68: Rules Aren't Real ๐
Dispensing with the status quo is the key to escaping mediocrity.
Dispensing with the status quo is the key to escaping mediocrity.
In one morning I came across three stories that made me think twice about the โmetaverseโ. Itโs not some abstract future dystopiaโitโs already here. Many of us already inhabit mini-metaverses full of personalised algorithms, and few of us are ready to take off the headset. The first...
Sometimes in order to win the game you're optimising for, you must lose the ones you've been told were important.
How often do you revisit ideas you believe to be common sense? When thinking of possible ways we could develop our thinking or improve our lives we naturally gravitate to new ideas instead of investigating existing patterns. When you start thinking from first principles, a lot of things you might...
People become great by being creative within the boundaries and persisting when others might quit.
Sometimes you will be out in the field, pushing the limits of expectation, on the verge of changing the world, and not a single soul will care. The masses often sleepwalk through innovation. You can only make great things if youโre willing to be ignored and unafraid of going...
Brandon Sanderson is one of my favourite authors. If he writes something Iโm going to eat it up. But not immediately. Because Brandon likes to write big beefy books that could double as self-defence weapons or stools for small cats. He writes a LOT. He recently surprised his entire...
Whenever words are carried by saltine winds over vast expanses of water, they somehow gain the magical property of resonating clearer in our minds. This is why we seem to fall head over heels in love with wisdom from faraway lands. It explains our obsession with Ikigai. Itโs why...
No one human knows how to make a pencil from scratch despite it seeming like a fundamentally basic thing - something every child can use. To construct something as simple as a pencil takes mining graphite, cutting wood, shaping metal, and figuring out whatever modern erasers are made out of....
The Sword of Damocles has become synonymous with imminent danger and the threat of sudden calamity - but thatโs only half the story, and perhaps the wrong half to focus on. If youโve never heard of Damocles before, youโre in for a treat! The story of Damocles...
What the heck is an impostor anyway? Someone who is not supposed to be there. An impersonator. A copycat. A covert intelligence gatherer. Uninformed. Uninitiated. Uninvited. Maybe thatโs you. Itโs definitely meโbut maybe thereโs power in that. The ones who are different I am not supposed...
If the cameras turn off, do the Kardashians still exist? People are designing their lives and actions around black camera lenses, hoping that an audience will exist on the other side. People stand alone in rooms swinging their arms violently and making faces at the wall, because TikTok promises their...
People spend their lives chasing passion. We have dreams of what life should be like. What it could be like, once we find the magic that's missing. We all want to get paid to do something we love. And we want to be paid well for it! To...
We quickly get used to the sound of alarm bells. My smart watch keeps vibrating, every single hour, reminding me to stand up. I turned on the feature because I know sitting for too long is unhealthy. And when I say I know, I KNOW. I know it in my...
Is the glass half empty or half full? Apparently, your answer indicates whether youโre an optimist or a pessimist. I think thatโs silly. Itโs a question of orientation, not optimism. Are you picking it up or putting it down? Whatโs your motivation in the scene? Are...
David speaks with David Robson, an award-winning science writer specializing in the extremes of the human brain, body, and behaviour. He has previously worked as a features editor at New Scientist and senior journalist at the BBC. He is the author of The Intelligence Trap, which has been translated into...
You have one decision to make today You take it for granted because you do it every day. It doesnโt change your life because you take it for granted. The ability to make high-quality decisions is the greatest superpower you can harness without being struck by lightning. Every time...
Imagine you're a soldier in mediaeval times. You have the choice of bringing one of five swords into battle with you. Which one would you choose? Most likely, you'd choose the sword that was the sharpest, the strongest, and the most reliable. You wouldn't...
David speaks with Dave Kline, an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, and coach who trains leaders on the playbook for leading high-performance teams. He is the founder and developer of the MGMT Accelerator, a cohort-based program that helps executives improve by developing established management playbooks and systems. He also owns SkillScouter, a...
Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest players in basketball history. In a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, he won five championships, led the league in scoring twice, scored the second-highest number of points in a single game in NBA history (81), and won two Olympic gold medals....
Ernest Hemingway once said that the dignity of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. Itโs a good reminder that there is always more to things than what we see on the surface. This is especially true when it comes to talent and success....