruinous Empathy
Reading Time: < 1 minI talk on here a lot about empathy and kindness, which are both great virtues to embrace but both of which can be troublesome if overused. The idea I’ve shared a few times comes from Gary Vee’s concept of “Kind Candor”. If you’re simply kind to everyone and never speak the truth, it can be […]
Arriving early shows respect
Reading Time: < 1 minI’ve always believed in arriving early to meetings. Not too early, as that be problematic on its own, but being ready 5-10 minutes early is often a good thing. In Kevin Kelly’s book “Excellent Advice for Living“, he shares two thoughts around this idea: Promptness is a sign of respect. There is no such thing […]
The State of Louisiana Literacy Test
Reading Time: 2 minIf you want to prevent people from voting, there are a variety of ways to do it. Back in the 1960’s, the state of Louisiana had a creative (and awful) way to prevent Black citizens from voting. If they were unsure of your education level (and white people generally got the benefit of the doubt), […]
You need to envy the entire life
Reading Time: < 1 minIn a world that is still fixated so much on social media, it’s easy to just see the best of folks. You’ll see your neighbors vacationing in a tropical resort and feel a degree of envy, but it’s important to see the whole picture. We all know deep down that social media is generally just […]
Nuance doesn’t lead to attention
Reading Time: 2 minI talk on here quite a bit about understanding the “other side” of disagreements, as it’s a great way to gain both knowledge and empathy. When it comes to taking a stance on an issue, I often fall somewhere in the middle, trying to understand the pros and cons of each side. While I also […]
Sin is the failure to bother to care
Reading Time: < 1 minDefining “sin” is a tricky thing. I’m in no way a theologian, but I recently heard an interesting definition of it that I thought was worth sharing. In starts in the book “A History of Catholic Theological Ethics“, where author James Keenan argues that “Sin is the failure to bother to love”. Malcolm Gladwell took […]
Know the other side better than them
Reading Time: 2 minThis is something that I continue to struggle with but continue to work on — understanding the “other side” as much as I can. As I said a few days ago about understanding those that confound us, this not only helps me sharpen my own beliefs, but will lead me down a path to changing […]