I’ll write some of these posts whenever I don’t have a topic in mind to write about. Maybe checking in with my info diet will somehow be useful or trigger some other ideas.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia
I’ve had this book for a while but finally started reading it. For some reason I thought it’d be fluffier than it is. But so far it’s presenting a wide variety of research supporting the idea that it’s worth finding a purpose in life and work that supports that purpose.
Maybe the ultimate thing in life isn’t just retiring and doing nothing.
Sometimes I think I’m not too far away from ikigai. I really do find joy in building skills (writing, podcasting, making presentations making videos) that an independent career could be built on.
The current configuration of projects those skills are applied to isn’t quite aligned well in the what you love, you’re good at, the world needs, you can be paid for Venn diagram.
With a few shifts (not easy or short term), I’m optimistic I can get there.
Rewatchables Superbad
I just love The Rewatchables. I wish I could do something like that for a solo books podcast. (Though “solo” automatically removes a good amount of the fun of The Rewatchables.) You get a recap of the movie, the best lines from the movie, then different fun, repeating segments to further break the movie down. The hosts love movies. That love is different for each of the hosts—some watch for entertainment, some watch as film experts, some can switch back and forth depending on the movie.
As for Superbad, I was a Michael Cera stan because I loved Arrested Development. Glad that he was part of a comedy classic. And I’m still always amazed that they wrote most of the movie in high school and just held on to it forever.
It was a great couple of years when Superbad, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, and Tropic Thunder all came out. (I definitely need to double check the years.)
Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
I listened to this leading up to officiating a wedding. I thought maybe learning and doing some mental exercises would help. It went smoothly, though it’s probably more from experience (my third time) than the mental exercises. But I did try to picture myself delivering it all well. And if it helped even 5%, I’ll take it!
I’m going to continue listening to this and trying to visualize a few other things in life: presenting designs to a team, getting into a focused working state, getting out of bed and starting the day with intention.
Also, some quick tips if you’re nervous about officiating a wedding: it’s an honor to take seriously but at the same time not to stress out too much about. It’s public speaking, but you’re totally okay just reading straight from notes in a book. If you time it, and they’re doing their own vows, your actual speaking time is maybe 5 minutes max. And no one actually cares about you, they’ll be focused on the bride and groom.