by Owen | Sep 15, 2019 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
The thing I’m listening to: Revisionist History
This obsession as spawned after attending a discussion with Malcolm Gladwell in his new book Talking to Strangers (next up on the reading list). Now, it ‘s safe to say that I am a huge Gladwell fan. So I was dumbfounded to have never heard of this podcast before. In each episode, Gladwell and his team take the listener on a journey to revisit, reinterpret or simply explore something from the past. It’s the perfect podcast for anyone who loves to learn. Gladwell’s personality shines through. You can check it out here.
The thing I’m reminding myself: Show Up
The more you progress in anything, habits, self-reflection, art or otherwise the more you want to push yourself to the next level. Advancing in quantity and/or difficulty is the seemingly obvious progression towards our goals: “I did 20 minutes of sprinting last week so this week I have to do 25.” Inevitably, however, our ambitions and our expectations outpace our energy or ability, and we crash. Soon we start to dread the activity, feeling trapped in the plateau or fearing we’ve fallen further from the goal. This happens to me constantly. But it’s important to remember that the goal is nothing but a threshold to something new. The thing to focus on is not the goal or the quantity, or even the quality. What’s important is the attempt, the act, and showing up again and again.
The thing I’m developing: Extroversion
Since coming back to school from my summer away I’ve become more and more aware of my need to socialize. I’m not sure where it came from and frankly thats not really what I’m interested in. I’ve always been more or less an introvert. Some occasions would bring about my more social side of course but never to this scale. Maybe its an anomaly or maybe it’s a new development. either way, I’m rolling with it. Sure doesn’t hurt to get to work on my communication in this way.
The thing I accomplished: 4 Weeks of Posts!
I think this weekly roundup is still figuring out what it wants to be but I can say that as a practice it has been one of the most difficult yet rewarding things to produce.
by Owen | Sep 8, 2019 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
The thing I’m reading: Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke
An exploration of making decisions when you don’t have all the information. What I appreciate is that this book not only covers all of the information groundwork but it also provides applicable knowledge of how to become a better decision-maker. A former world champion poker player, Duke takes the reader through all of the psychology on decision making and guides the reader on her approach to refining that talent. I especially love the insistence on becoming comfortable with uncertainty. I highly recommend it as a follow up to Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman or Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.
The Thing I’m Reflecting on: Transient Change
This summer was the first time I got a taste of what it was going to be like after college. By the end of it, I was more than ready to jump headfirst into that life. But of course, I am now back in Boston, finishing up my last year of college. I’ve come to realize that every “change” in my life thus far has been highly transient. Sure I spent a lot of summers away as a kid. I even moved across the entire country for college. But there was always some end in sight. Some calendar or time marker that I could use as a baseline. But the coming change of graduation is unlike any other. It’s the first change without any sign of “normalcy” on the other end. I think that’s the real scary thing about graduating. It’s the fact that there’s no longer that promise of a “return.” You can’t see the end of the slope anymore.
The Thing I’m Fearing: A Habit Relapse
I spent a lot, and I mean a lot of my time in New York working on personal growth. This blog is sure a sign of that as any. I built incredibly good habits, destroyed bad ones, and have come out the other side mentally, and physically, healthier than ever before. So, I have to admit being back in the place where those bad habits originated is a little worrisome. I guess acknowledging that is the first step.
by Owen | Sep 1, 2019 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
The thing I’m reading: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
This book was recommended to me by my girlfriend. I’ll admit I was a little hesitant at first but I came to love it. Its somewhere between a self-help book and a love letter to the creative journey. Gilbert explores what it’s like to be in a relationship with creativity and imparts her thoughts on how to embrace and find fulfillment within it. I was especially drawn to Gilbert’s vehement denouncement of the idea that you must suffer for your art. Even more controversial, the idea that your art need not be taken too seriously or deemed important. Her thoughts on living as a “trickster” instead of the martyr will stay with me.
The thing I’m pondering: The Shape of a Story
Let’s say we are trying to convey a lesson. Most lessons on their face are very simple. At its most exposed this lesson is like a square: neat and easily understood. “Smoking is bad,” “Don’t hurt people,” etc. But here’s the catch: squares are boring. No one will remember our square among all the others. So what we do we do? Well as with most good lessons we tell a story, we imbue the lesson in a context that is engaging and memorable. The more unique and detailed the story, the more chances we have to engage our audience. But once again there’s a trade-off. The more complex we make our story the less clear our once tidy square becomes. It becomes a Rorschach Test, shaped by our story and guiding our audience to our lesson through personal interpretation and deconstruction. Perhaps then the more deliberate we are in our storytelling, the more representative our inkblot becomes. (Full post on this coming soon!)
The goal I’m setting: A Book a Week
Though fairly innocuous, it’s a fairly easy goal to fall behind on. Speaking it into the world here holds me accountable.
The Chapter I’m closing: The New York Summer
I’ll post a full follow up on this but it’s crazy to think I’ve been here for a whole third of a year. This chapter has taught many lessons both in and out of the theater.
by Owen | Aug 25, 2019 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
In the interest of trying to write more and work on self-reflection, I’ve decided to post a weekly roundup here on the blog. I think it will be a good place to put down some of my thoughts and pondering. Who knows maybe it some of it will become full posts. We’ll see what shape it takes as it goes!
The thing I’m reading: This is Marketing by Seth Godin
I’m a big believer in interdisciplinary learning. I’m an even bigger believer in the power storytelling. This book was perfect for me. Whether you or not you are interested in marketing as a career, Godin’s book illustrates how we can all use its principles in our endeavors. Godin promotes his marketing tenets of consistency, connection, and storytelling and shows how you can use them to create change within a culture. Godin’s has quickly become a large influence on the way I think about life and business.
The thing I’m procrastinating with: How I Met Your Mother
It was worth it.
The thing I’m confronting: Composing
I’ve been a musician for a long time now. But the act of composing has always been a struggle for me. I blame it on my lack of “classical training” but in reality, it’s just my lizard brain resistance telling me I’m no good at it. My next upcoming project, however (entirely by my idea) is forcing my hand. And guess what? Turns out it’s not so scary. They aren’t the best pieces in the world but if I keep showing up every day to do it then they’ll have to get better eventually right?
The thing I’m pondering: Fault and Responsibility in Education
I find lots of students blaming some aspect of their education for their lack of preparedness. This can mean in transitioning to college, entering the “real world” and so forth. Now it may be the fault of the system, or a professor, or their chosen curriculum. But here’s the important thing: the fault is irrelevant. What’s important here is responsibility, specifically your responsibility to attain your goals. Regardless of who’s at fault, it is still your responsibility to prepare yourself. Yes, it may not be your fault that this was not easily provided, but that doesn’t negate its necessity and your responsibility to attain it. Take it one step further and it becomes your responsibility to make that education more available to those who come after you. That’s how we all move forward.
This is an extension of an idea Mark Manson discusses in his book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
