by Owen | Mar 30, 2020 | Impromptu
“What Are You Learning?”
You should always be able to answer this question. You should even be excited to answer this question. It’s the question we should be asking ourselves every day. How and what we learn determines everything we do. Our passions, our outlook, and our future.
Learning extends beyond the blackboard and the classroom. It doesn’t end after you cross the stage to get your diploma. That piece of paper doesn’t mean you are done. In fact, that piece of paper is granting you the freedom to learn anything you want — and that’s the most liberating thing in the world. Once you take learning into your own hands you have given yourself the agency to be in control of your own development. No more syllabi or curriculum. Just learning for the joy of learning — and your own development.
The best leaders, designers, artists, and entrepreneurs are always learning. Some intersect and some don’t. The more you learn the more you grow and the more you see how much there is to grow into. You can never learn it all. But in a way, that’s a humbling fact. Carve a space. Find your interest. When you dig down you find the things you’ve always wanted to learn, start there and see where the road of learning takes you.
What’s something you’ve always wanted to know? A topic you missed out on in school? A skill you always wanted? All of these are available to you. It may take some hard work. But it’s worth it. Pick up that instrument or that book. Sign up for an online class, or seek out mentors. Teach something to someone else.
The resources are there. All you have to do is be eager to learn and consume. Chances are you already know what it is. So why are you waiting? The best time to start is now.
What are you learning today?
by Owen | Mar 29, 2020 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I’m Re-Reading: What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg
I’ve found it really difficult to get into new books this last week amongst being stuck at home and biding my time. So I’m returning to one to one of my favorites. This book has played through my head for months on end since I first read it at the end of last year. As I’ve already talked about it in a previous post, I won’t go into much detail. But I must say the second read is even more enlightening than the first.
What I’m Using this Time For: Learning
Given we are all spending a whole lot of time at home for the foreseeable future, I’ve decided to use this time to dedicate myself to learning. Every day I am picking some subjects or skills that I want to explore more. As for skills, I’m taking the time to spruce up on my guitar playing. Alternatively, I’m taking some free online courses in economics through Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok’s Marginal Revolution University (you should also check out their blog, one of my daily reads). I’ve always had a passing interest in economics and now seems like a good a time as any to dive in. Even if these don’t serve a concrete purpose, I’m having a lot of fun exploring new ideas. Who knows what else that might spark.
What I’m Playing: Animal Crossing
Along with just about everyone else stuck at home. I’ve played the various iterations of Animal Crossing since I was a kid but I’ve never had this much fun before. The only danger is giving over too much of my useful time, no matter how fun.
Posts This Week:
by Owen | Mar 27, 2020 | Impromptu
“Are we going to be okay?”
That seems to be the question on everyone’s mind right now. But it’s a much harder question to answer than we think. Because it depends on what you are truly asking, and if that’s the question worth asking at all.
If the question is “Are things going to go back to normal?” then the answer is a definite and unqualified no. Things will absolutely be different. A crisis like this will always instigate change. And that’s the key.
“Normal” may be behind us, but we have the chance to decide how our new normal will look. How we act in these moments shape the outcome of our new lives. If we ignore the facts and act irresponsibly then we are sacrificing the possibility of reform and positive change. But, if we choose to react with intention, focus, and generosity, then we have a chance to come out of this better than when we entered
So are we going to be okay? Well, that’s up to you. Ask yourself instead: “How can I make things okay?” or even “How can I make things better?”
by Owen | Mar 22, 2020 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I’m Reading: The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Taleb, the former options trader, has been on my mind amidst the COVID-19 Epidemic. I first came across his work in Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker article dissecting his trading. Of course, his methodology and philosophy became a series of best-selling books, namely, The Black Swan. Ever the skeptic, Taleb breaks down what he believes is a fundamental flaw in the human cognitive process and that which he has based his life on. This is the Black Swan or the random unforeseen events that we seem to rationalize away and ignore in favor of the normal. By bringing to light problems such as confirmation bias and that narrative fallacy, he highlights how our blindness and unwillingness to accept the improbable can be catastrophic.
What I Failed to Do: Keep Posting
With everything shutting down and everyone spending more and more time at home I found myself less and less interested in trying to write. It took a while to pull myself out of this hole and this roundup is more or less how I’m trying to get back into it. I’m hoping next week I can get back in the habit and start putting out more words.
What I’m Looking Forward to: Road Tripping
Well not so much a road trip as a 4 day U-Haul move, but I’ll take it. I’ll spare you the details but the short version is that I’ll be spending the next few days driving a truckload of things across the country to Texas to wait out the COVID-19 pandemic and let things settle down. I’ve never been on any sort of cross-country road trip (that I can remember), so I’m excited to see how I’ll handle it.
by Owen | Mar 15, 2020 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I’m Reading: Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
Its no secret I’m a fan of Chuck P. I’ve read most of his work but somehow never found the opportunity to crack open Invisible Monsters. This one is a lot of fun, in a totally twisted way only Palahniuk can provide. An unnamed narrator tells her life story from fashion model success to disfigurement, arson, and cons. Not to mention one of the best twists I’ve ever read. I thought I could use some fun, dark reading in the midst of all of the chaos and this one definitely delivered.
What I’m Trying to Do: Maintain Routine
The coronavirus outbreak has more or less put my life at a standstill for the foreseeable future. My classes have moved online and most of my projects and work have been canceled or postponed. With all of my new free time, there is an extreme temptation to slack off and waste the days away. It’s a dangerous path. To avoid it I’m trying to keep as much of a routine as possible. I’m cutting back where needed and doing what’s responsible but still maintaining some sense of normalcy. It’s difficult but letting it go would be much worse.
A Quote I’m Thinking About:
You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Marcus Aurelius
Posts This Week
