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Seneca’s Letter 26 (Annual birthday post)

1:38pm Tuesday
Saint Paul

Hey, thanks for joining me on my birthday!

Every year… for a few years at least… I reread Seneca’s Letter to a Stoic, number 26, and reflect on the fact that we’re all getting older.

Turns out, this year is no different—I got older again.

In letter 26, Seneca is estimated to be about age 65.

Today, I turn 45.

So he has a few more years on me.

And when he writes,

“I feel that age has done no damage to my mind,”

I can very much agree.

In fact, as I age, I can see things more clearly than ever.

Or, at least, it feels that way. (Could be confirmation bias.)

What’s more striking, however, is his line

How to Improve Your Focus and Get More Done in Less Time (aka “Deep Work” book summary)

Do you ever feel unfocused and a bit antsy… when you should be working?

You have a To-Do List as long as your, er, arm. And even though part of you wants to get to work, other parts of you are doing everything they can to steal your attention.

And when you live in a distracting world, it’s easy to find something else to focus on.

If you look back at old books — even really old books, like Seneca’s “Letters From a Stoic” in which he writes,

How to Stop Worrying

Humans have the unique ability, so far as we know, to think abstractly about the future and make plans around those possible outcomes.

Abstract thought is a driver for human growth and ingenuity. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to plan for the future. You wouldn’t be able to tease apart cause and effect. You wouldn’t have scientific advancements and would be forever stuck in a world of superstition.

Ralphy Emerson’s ideas on duality and contrast

Yesterday I wrote a bit about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, Compensation.

In the essay, Emerson argues that everyone is compensated, for the good or the bad, in relation to the good or bad they bring to others in the world.

Good, or bad. These are relative terms, of course, defined by their polarizing nature. You can’t have one without the other.

*The compiled Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson*

Emerson’s Compensation opens with a discussion of the polarity of nature, Continue reading “Ralphy Emerson’s ideas on duality and contrast”

Emerson on your Compensation from the Universe

6am on the nuts
June 26, 2019 AD
Saint Paul, Minn

I just received my copy of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays.

"Compensation" and other Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson — *“Compensation” and other Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Photo copyright ⓒ 2019 Jeffrey G Thomas*

This collection of Emerson’s writings includes the famous Compensation, which discusses how people who give tend to do better than those who take:

“He is great who confers the most benefits. He is base —and that is Continue reading “Emerson on your Compensation from the Universe”

Persuasion Articles of the Week

Image "our bench days" by phlubdr, Flickr, CC-By-2.0 — *Image “our bench days” by phlubdr, Flickr, CC-By-2.0*

#nudge #emotions #bodylanguage #statusquo #identity #stoicism #design #framing

Continue reading “Persuasion Articles of the Week”

10 Things I Learned from “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday

Much of what we think of as “persuasion” is really “motivation.”

The secret to “motivating people” is to find what already motivates them, and to tap into that. Because you’re not likely to change someone’s mind, and…

people aren’t going to work against their own happiness.

"The Obstacle is the Way" by Ryan Holiday — *“The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday*

A great way to tap into existing motivations is to frame your argument in a way that encompasses the interests of each group. Continue reading “10 Things I Learned from “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday”