Category: Journal

Thought of Today: September 28, 2017 at 02:04PM

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On originality and not caring about other people’s judgements:

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” — Oscar Wilde

“I want to be around people that do things. I don’t want to be around people anymore that judge or talk about what people do. I want to be around people that dream and support and do things.” — Amy Poehler

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” — Steve Jobs

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.” — Albert Einstein

meaning over happiness

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Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but what if there’s a more fulfilling path? Happiness comes and goes, says writer Emily Esfahani Smith, but having meaning in life — serving something beyond yourself and developing the best within you — gives you something to hold onto. Learn more about the difference between being happy and having meaning as Esfahani Smith offers four pillars of a meaningful life.

I recommend creating habits of meaning in your daily life. In my book, I talk about 4 pillars of meaning—belonging, purpose, storytelling, and transcendence. So find ways to build these pillars in your life. For example, after writing my book, I realized that storytelling—crafting a narrative about my life and life in general—was an important source of meaning for me, so I started keeping a journal where I process different experiences I’m having. For transcendence, I make sure to regularly spend time in places that inspire awe in me, like in nature or at the art museum. I’ve found that technology can be a real barrier to both transcendence and belonging, so I’m trying to get some control over my addiction to it. Instead of checking social media or the headlines before I go to bed, I try to read a poem or listen to some music as I meditate. I don’t always succeed, but no one said trying to live a meaningful life is easy!

 

Thought of Today: September 20, 2017 at 10:15AM

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Myths that you probably believe in:
– sugar makes kids hyper
– you need 8 glasses of water a day
– mental abilities are separated into left and right brain
– alcohol warms the body
– alcohol kills brain cells
– vegans lack protein
– carrots improve vision
– “theory” in the theory evolution means scientific doubt
– we evolved from monkeys
– black holes being holes
– napoleon was short
– sunflowers face the sun
– bats are blind
– bulls see red