A Few Things........
Discover more from A Few Things....
We covered a lot of ground this year and I assume since you are still reading this is something you find useful. I have been thinking about changes that would improve the experience for you.
Please let me know what that is for you?
If you missed last week’s edition, you can check it out here: Life Hacks, Global Rotation, Mauboussin on Cap Allocation, War By Other Means, Ridley on Innovation, Smil on How The World Works, Burkeman on 4K Weeks, Pantera on FTX, Explaining AI....
Thank You
This will be 2022’s last “A Few Things”. I wanted to thank a few people that have been “friends” of this email and have helped improve and scale it this year.
A huge thank you: Ateet A, Benjamin G, Bjorn T, Brett T, David G, Jakub C, Jim M, Kartik V, Mark E, Sami L, Tania R, Thomas W, Tom W, Victor S, Vishal K, Will K, Yaser A.
I usually use the last few week’s of the year reviewing the books I read this year, figuring out my goals for the next and analysing how I spent my time last quarter, which is what I’ve been doing this week….but most importantly I’ve been hanging out my family and relaxing.
Some Of My Favourite Quotes:
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
- Epicurus
"Change is never painful, only the resistance to change is painful."
- Buddha
“Once we realise that imperfect understanding is the human condition there is no shame in being wrong, only in failing to correct our mistakes.”
- George Soros
“It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than ‘Try to be a little kinder.’”
- Aldous Huxley on his death bed
"If you only wished to be happy, this could be easily accomplished; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are.”
-Montesquieu
“Sometimes the most important things in a man's life are the one's he talks about the least.”
- Louis L'Amour
“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement… get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.”
- Rabbi Heschel
“The more you seek the uncomfortable, the more comfortable you will become.”
- Conor McGregor
“All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it's impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.”
- Niccolo Machiavelli
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek”
- Joseph Campbell
“Always do what you are afraid to do”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
- Bruce Lee
Let’s make 2023 about Taking Action:
"Now is the time to get serious about living your ideals. How long can you afford to put off who you really want to be? Your nobler self cannot wait any longer.
Put your principles into practice – now. Stop the excuses and the procrastination. This is your life! You aren’t a child anymore. The sooner you set yourself to your spiritual program, the happier you will be. The longer you wait, the more you’ll be vulnerable to mediocrity and feel filled with shame and regret, because you know you are capable of better.
From this instant on, vow to stop disappointing yourself. Separate yourself from the mob. Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do – now."
- Epictetus
A Few Things Worth Checking Out:
If you are hanging out in the countryside and need something to read, here are my 8 favourite “A Few Things” from this year, that I have re-read:
Escaping the X-Axis, Happiness 401(k), Becoming Superhuman, Blockchain Infrastructure
2022 Predictions, The Big Trends, The Changing Nature of The Game, When Society Rolls The Dice
Have a great holiday season and I look forward to our journey together next year.
A Few Things........
This is such an excellent set of content each week
Ahmed, your weekly ”A few things” is something I always look forward to reading. A great collection of thoughts, books, podcasts and reflections on life that I truly appreciate. Thank you!