Your Own Project, True (Modern) Wisdom, What it Takes to Be a Champion
Existential Espresso Vol. 42
What I’ve read:
A Project of One’s Own, essay by Paul Graham
This is the third or fourth time I am recommending an essay by Paul Graham in Existential Espresso. This essay is about something I’ve written about multiple times and have experienced myself: the value of working on a project of your own.
Many kids experience the excitement of working on projects of their own. The hard part is making this converge with the work you do as an adult. And our customs make it harder. We treat "playing" and "hobbies" as qualitatively different from "work". It's not clear to a kid building a treehouse that there's a direct (though long) route from that to architecture or engineering. And instead of pointing out the route, we conceal it, by implicitly treating the stuff kids do as different from real work.
You can read it here.
What I’ve been listening to:
Mark Normand on the Modern Wisdom podcast
Mark Normand is one of my favorite stand-up comedians. Modern Wisdom is one of my favorite podcasts.
And this is one of the most nuanced conversations on the hottest world’s topics you will have a chance to hear online, or in general.
It is said that one of the surest signs of intelligence should be your ability to entertain a different perspective rather than immediately dismiss it. If that’s the case, in this podcast episode, both Chris and Mark show that they are more intelligent and open-minded than most of today’s “intellectuals,” political commentators, and educators.
Listen and watch here, or on any other podcast streaming platform.
What I’ve been thinking about:
Nikola Jokic, center of Denver Nuggets, 2023 NBA champion and NBA Final MVP, on what it takes to be a champion.
“If you want to be successful… you need to be bad, then you need to (become) good. Then, when you are good, you need to fail. And then, when you fail, you’re going to figure it out.”
Thank you for reading.
Stay strong, love life, and never feel sorry for yourself.
P.S.
My free course (Re)Build starts today. Thank you for everyone who joined, I am truly excited about the journey we are embarking on.
For those who’ve missed the (Re)Build, there are some other good news.
New enrollment for the Sisyphus Society starts on Monday, June 26th.
And you have a chance to win a free membership.
All you need to do is enter the sweepstakes here.
Good luck.
Free Resources:
My free ebook: The Lost Art of Reading
Paid Resources:
The Art of Showing Up: A Clear and Practical Method for Mastering Consistency
The Gold Pill: Timeless Ideas for a Life Worth Living
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