PODCAST - The Knowledge Project #60: Leading Above the Line: My Interview with Leadership Expert, Jim Dethmer by Shane Parrish - Conscious awareness and acceptance of our body and mind states enable deeper and more impactful interactions, especially within the contexts of leadership and teamwork.

BLOG POST - Brain Pickings: The Shortness of Life: Seneca on Busyness and the Art of Living Wide Rather Than Living Long by Maria Popova (My full Kindle notes from the book) - Making decisions through the lens of our scarcest resource, time, can help us live a more meaningful life.

ARTICLE - The Atlantic: Your Professional Decline Is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think by Arthur Brooks - We can learn from common patterns in professional career evolution to better design our lives and careers around our inevitable changes in capabilities.

BLOG POST - Farnam Street: The Munger Operating System: How to Live a Life That Really Works by Shane Parrish - Operating systems of legendary thinkers like Charlie Munger can help us design our own rules for living well.

"Learning how to live takes a whole life, and, which may surprise you more, it takes a whole life to learn how to die." ~ Seneca (the Younger)

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BLOG POST - UX Essays: The world needs a tech diet; here is how designers can help by Fabricio Teixeira & Caio Braga - "Designing your life begins with designing the environment around you."

BLOG POST - Lessons from Keith Rabois Essay 3: How to be an Effective Executiveby Delian Asparouhov - Your efficacy as a manager (in all realms of life) is largely dictated by your management operating system, which can be engineered and improved in myriad ways.

BLOG POST - 52 key learnings in 52 weeks of 2016 by Tre Wee - Regularly reflecting on our life creates opportunities to synthesize timeless principles for living.

"Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant." ~ Stephen Covey

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ARTICLE - New York Times: You Accomplished Something Great. So Now What? by A.C. Shilton - Linking our happiness to goal achievement (a.k.a., 'the Arrival fallacy') is a recipe for failure.

PODCAST - The Tim Ferris Show #373: Jerry Colonna — The Coach With the Spider Tattoo - When we accept our fundamental goodness, and open ourselves up to candidly question our patterns, feelings, and commitments, we afford ourselves the opportunity to make radical changes in the service of simply living lives that we can be happy with.

MUSIC - She's Always a Woman by Billy Joel - Robust relationships include appreciating the vicissitudes of our loved ones, as well as the unexpected and nontraditional parts of their being.

"I believe that I am a fundamentally good person, and that I accept the fact that I often fail to act in accordance with that. But that feels, to this guilt-ridden, anxious-ridden, angry child from Brooklyn, that feels radically transformative." ~ Jerry Colonna

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SPEECH - You and Your Research by Richard Hamming - The recipe for doing great work is relatively simple, yet incredibly hard to execute well (Note: But not impossible ;D).

PODCAST - Where Should We Begin? by Esther Perel - A relationships podcast featuring wonderful, vulnerable couples counseling with one of the greats.

MOVIE - Baby Driver by Edgar Wright - An incredible and unique action movie with witty writing and a killer soundtrack.

"If you do not work on an important problem, it's unlikely you'll do important work. It's perfectly obvious." ~ Richard Hamming

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PODCAST - Reboot #105: Reboot Your Definition of Success – with Alex Rethore by Jerry Colonna - As we go through 'resets' in life (which are always available to us :D), we have the opportunity to bring our lives into internal and external alignment, and to push back on that nagging inner voice asking "Is this enough?".

BLOG POST - Reasoning From First Principles: The Dumbest Thing Smart People Do by Byrne Hobart - Knowing which principles you are aligned with and against can be tremendously valuable, even if you cannot reasonably live by them most of the time.

BLOG POST - 88 Important Truths I’ve Learned About Life by David Cain - Seeing and evaluating others' core beliefs and principles can help you better understand and hone your own.

BOOK - Every Day is Game Day by Mark Verstegen (My full Kindle notes) - Defining what pillars of living are most important to us, and our operating principles and rituals within each pillar, enables better living in the service of what we uniquely define as most important.

"We spend so much time inculcating and internalizing those expectations. You have so much potential, that the whispery fear behind that is, and so you better not blow it... Whereas the message is not necessarily, congratulations, you are enough. The message is, congratulations, someday you may be enough." ~ Jerry Colonna

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ARTICLE - The New Yorker: Can We Live Longer But Stay Younger? by Adam Gopnik - As aging research evolves and expected longevity improves, lengthening our lives, there is still the important and deeply personal question of purpose and meaning in our final act.

ARTICLE - The Economist: Death of the Calorie by Peter Wilson - Nutrition science continues to illuminate the nuanced incompleteness of the simple, but insufficient, mental model of caloric balance for weight control.

BOOK - Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger (My full Kindle notes) - Battling through hardship with others can ultimately be more rewarding than living more affluently but individualistically, as the experience of struggling together taps into core human virtues and needs.

"Whatever the technological advances of modern society—and they’re nearly miraculous—the individualized lifestyles that those technologies spawn seem to be deeply brutalizing to the human spirit." ~ Sebastian Junger

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BOOK - Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman (My full Kindle notes) - Our communication tools, and their framing of informing vs. entertaining, fundamentally alter the volume, type, and nature of discourse, with semi-predictable repercussions.

VISUAL ESSAY - The Pudding: The Structure of Stand-Up Comedy by Russell Goldenberg & Matt Daniels - A delightful and ingenious visual experience sharing the structural brilliance of Ali Wong's stand-up comedy.

BOOK - Radical Honesty by Brad Blanton (My Summary) - The lying we do to ourselves and others, of any scale and variety, takes meaningful energy and effort, and often robs us of experiencing life for what it really is.

"The clearest way to see through a culture is to attend to its tools for conversation." ~ Neil Postman

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BOOK - What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg (My full Kindle notes) - There is a tremendous intangible cost of exercising ruthless ambition in the service of one's goals.

RESEARCH - ScienceDaily: Patterns of compulsive smartphone use suggest how to kick the habit - Our smartphone compulsions are primarily triggered by escapism and anticipation, and can be mitigated by having better alternatives in real life, and finding comfort with discomfort and silence.

MUSIC - Worlds by Porter Robinson - Porter's music can feel like an infusion of happiness.

"We only hate the results of people. But people, Henry, aren’t just results. They’re a process. And to really give them a break we have to judge the process through which they became the result we see when we say So-and-so is a heel." ~ Budd Schulberg

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TOPIC OF INTEREST - HIP FLEXIBILITY

BOOK - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert M. Pirsig (My full Kindle notes) - In the work of our lives, we have the opportunity to embrace choice in how we perceive the world, our guiding values in riding towards our goals, and the baggage we bring along for the ride.

MOVIE - Battle Royale by Kinji Fukasaku - The Japanese precursor to The Hunger Games and other movies in the 'dystopian society forces kids to fight to the death' genre.

"Gumption is the psychic gasoline that keeps the whole thing going. If you haven’t got it there’s no way the motorcycle can possibly be fixed. But if you have got it and know how to keep it there’s absolutely no way in this whole world that motorcycle can keep from getting fixed." ~ Robert Pirsig

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BOOK - Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel (My full Kindle notes) - Contrarian thinking and the dedicated search for truth proffer compelling opportunities to create new forms of abundance for the world.

ARTICLE - First Round Review: Our 6 Must Reads for Honing Focus and Managing Your Time - The key areas within our locus of control that we can manage for effectiveness gains are our energy, priorities, focus, and environment.

ARTICLE - Aeon: In defence of disorder by Alan Lightman - There is tremendous opportunity available in both order and disorder; eschewing disorder removes many beautiful aspects of life.

PODCAST - Reboot: #90 – The Fear of Being You with Leonie Akhidenor by Jerry Colonna - We can learn from, challenge, and show compassion to our inner voice; the voice that can drive us to success and achievement, but simultaneously lead to us question our self-worth, and sense of love, safety, and belonging.

"The prospect of being lonely but right—dedicating your life to something that no one else believes in—is already hard. The prospect of being lonely and wrong can be unbearable." ~ Peter Thiel

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TOPIC OF INTEREST - CANNABIDIOL (CBD) - CBD is a nonpsychoactive derivative of cannabis that is safe, legal, and clinically proven to be effective for treating epilepsy, with initial research suggesting efficacy for anxiety, insomnia, and pain, too.

BOOK - Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery by Christie Aschwanden (My full Kindle notes) - "Insofar as there exists any magical secret for recovery, sleep is it. The benefits of sleep cannot be overstated. It’s hands-down the most powerful recovery tool known to science."

ARTICLE - The New York Times: The Moral Peril of Meritocracy by David Brooks - In our life's journey, we each have the opportunity to transcend the self and our pursuit of success to instead focus on building loving connections and doing meaningful work.

"If the first mountain is about building up the ego and defining the self, the second is about shedding the ego and dissolving the self. If the first mountain is about acquisition, the second mountain is about contribution." ~ David Brooks

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PODCAST - Reboot #102: To Actually Live Your Life – with Khe Hy by Jerry Colonna - Extensive worrying about living the "right" way can paradoxically inhibit our ability to live well.

ARTICLE - The New York Times: Why You Procrastinate (It Has Nothing to Do With Self-Control) by Charlotte Lieberman - Procrastination is an emotional coping response that can be resolved with compassion, curiosity, and thoughtful design.

ARTICLE - Aeon: Sailing into the storm by Joseph Trunzo - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy [ACT] develops mindfulness and psychological flexibility to enable thoughtful action in alignment with your values and in pursuit of your goals.

BOOK - The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT by Russ Harris (My full Kindle notes) - Russ Harris' primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy provides a wonderful framework for realizing a more realistic version of happiness.

"You have to let go of the need to have it all figured out in order to just actually live your life." ~ Jerry Colonna

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KILL MY CONFIRMATION BIAS - CHEAT DAY

BOOK - Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (My full Kindle notes) - Life is a ridiculous adventure to be explored with people you care about.

ARTICLE - Quartz: What’s that next dollar worth to you, and what are you giving up to get it? by Khe Hy - More (money) is not always better, as it often comes with difficult-to-measure trade-offs.

BLOG POST - The Acceleration of Addictiveness by Paul Graham - In most consumption categories, social norms are usually a poor indicator of your unique, optimal level of consumption.

"You can probably take it as a rule of thumb from now on that if people don't think you're weird, you're living badly" ~ Paul Graham

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BLOG POST - Remains of the Day: Status as a Service (StaaS) by Eugene Wei - Social media platforms often directly serve our human desire for status by leveraging proof of work and scarcity dynamics.

ARTICLE - Vulture: How Podcasts Learned to Speak by Adam Sternbergh - Podcasting offers a sense of companionship that is neatly packaged in a recurring audio format.

BLOG POST - The Players' Tribune: Letter to My Younger Self by Ray Allen - Our path to success is unique, unsexy, and rife with failure, yet proudly and dutifully walking that path, not just reaching the end, contributes meaningfully to a life well lived.

"Every day for the rest of your life, you’ll have to choose. Do you want to fit in, or do you want to embark on the lonely pursuit of greatness?" ~ Ray Allen

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BOOK - The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt (My full Kindle Notes) - There are a handful of simple, validated, proactive means for all of us to improve our perception of happiness, both in the moment and ongoing.

BOOK (SNIPPET) - Model Business Plan from Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson - Business plans can actually be hilarious. Really!

BLOG POST - Brain Pickings: These Truths: Jill Lepore on How the Shift from Mythology to Science Shaped the Early Dream of Democracy by Maria Popova - The lessons of history, despite the inherent biases in any individual account and the flaws of the decisions made over time, will have so much to teach us if we can observe objectively and inquire with an open mind.

ARTICLE - Aeon: The growth mindset problem by Carl Hendrick - Translating exciting academic findings into the real world is incredibly hard and faces a few difficult hurdles.

"[This trend], which everyone knows about, and [that trend], which is so incredibly arcane that you probably didn't know about it until just now, and [this other trend over here] which might seem, at first blush, to be completely unrelated, when all taken together, lead us to the (proprietary, secret, heavily patented, trademarked, and NDAed) insight that we could increase shareholder value by [doing stuff]. We will need $ [a large number] and after [not too long] we will be able to realize an increase in value to $ [an even larger number], unless [hell freezes over in midsummer]." ~ Neal Stephenson

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ARTICLE - Outside: Is Sunscreen the New Margarine? by Rowan Jacobsen - A mix of complexity and myopic incentives may be biasing U.S. sun exposure recommendations, which could mean that many people can improve their overall health by using less sunscreen and getting more direct sun exposure.

BLOG POST - Optimal Stopping: How to Find the Perfect Apartment, Partner, and Parking Spot by Brian Christian - Mathematical shortcuts provide helpful heuristics for figuring out when to stop searching and make a choice.

ARTICLE - ProPublica: I’m a Journalist. Apparently, I’m Also One of America’s “Top Doctors.” by Marshall Allen - All credibility signals are human created fictions, and ought to be subject to personal due diligence.

MUSIC - R.A.P. Music by Killer Mike - Find an hour to fill your life with perspective and lyrical bliss from Killer Mike.

"[O]ptimal stopping’s most fundamental yet most unbelievable assumption — its strict seriality, its inexorable one-way march — is revealed to be the nature of time itself." ~ Brian Christian

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BLOG POST - If Self-Discipline Feels Difficult, Then You're Doing It Wrong by Mark Manson - When it comes to behavior change, self-acceptance and re-wiring rewards can take you much further than an approach focused on self-discipline or willpower.

BLOG POST - Medium Health: Why Your Brain Needs Idle Time by Markham Heid - Idle time promotes learning and productivity.

BLOG POST - Examine.com: The top 19 nutrition myths of 2019 by Michael Hull - The depth and nuance of nutrition research means that the current "truth" does not fully align with conventional wisdom, creating an opportunity for us to correct common mistakes.

MOVIE - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective by Tom Shadyac - Jim Carrey + early 1990's + ridiculous story = hilarity ensues.

"Ultimately, self-discipline is not based on willpower or self-denial, but it’s actually based on the opposite: self-acceptance." ~ Mark Manson

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BLOG POST - Cognitive Journaling: A Systematic Method to Overcome Negative Beliefs by Richard Ragnarson - CBT-based journaling enables us to understand and upgrade our beliefs about the world.

VIDEOS - The Art of Manliness: Barbell Training with Mark Rippetoe by Brett McKay - For best results and lowest risk of injury in weight lifting (which can be part of everyone's exercise routine), make sure you nail your form.

ARTICLE - NY Times Magazine: America's Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Miserable by Charles Duhigg - In our professional lives, our individual sense of meaning, autonomy, and team respect matter way more than salary and prestige.

TWEET STORM - You can tell what is constraining someone in life by who they judge by Tiago Forte - Behind our judgment lies opportunities and avenues for growth.

"When you sit down and write about your experiences and feelings, you choose to dedicate a special time window to reflecting on your own life." ~ Richard Ragnarson

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EXPERIMENT OF THE WEEK - JIM COLLINS METRICS - Adding two simple metrics to my Life CEO Dashboard, incremental to the current rituals tracked there, can help me stay focused on the right things and enable me to better understand key drivers of my daily happiness.

TOPIC OF INTEREST - AMYGDALA HIJACKING - Amygdala hijacking is our "fight or flight" response, but often kicks in unconsciously in non-life-threatening situations. Improved mental hygiene and awareness via therapy and meditation is thought to reduce the frequency and intensity of amygdala hijackings.

BOOK - Hiking with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are by John Kaag (My full Kindle notes) - Discovering and becoming ourselves is an active, ongoing process that occurs as we diligently pursue our highest goals.

RESEARCH - Annals of Internal Medicine: Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity by Nedeltcheva AV et al. (The University of Chicago) - Insufficient sleep can negatively impact body composition and weight-loss efforts.

RESOURCE - Thou Shalt Not Commit Logical Fallacies by The School of Thought - Understanding how to identify the many flavors of faulty logic will help improve your reasoning and conclusions.

"No price is too high for the privilege of owning yourself" ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

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TOPIC OF INTEREST - DRUG HARM, ADDICTIVENESS, AND CONTROL - Social norms and laws for drugs are not well correlated with their actual harm and addictiveness.

ARTICLE - Vox: Intellectual humility: the importance of knowing you might be wrong by Brian Resnick - We all have cognitive blind spots and make mental mistakes, so we ought to caveat our convictions with appropriate curiosity and humility, and reward others who do the same.

ARTICLE - New York Magazine: America’s New Religions by Andrew Sullivan - Our core human desire for meaning leads everyone to adopt some form of 'religion', whether that is traditional monotheism, a political party, a philosophical framework, or something else entirely.

BLOG POST - The Most Important Skill Nobody Taught You by Zat Rana - We have an opportunity to face the fear of boredom and silence, to embrace our solitude and enjoy every single scarce moment that life gives us.

BLOG POST - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson - 'Not giving a fuck' is the opposite of indifference, it is actually caring a lot about a very small number of things, so much so that you do the work necessary despite adversity, risk of failure, and feelings of pride and ego.

"...we need to be thoughtful in choosing our convictions, be open to adjusting them, seek out their flaws, and never stop being curious about why we believe what we believe." ~ Brian Resnick

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