#98 The Socializing-Solitude Alternation

ByLukas
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Appreciation arises from contrast.

How can I enjoy food without knowing what it’s like to be hungry?

How can I appreciate the beauty of a painting without comparing it to something I’ve experienced as ugly?

How can I appreciate social connections without being familiar with solitude? (Not loneliness. Solitude.)

Constant connectivity (especially shallow connections through social media apps) without breaks from socializing numbs the whole bonding experience.

Alternating socializing with solitude warms the heart.

Inspired by Cal Newport’s excellent book Digital Minimalism.

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    #172 The pursuit of failure

    ByLukas

    I can’t just say, “today, I’m going to be excellent at writing.”

    Excellence is an outcome: a result of focused daily actions.

    And one of the fastest ways to excellence is the pursuit of failure.

    Not just making accidental mistakes but actively seeking them out.

    Did I write nonsense today? Did I understand why I was writing nonsense? Have I learned something from writing that nonsense that will help me write something less nonsensical tomorrow?

    The pursuit of failure is painful, especially for perfectionists like me.

    But once ego, perfectionism, and the fear of failure make way for a commitment to the process, there’s much to learn from daily mistakes.

  • #152 When we’re economically obsolete

    ByLukas

    ChatGPT can write in 10 seconds what would take you hours.

    We’re entering an era where what makes us valuable is not economic output anymore.

    We can try to compete.

    Or we can rethink what still makes our lives valuable when we’re economically obsolete.

    I write for the sake of writing.

    I play chess for the sake of playing chess.

    I learn for the sake of learning.

    I sing for the sake of singing.

    I love my family for the sake of loving my

    I live for the sake of living.

    When we lose our economic value, value lies in life itself again.

  • |

    #8 Musenküsse

    ByLukas
    klimt-the-kiss-musenkuss
    Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss (1907-1908).

    der Musenkuss (German) The kiss of the Muse

    Creativity becomes much easier if you see it as a game of finding new ways of describing what has always been there.

    Observing, rather than inventing.

    It’s liberating. Because now the game changes from pulling ideas out of thin air to a game of discovery. Observation. Paying attention. Building upon what’s already discovered, then connecting the dots in way nobody else has.

    Most of all: listening, when the muse finally arrives and visits you for a kiss.

    There’s this voice in my mind
    Impossible to ignore
    And yet I fill my head with noise
    Drowning out
    What deep down I know to be true
    Do I even want to admit
    That this song in my heart
    Is not about me
    But about you?

    P.S.: I’ve observed the same principle in language learning (and wrote a book about the consequences of this mindset shift).

    Which begs the question…

    Where else would we do better if we observed a bit more, rather than trying to invent from scratch?

  • |

    #313 Keep it Achievable, Pleasurable, Sustainable

    ByLukas

    I’ve been publishing daily posts for 300+ days now.

    The secret?

    Writing less.

    • I don’t want to spend hours writing daily posts, so I keep them short.

    • I don’t want to drag myself to a 4-day writing session to create all posts for the coming week in advance (then not write for the rest of the week)

    • I don’t want to set writing goals that are painful to reach and make me feel burnt out.

    • I do want to write a little bit every day, so I prove to myself every single day that I’m a writer.

    • I do want to feel that writing that daily post is achievable and fun.

    • I do want to build momentum.

    Keep it achievable. Keep it pleasurable. Keep it sustainable.

    In other words: Tiny Trust Builders.

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