5 Things I Consumed Last Week (anchoring ⚓)
on earnestness, shaping our social graph, sensitivity isn't static, how to be perfect and happiness is a 2X2 matrix
Hello Nello! Apologies for being MIA last week. I organized a Book Swap event in Mumbai last Sunday and the day just flew by. At the event, we exchanged a lot of recommendations and my mind was busy processing & updating my TBR list and hence it wouldn’t have done justice to the process of writing this newsletter.
Ava from bookbear express posted this last week in a thread, which got me thinking:
hi guys!! since the post last night was about disorder, I was curious about objects/routines that keep you guys anchored. personally the first thing I do every morning is drink a ton of blue bottle iced coffee lol and then sit at the dining table and write for a bit.
What keeps you grounded? This is a question I have been asking myself lately. Trying new recipes and reading were the answers last year but I sense a change this year. I have been trying hard to anchor myself and go back to the things that keep me grounded (certainly child’s pose in yoga but no that’s not the answer), I also see them fading away. Maybe it is only positive to let go of certain things in order to make space for new things (high time, I should learn how to swim) or maybe it’s not - only time will tell.
What are the things that keep you anchored?
Note: If my emails end up in the ‘promotions’ tab, please move them to inbox so you don’t miss out. Don’t forget to subscribe and join 1150+ readers!
Earnestness | Paul Graham
Graham’s blog to me is like that Uncle in the virtual world I always go to for some pearls of wisdom. This essay is not just about earnestness but entrepreneurship as well. Time and again, I have thought about how to really answer the question ‘Why you do what you do?’ but from now on, earnestness is going to be my answer - being interested in things just for the sake of it and nothing else.
It's also the hallmark of a nerd. Indeed, when people describe themselves as "x nerds," what they mean is that they're interested in x for its own sake, and not because it's cool to be interested in x, or because of what they can get from it. They're saying they care so much about x that they're willing to sacrifice seeming cool for its sake.
What are you most earn-terested in? What makes you click?
First we shape our social graph; then it shapes us | Escaping Flatland
When I think about my teenage energy and how adulting dulls it down, I also think about the surroundings back then. As a college kid, I was always surrounded with students bursting with early 20’s adrenaline, people who were interested in different things - that got me interested in things which I was never exposed to before. (particularly why this newsletter can never have a genre).
Perhaps we are mirrors holding mirrors for each other and perhaps the only way to belong is to find the right mirror that fits you well. (possibly an art piece I am trying to create since years)
The trick is finding the right influences or curating your milieu (which is exactly what this newsletter issue is about), not only in the virtual world of influencers but also in your day to day interactions. What you consume is what you become - choose wisely!
Curating our milieu is something we all do these days, if not always consciously. Our milieus are no longer determined by where we were born, but by our choices of friends and careers, and, increasingly, by how we train the algorithms that feed us content. Most of us have not yet developed the know-how to fully leverage this.
How can we do that?
The first step in this process is to locate the right influences—the people and ideas that you want inside of yourself.
The only song that came to mind as a background score while writing this, had to include it.
Sensitivity Isn’t Static | David Perell
One of fav. writers is back after a long break and this is the first short article I read on Monday while traveling in a car and surrounded by the cacophony of horns - particularly why the following paragraph hit me too hard.
The body demands homeostasis, and after some time in the city, my mind and body become less sensitive as a protection mechanism. I automatically (and unconsciously) respond to the overstimulation by numbing my senses. Though it’s an effective way to survive in raucous environments, it leads to a dull and disembodied internal life. When you’re numb, it’s hard to make the kinds of observations that generate quality writing.
In the process of writing for a year, I have always dreamt of planning well, keeping the recommendations in surplus and pull some plugs during the weekend to put it together but eh! - that never really happened. It is only when I am sitting in silence on my desk on a Sunday that the magic of writing really happens.
Another reminder to build some more pockets of silence in life!
Happiness is a 2X2 Matrix | Range Widely
Range by David Epstein is one book that I have recommended and gifted a lot of people. It talks about how generalists triumph over specialists in an anecdotal manner. But oh boi! I had no idea he writes a newsletter as well. Hail link hopping!
In this issue, he gauges happiness across a 2X2 matrix. Reading this was a light bulb moment to appreciate the things I don’t have and I don’t want. I am gonna spend some time today to fill this matrix and #begrateful.
If you don’t feel like reading, just watch this 1 min video David referenced and you have your prompt for Sunday journaling.
How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question | Michael Schur
Remember this issue where I mentioned Michael Schur’s podcast where he speaks about this book?
I finally got my hands on this book after ditching Kitchen Confidential mid-way.
After watching Parks and Rec. and The Office (watch the Minion version)- I knew I had to get my hands on everything that Michael Schur writes. Eager to learn about moral philosophy in layman language then this is for you. Full of humor as expected out of Schur while skillfully explaining some dense theories in philosophy ranging from Aristotle to Kant, this book is quite extraordinary.
He attempts to answer questions such as whether we should punch our friend in the face for no reason, lie about a friend’s ugly shirt, and return our shopping car to the rack at the grocery store and some more questions like these.
Back to reading the book, see y’all next week.
Wondering how you can support me?
If you are a friend of this newsletter, show some love here.🐼
If you enjoy reading this, maybe share it with your colleagues, friends and family; it would mean the world to me :) or else Order a handrwitten postcard for them.
You can always reach out to me on dearhummingbird1@gmail.com. or connect with me on IG at _i__cook or use the comment section!
Always grateful for the love,
The Hummingbird🌺
that hillel einhorn video is gold. so funny and so true!!! gamechanger.
Hi Hummingbird,
I just wanted to stop by and let you know how much I've been enjoying your blogs lately. Every Thursday, I look forward to discovering a new world through your words. It's like you're taking me on a journey to a new planet filled with so much to learn and explore.
Although our taste in music may be different, I absolutely love exploring the songs you share. It's amazing how much I feel like I'm growing and expanding myself just by listening to your recommendations. Thank you so much for sharing the music that inspires and moves you.
I wanted to give a special shoutout to the post you shared in your last blog, "Levers that money can't pull." The feeling one feels like less of a person when one doesn’t have enough money really hit home for me. I've struggled with this same feeling for a long time due to societal pressures and expectations. It's comforting to know that I'm not alone, and that there are other people out there who understand what I'm going through.
Thank you again for all the amazing content you create. Keep doing what you're doing, because you're truly making a difference in people's lives.
With gratitude,
Keshav