A quiet afternoon...

An unkink hose feels like…

The freedom to know your version of enough. Take a pause, any kind of pause at any kind of time and not beat yourself up for it.

Light speed clarity.

The freedom to not set huge radical business goals just cos everyone else is, cos it's just not your time to over-hustle.

Spaciousness.

The freedom to politely decline the

If you don’t value the ability to solve poorly defined problems, you’ll never get more of it. You won’t seek out people who have that ability and try to learn from them, nor will you listen to them when they have something important to say. You’ll spend your whole life trying to solve problems with cleverness when what you really need is wisdom.... See more

Adam Mastroianni • Why Aren't Smart People Happier?

We know that if you’re starving, lonely, or in pain, you’ll probably get happier if you get food, friends, and relief. After that, the returns diminish very quickly. You could read all the positive psychology you want, take the online version of The Science of Wellbeing ("Yale’s Most Popular Course Ever!”), read my post on hacking the hedonic... See more

Adam Mastroianni • Why Aren't Smart People Happier?

Startups solve for efficiency. Places solve for thoroughness. Startups solve a specific problem as profitably as possible. Places manage all aspects of being human as thoroughly as possible. Startupping is a finite game. Placemaking is an infinite game. Trying to run the same playbook for both is a mistake.

Venkatesh Rao • Placemaking vs. Mission-Shaping - By Venkatesh Rao

One way to spot people who are good at solving poorly defined problems is to look for people who feel good about their lives; “how do I live a life I like” is a humdinger of a poorly defined problem.

Adam Mastroianni • Why Aren't Smart People Happier?

Define Your Way of Life

"But beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living WITHIN that way of life."

This is my favorite insight from the letter: Identify how you want to live, not what you want to achieve.

So often people focus all their energy on the summits—but

There is an urgency to achieve, and no matter how big your life gets, that horrible itch to achieve remains. For people like us, it’s impossible to define what success even means.

Evan Armstrong • Live Fuller, Not Bigger

I think bookstores turned out to be weirdly sticky simply because people like being in bookstores. Going to a bookstore is an aesthetic experience. It's fun. It's something to do with your family. It is a pleasant feeling to be surrounded by physical books. It is a pleasant feeling to browse. It is a pleasant feeling to be the kind of person who... See more

"Learn to like what doesn't cost much.

Learn to like reading, conversation, music.

Learn to like plain food, plain service, plain cooking.

rowns i in h, trees, brooks, hiking,

Learn to like people, even though some of them may be different... different from Yearn to like to work and enjoy the satisfaction doing your job as well as it can be done.

Learn