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I discovered “The Obstacle is the Way” by way of the author, Ryan Holiday.
Ryan has a great reading list he blasts out every month, which led me to follow him on twitter, and contact him directly (very infrequently).
Stoicism, the philosophy that the book is loosely based on, is something I’ve been interested in for the past few years, but never read much about. Obstacle sold itself as a direct line to actionable lessons learned from Stoicism’s great philosophers, which made it an easy decision to download it.
Obstacle is filled with so many quotes, lessons and allegories that it quickly suffers diminished returns. It’s hard to take that much advice in one sitting, half way through you feel like saying “Ok! Ok! I get it! I’ll try and do some of this stuff, just give me a second!”
Here are three highlights that stood out to me. Together, they cover each three sections that divide the book.
“Does getting upset provide you with more options? Does what happened keep you from acting with justice, generosity, self-control, sanity, prudence, honesty, humility, straightforwardness?” (Perception)
“Could you be doing more?” (Action)
“If something is in our control, it’s worth every ounce of our efforts and energy.” (Will)
May 8, 2015 the obstacle is the way ryan holiday stoicism philosophy books reading
Stay Still
I haven’t read “Packing Light”, but certainly plan to. It’s right up my alley. Living minimally, travel and “moving on” are all things I value greatly in my life.
Consider the following tangent as ‘inspired’ but not a comment on the author, or her blog (which I haven’t read either). The concept made me think about the larger movement I’ve seen spread on the internet and in tech circles a lot over the last few years. The battle cry that rung out across open-plan startups across the valley: “Quit your job! Travel the world!”
This sort of lifestyle advice might well have been popularized by the Tim Ferris 4 hour workweek stuff, and has now grown into a viable way to live for a lot of (usually developers and startup guys). Sell all your possesions, move to Thailand, profit. They’re lifehacking their way to freedom, (even if they have a great deal of trouble enjoying themselves).
I understand the allure, and have totally been influenced by it myself. I quit my job, travelled, and now live in another country.
But, I have a lot of problems with it too.
One of the biggest downsides to living like that, or that you don’t see mentioned when people are writing blog posts about how awesome their lives have become or taking instagram photos of an infinity pool that’s “my office for today” is that you (I) struggle to connect with people.
I think generally speaking it’s hard to make real, deep friendships if you’re moving around all the time. Some people are definitely skilled at making short-term surface level connections and friends, but i’d say most are not. Real friendships take time, vulnerability and shared experiences — not a weekend spent drinking once every few years.
You might steadily exist online, despite your ‘nomadic’ lifestyle, and your business might do great once you’ve outsourced everything to India, but you’re ignoring all the valuable, meaningful connections that can come from spending time in one place. Those relationships are the meaning in your life, and to turn your back on them in the name of hedonism is inflicting serious damage on yourself.
Don’t be scared, put down roots, stay still for a while. See what happens next.
edit: I plan to read this Packing Light, not the other one.
May 7, 2015 travel digital nomad hacker news tech lifestyle entrepreneur
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“Nobody reads… People buy books for totally different reasons… To signal, to put up bunches of books on their walls to look smart.” - Tucker Max
Worth noting that most books really don’t sell many copies. There’s very few authors in the million + range, and even really popular books don’t get finished.
Gâteau de ménage
150 gr of flour
3 eggs
150 gr of sugar
2 dessert spoons of baking powder
Half a glass of sunflower oil
Half a glass of white wine
-> Mix the yellow eggs and the sugar. Then add the flour, baking powder, oil and the white wine. Beat the egg whites and add them to the composition (try to not break them, try to lift the paste over the egg whites).
40 minutes in the oven 180 celsius degrees.
When a french lady tells you how to bake a cake, listen.
Quotes, April 2015
“To attribute intelligence to something is to disclaim responsibility for its use.”
- Stop putting technology on a pedestal! (iasc-culture.org)
“Steroids to get a build, insulin injections to get the cut, then HGH.”
- For every “naturally” shredded Captain America or Thor, there’s a seedy underbelly of out of work, desperate stuntman who will inject anything they think will get them a job.
“Life is still profoundly beautiful and worth living despite the fact that we inevitably lose one another and that life ends, and we don’t know what happens after death.”
- Sam Harris, Stoic as fuck. (The Atlantic)
“If you want to live in the same place for a long time, buy a house. If you don’t–God, please don’t.”
- What do you want your life to be like? Do that. (Thought Catalog)
“An individual has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow horizons of his particular individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” - Martin Luther King Jr
- This was beautifully paraphrased in the movie In Transit. Close enough.