Happy Friday!
Welcome to the seventh issue of The Curious Letter – an occasional collection of fascinating finds from my week – books, podcasts, articles, videos, and more.
If you missed the previous issue, you can find it here.
Today I have for you a short book worth re-reading, a podcast about the crisis, empathy, and growth, a video about the importance of appreciating today, and a few curious links.
Enjoy!
? Book I’m re-reading
As A Man Thinketh by James Allen
Your internal environment creates your external reality. Your thoughts and beliefs create the world around you. This is true in all of life, and this short book that you can read in less than an hour is a great reminder of just how important your thoughts are.
Everything starts with a thought, and therefore if you want to improve any area of your life, you should start with your thoughts and beliefs. Thoughts are like seeds – if you plant beautiful seeds, beautiful things will grow, and vice versa.
It’s also one of the most gifted books of Tony Robbins, and I know at least a couple of people who changed their lives after reading this book.
Favorite quote: “Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realizes that he is a creative power and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow; he then becomes the rightful master of himself.”
? A Podcast Episode Worth Listening
Aubrey Marcus Podcast – #171 Crisis, Empathy, and Growth with Tim Ferriss
I’ve had a chance to listen to quite a few podcasts this week, but this one has certainly stood out.
Tim and Aubrey are discussing their Burning Man experiences, psychedelics, pain tolerance, how to love yourself, accepting things outside of your control, and much more.
The question that I was thinking a lot after listening to this episode: “What is that that you are unwilling to feel?”
? An Article Worth Reading
Four lifestyle interventions I do to maximize my healthspan by David Sinclair.
“None of us is getting any younger — at least not chronologically speaking. But if there is one lesson we’ve learned this past decade it is this: aging is malleable.”
If you haven’t read “Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don’t Have To“, start with this highly-actionable article about the steps that you can implement right away to live a longer and healthier life.
? Video worth watching
“So I woke up this morning, a 38-year-old guy, who is married and has three kids. When did that happen?”
In this important, and, as always, an incredibly high-quality video, Casey Neistat reminds us that time is not equal – the older you get, the faster it moves.
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might just miss it.
✨ Random Curious Stuff
- Paul Graham asked “What has your work taught you that other people don’t realize?” on Twitter, and there’s a ton of great replies.
- VICE – “Scientists are finding that galaxies can move with each other across huge distances and against the predictions of basic cosmological models. The reason why could change everything we think we know about the universe.” The fact that the universe may be connected by giant structures is actually very cool and weirdly inspiring.
- Reality has a surprising amount of detail – if you wish to not get stuck, seek to perceive what you have not yet perceived.
As always, feel free to reply with your questions and feedback, and if you liked this issue, please share “The Curious Letter” with a friend or two.
You can send them here to sign up and if you stumble upon anything interesting this week, let me know on Twitter!
Stay curious,
Max