Let's do an experiment. If no one responds, I'm happy. If a hundred people respond, I'm happy. I've never asked for a specific response to a blog post before, so simply asking is a victory.
Today, I will share the ideas that influenced me in 2012- the ones that I considered, tried, and kept. The Internet is a deluge of information, and I've encountered a lot of BS in process. Right now the best way for an average Internet user to promote another person's idea is to like it or share it (or maybe collaborate with them). So share it I will.
I'd like you to pick one of the 5 links I've listed below, read the article or watch the video, and post your response as a comment (or you can e-mail me at albertchen42@gmail.com). You can simply write a one-sentence summary if you want. Or, what do you think of the idea? Enlightening? Unrealistic? Naive? What's your favorite?
The List:
7 Habits of Highly Effective People (this is a book, so extra credit if you do this one! Assuming you haven't read it)
I'd also recommend exploring the other articles/videos on these sites.
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| Top: James Altucher, Scott H Young, Leo Babauta. Bottom: Amy Cuddy, Stephen Covey Oh yeah, and there's Usain Bolt. |
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Altucher Confidential
Altucher Confidential
I don't agree with some of Altucher's specific ideas, but I support anyone willing to publicly challenge conventional wisdom. James Altucher's method is the best way to get unstuck. When I have momentum in my work and in life, I have no problem. But eventually I get in a rut and do almost nothing for a week. This is usually because I burn out in one or more ways: physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually (in the loosest sense of the term). With a mindset resembling the Daily Practice, I tell myself I just have to do one thing to take care of each of these dimensions. Very little demand, since I'm burned out. But then I rebuild the momentum and it gets easier and easier to do more and more.
There are advanced techniques out there for learning. Watching video lectures, reviewing notes, and rewriting notes are some of the least effective methods, yet they seem to be staples among students. Scott H Young is dedicated to educating people on how to learn far more effectively so they can recall the information years later. He also rejects that an official diploma is the right fit for anyone trying to learn a major new skill or field. It's nice, but not necessary. That a diploma takes too long and too much money to obtain shouldn't be an excuse not to just learn the material yourself. Scott and his MIT challenge was one of the main inspirations that reignited my love for self-learning this year.
One of the most touching talks I've seen all year. The practical, scientific information in this talk will instantaneously improve one's body language and help one deliberately engage others in any situation (one of the most important skills in life that I unfortunately neglected all my life). I do this whenever I'm feeling down and I need a quick boost in a social situation. But this talk has an even better inspirational message on becoming the person you want to be.
The best ideas are the ones you initially resist. When I read this post I almost unsubscribed. Live a life without goals? Then how can you ever get what you want? How can you ever move forward? But I was wrong. I initially thought No Goals = Sitting on My Butt- because that's where I was coming from. When I encountered Zen Habits, I was in the process of getting off my butt. If you're going to follow a "No Goals" philosophy, you need to already be off your butt.
Obviously, a longer read, but a good one to start off 2013 with if you've never heard of it. This book revealed to me that most if not all of the misery that people experience come from themselves, or more specifically their own reactions and perceptions to what happens to them. It is all too easy to brood over both real and perceived insults from other people, to spend time wondering why other people can be so irrational or horrible, to devote more energy to wishing that life was different than energy actually living life. Usually this persistent mood does far more damage to your mental well-being than anything the world can throw at you. Think about it this way: if someone tries to hurt you physically or emotionally, they are really trying to hack into your sadness system and cause it to fire incessantly. Don't let them do that. Just because someone who you depend on is being a jerk to you and completely violates your trust, doesn't mean you need to be sad. It might be really really difficult to not be sad (especially in cases of clinical depression) but it's doable. I've been fortunate enough to have a pretty good life, but I know that I blow some small things way out of proportion. The only way to fix that is to deliberately change my own perceptions. This is a truly freeing idea: that you control your own happiness.
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There are some more ideas from other sources that I'm still pondering. They may be the subject of future posts.
I'll end with an observation. If you explore more of these authors' articles, you'll start realizing that they often touch on each other's themes but in differnet ways. Could it be that I liked one of them and started seeking out similar ideas, or they all inspired each other? Or my brain is fusing very different ideas into one big picture, so that it just seems like they're saying the same thing? Or is there something more fundamental going on...
Amy Cuddy's talk resonated with me much like the talk by Susan Cain (on the power of introverts. Main lesson: to become who you want to be or to be comfortable with who you already are, begins with YOU.
ReplyDeleteI watched Amy Cuddy's talk as well and agree with it being inspirational while providing practical information.
ReplyDeleteScott H Young's talk was inspirational. I liked his take on unconventional education. The ("Thai"?) fellowship he mentioned caught me off guard (paying people to drop out - if I heard him correctly), but strangely empowering, as it emphasizes self-learning. I liked how he also included take-aways for those who are in the traditional school system: actively using your time wisely, remembering to minimize time spent on activities/assignments that aren't actually contributing to your learning, and preparing oneself to become a self-learner in the future. Very insightful talk, and very well-thought out conclusions/main points.
ReplyDelete