Amanda Gorman took my breath away during today’s inauguration.
I cried my eyes out when Kamala Harris was sworn in. Madame Vice President! What a moment!
What To Remember When Waking
“That moment of waking is an incredible opportunity, and it’s quite a tragedy if you go straight to your to-do list.”
– David Whyte
Embracing It All
Thank you Adam J.K. Yes, we’re singing more.
“Jootsing”: The Key to Creativity
As individuals, if we want to be creative, we need to give ourselves space to play and experiment without a set agenda. Amos Tversky famously said that the secret to doing good work is being a little unemployed so you always have hours in the day to waste as you wish. During that wasted time, you’ll likely have your best, most creative ideas.
The Chapters of Your Life
I love Chris Glass. A thoughtful, kind, creative human being.
Creating Yourself
“Life isn’t about finding yourself.
Life is about creating yourself.”
— George Bernard Shaw
This Question Stopped Me in My Tracks
Do you love yourself in your love language?
— Black Ashley (@ashleysimpo) December 10, 2020
If this question doesn’t make sense to you, read about the Five Love Languages.
“Ich will hier nur sitzen”
For my German speaking followers: I just remembered this gem from Loriot. So delightful. Weirdly appropriate for 2020.
What Do You Wish Someone Had Told You When You Were a Kid?
In one sentence:
What do you wish someone had told you when you were a kid?
— Orange Book 🍊📖 (@orangebook_) November 27, 2020
Click through for the responses on this thread.
My response was: Your body will tell you what is right for you and what is not. (Jobs, friends, homes, … really anything) It all comes down to resonance.
Raising Baby Grey, a Gender-Neutral Child
Thank you Kottke for surfacing this fascinating piece on raising children in a gender-neutral way. Thought provoking.
Revolutionary Love
This speech by Valarie Kaur made me weep a few months ago while walking through a Brooklyn park. Listen to the very end. It’s powerful. So very powerful.
I am beyond thrilled and honored that Valarie is our guest at CreativeMornings/NYC this Thursday, November 19th.
I wish everyone on this planet would read her book See No Stranger – A memoir and manifesto of revolutionary love.
I am humbled I’ll get to be in conversation with Valarie this Thursday at 4:30pm ET. Join us. (It’s free.)
How Tim Ferriss Digests Books
I loved this video in which Tim Ferriss breaks down how he reads and synthesizes books. Super interesting.
Women
Highly recommend surrounding yourself with honorable, courageous, generous, supportive, no-bullshit women who make you want to show up to their level. Above all of changes I’ve made, and the personal work I’ve done, this has made the greatest difference in my life.
— Jennifer Romolini (@jennromolini) November 11, 2020
I feeling this Tweet. I have sensed an intense desire in me recently to surround myself with strong, courageous, generous women. I am lucky I have so many of them in my life. Women lifting each other up is glorious.
How to Be at Home
A beautiful animation creative by Andrea Dorfman, while in social isolation through the spring and summer of 2020. How to Be at Home is one of thirty films made through, The Curve, a National Film Board of Canada series of films created within (and many about) our pandemical times.
5-Step Road Map For Saying No
1. Remind yourself that time is valuable and once it’s spent you absolutely can’t get it back.
2. Ask yourself: “Would I be willing to do this thing tomorrow?” It’s easy to sign yourself up for something in April when it’s only September. Do your future self a favor and try this little exercise.
3. Respond quickly. Don’t leave people hanging once you know you’re saying no.
4. Own your “no” if it’s not a priority (because something else actively is): “Thanks so much for thinking of me. I’m not going to be able to take this on, but I wish you the best with X.”
5. Reframe your “no” to assuage your guilt (if it’s something you genuinely wish you had time for). Acknowledge that this commitment is significant to you, even if you’re not taking it on. A good sample script: “This is so important that it deserves someone’s full energy, and since I can’t do that because I have XYZ other things, I would be dishonoring the importance of this event/role/weekend getaway by saying yes.”
What I Thought I Wanted
Feeling this photo. I found it over on Positive Vibe Tribe.
How to Live Adventurously Every Day
I was lucky enough to experience this DO Lectures talk by Alastair Humphreys live in 2018. I keep coming back to it, when I need a little kick in the butt and a reminder to just push myself out of my daily routines and comfort zones. I keep wondering, especially now, in times of Covid, how can I live more adventurously? What micro adventures can I add to my day?
Transactional Analysis : “Games People Play”
Vintage videos with Dr. Berne about Transnational Analysis, a system for understanding people’s behavior who are trying to change people’s behavior and for predicting people’s behavior.
Falling Into Love
Alan Watts on Falling In Love.
5 Levels of Communication
Level 1: Ritual
Level 2: Extended Ritual
Level 3: Content (or Surface)
Level 4: Feelings About Content
Level 5: Feelings About Each Other
Interesting read: Richard Francisco’s Five Levels of Communication maps out a series of “levels” that represent increasing degrees of difficulty, risk, and potential learning in our interactions.
How To Citizen
Please do me a favor and listen to Baratunde’s How To Citizen Podcast.