Five Things: A Pocket Link Roundup
Potent Resources and Reframes to Support Your Explorations
Gnawing rats, vicious traps, song facts, oh my. Here’s a curated shortlist of some outstanding resources and reframes I’ve found useful.
If you want to experience the most effective, comprehensive primer on how to live a longer, healthier, more fulfilling life, go get the bestseller Outlive by Peter Attia. It’s a must-read, full of practical, evidence-based guidance on enacting the four pillars of longevity: nutrition, exercise, sleep, and emotional health.
Song Facts is incredible. If you're a music nerd who wants to go deeper than the surface level, this is the resource for you. Learn about the stories behind your favorite songs, from the obscure to the mainstream. You won't be disappointed. I randomly looked up “15 Step” by Radiohead and learned, “"15 Step" was written in the rarely used 5/4 time signature. The most well-known example of a song written in a 5/4 meter is "Take Five" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet.” I wouldn’t have thought to connect those two favorite songs of mine in this way.
Writer Morgan Housel writes about “vicious traps.” They lurk everywhere, disguised as good traits, but sometimes when “two admirable traits mix in the wrong way,” they can create “something dangerous.” Confidence mixed with optimism can lead to a shadow emergence of greed and delusion, while patience and confidence can lead to false modesty. A fascinating reframe encouraging us to watch out for balance of admirable traits in ourselves and others.
Writer Oliver Burkeman (author of an impeccable book called Four Thousand Weeks) writes about “gnawing rats” — those big tasks or projects that we are blocked against starting or returning to. His controversial advice is not to confront them like an obstacle, but rather to befriend them. He gives the example of a shed that needs organizing; to begin the arduous task, he writes, “just go into the shed… don’t do anything, just look around.” Curiosity over combat.
Famed Stoic Ryan Holiday posted “15 Question That Will Make You A Better Parent (and Person)”, and they’re exactly the type of deep mic-drop reframe reflections that can truly effect change in our way of being. A few of my favorites:
Every day ask your kids “What did you do that was kind today? What was something you did for something else?”
Based on a wise thought from Bruce Springsteen: Will I be an ancestor or a ghost?
Am I doing what I want them to do? Am I being the kind of human being I want my children to be?
Have a great week,
Griff