Christina

It’s not that Irish people have more historical trauma to mine, she said, or that Americans love Irish shit. It’s that her civilization believes art matters — and funds it accordingly, as part of public infrastructure. They believe art makes life navigable. Its actual value is beyond measure, and like a lot of invaluable things, its survival hinges... See more

Toby: Who gives a damn, sir? This is a tax cut that benefits only 4,500 families.

Bartlet: It doesn't matter if most voters don't benefit. They all believe that someday they will. That's the problem with the American dream. It makes everyone concerned for the day they're gonna be rich.

if someone wants to live an aesthetic life, then engaging with thought-provoking art can be transformative for them, compared to someone who isn’t interested in these values. It also matters how reflective the person is. Self-reflection might be what binds experiences together to make them count toward a well-lived life. When we deeply reflect on o... See more

if the emphasis of a happy life is on positive emotions and security, and the emphasis of a meaningful life is on purpose and coherence, then the hallmarks of a psychologically rich life are variety, interest, and perspective (Oishi & Westgate, 2021)

The good life, it appeared, was still within reach, even when happiness and meaning weren’t.

To make the conceptual space of the well-lived life more inclusive, Oishi proposed the dimension of psychological richness . Characterized by a variety of novel, complex, and perspective-changing experiences (that weren’t necessarily happy or meaningful), t... See more

Creativity is not efficient . What is efficient is enjoying your creative process.

I was happy to stumble, a few months back, across the concept of MTO goalsetting, which fits perfectly here. For any goal you’re aiming to accomplish, this approach involves setting three levels of success: the Minimum, which you’re confident you’ll achieve; the Target, which is realistic but a bit of a stretch; and an Outrageous outcome, which you... See more

It might be tempting to think of willpower-based goalsetting systems as hardheaded and realistic, while dismissing those that leave space for spontaneity – or for just not feeling like it today – as self-indulgent and second-tier. But I think it’s the other way around. Our changing moods and energy levels, and how inspired we’re feeling on any give... See more