Just, hard →

Published June 2, 2023  ·  All posts on Jun 2  ·  

I spend large amounts of time just thinking. That’s not so terrible, all things considered since there’s lots of actively anti-useful stuff I could be doing.

People have different personalities, goals, experiences, and levels of chance and serendipity, all of which make universal truths hard to find and difficult to teach. No matter how smart the world becomes, the best answer will always be, “You’ve got to figure it out for yourself.”

A lot of things work like that. Some of the most important topics are the hardest to teach, and real world experience is the only school.

~ Morgan Housel, from Very Important and Hard to Teach

slip:4ucobo4.

There are certain traps for my mind. One insidious example is when I notice I’ve been doing prolonged thinking. …and then I start thinking about how I was thinking about whatever-it-was. …and might there be some underlying principle or knowledge that I don’t understand? …and maybe I should read more about that? …and maybe I should seek out others who know more about that?

Sometimes, I can manage to shake myself out of that. But usually, I have to simply lean into it for another hour, sometimes even the rest of the day (or week!) “Okay, I’m hung-up on this” and I have to try to go all in. After a real attempt at figuring it out, when I can apprehend just how bonkers-complex it would be, my mind simply let’s go of it.

ɕ

New associations →

Published June 1, 2023  ·  All posts on Jun 1  ·  ,

Instead of feeling complacent about what you know, you must expand your knowledge to related fields, giving your mind fuel to make new associations between different ideas. You must experiment and look at problems from all possible angles. As your thinking grows more fluid, your mind will grow increasingly dimensional, seeing more and more aspects of reality. In the end, you will turn against the very rules you have internalized, shaping and reforming them to suit your spirit.

~ Robert Greene

slip:4a1132.

Ethics →

Published May 31, 2023  ·  All posts on May 31  ·  ,

The worst mistake which was ever made in this world was the separation of political science from ethics.

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

slip:4a1167.

Slightly better →

Published May 31, 2023  ·  All posts on May 31  ·  

An eternal question which I find myself frequently pondering: When to stick with something and when to dramatically pivot (or outright quit)? Pondering this problem is not a recent development. I have countless stories going back as far as I can remember—all the way back to little-kid baseball at, perhaps, age 10.

[…] there’s not a lot of readily available answers to the question of what the meaning of life is. The only answer I’ve been able to come up with for myself is this: to ensure that my presence on this earth makes it better than if I hadn’t lived at all. Whether or not I’ll have managed to achieve that is an unknowable calculation. All I can do is try to love this stupid, cruel, wonderful, gorgeous world I’ve been given through an accident of entropy, and hope that I can give it a better than equivalent exchange.

~ Jenny from, Labour of love

slip:4upibo1.

When I find I’m staring into space, pondering the stick-or-pivot question, a two-part test has been getting me moving again: If I keep doing the thing (upon which I’m pondering sticking or pivoting) are my efforts making the world a better place, and does what I’m doing have a clear end-goal?

The perhaps counter-intuitive part is that while I want a ‘yes’ (obviously!) for the first part of that test, I want a ‘no‘ for the second part. When I have a clear end-goal things don’t work out well. I find I generally misunderstand in the beginning of a thing what would be a good end goal, and worse, I lose interest once I understand what done looks like for the long-arc of the thing. Far better it seems to point myself in a makes the world better direction, and wonder onward.

ɕ

Molly Courtney | If Parkour is For Everyone, Why Doesn’t Everyone Want to Do It →

Published May 30, 2023  ·  All posts on May 30

On Castbox.fm — Molly Courtney | If Parkour is For Everyone, Why Doesn’t Everyone Want to Do It

How can coaches effectively bridge the gap between the benefits of Parkour and the reluctance or resistance of individuals to participate?

The discussion challenges the assumption that Parkour is universally appealing and explores why some people resist trying it.

When we stop trying to match their defense and the generalization, and try to encourage and give information, we give them space to start to think about other things, like what’s possible.

~ Molly Courtney (3:00)

The conversation addresses the challenge of making Parkour more accessible and appealing, particularly to those who resist it due to defensiveness, lack of confidence, or demoralization. It draws on psychological models like the Stages of Change to highlight why premature encouragement often backfires. Recognizing participants’ emotional states is crucial for building their readiness to engage in new activities.

Another key topic is the balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Molly emphasizes that early learners benefit more from intrinsic motivators like verbal affirmations than external rewards, which can undermine their self-driven desire to improve. Techniques for fostering play and exploration are discussed, providing coaches with strategies for facilitating growth without overwhelming participants.

Takeaways

Stages of Change — Understanding where someone is emotionally helps tailor the approach to introducing Parkour.

Defensiveness and Demoralization — Recognizing these barriers and validating participants’ concerns can create space for progress.

Role of Play — Structured play fosters exploration and autonomy in early learners.

Motivation Theories — Intrinsic motivators are more effective than extrinsic ones for beginners.

Feedback Timing — Interjecting too early can harm engagement, while timely affirmation builds confidence.

Coaching Techniques — Setting clear boundaries and expectations facilitates safe and productive learning environments.

Psychological Models — Applying theories like self-determination and Stages of Change provides a scientific basis for coaching methods.

Resources

Stages of Change — A psychological model describing readiness for change in individuals.

Self-Determination Theory — A framework for understanding motivation and growth.

The Movement Park — Molly’s Parkour gym in Hillsboro, Oregon; resources for beginner and advanced movement training.

molly@themovementpark.com — For inquiries about Molly’s work and methods.

Social Media: @TheMovementPark on Instagram, The Movement Park on Facebook.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

ɕ

Exhaustion →

Published May 30, 2023  ·  All posts on May 30  ·  ,

Learning never exhausts the mind.

~ Leonardo da Vinci

slip:4a1131.

New kind of society →

Published May 29, 2023  ·  All posts on May 29  ·  , ,

[…] what we need is a few hints on the art of creating an entirely new kind of society, durable but adventurous, strong but humane, highly organized but liberty-loving, elastic and adaptable. In this matter Greece and Rome can teach us only negatively—by demonstrating, in their divergent ways, what not to do.

~ Aldous Huxley

slip:4a1166.

Setting and scene →

Published May 29, 2023  ·  All posts on May 29  ·  ,

Lately I’ve been struggling with setting. As many people have noted, excessive fiddling with getting things ready, or “just so”, before feeling one can begin to do something is simply a form of procrastination. It’s a form of hiding from doing the work. Steven Pressfield describes this as the “resistance” which shows up just when you are finally facing the real work that you are called to do.

I tell this story not because I think a method approach, in which you inhabit your characters and their behaviors, is the best way to write fiction. (If this were true, a lot more authors would take a swing at romance novels.) But instead because it’s an extreme example of a more general point that I’ve been emphasizing recently: when it comes to cognitive work, setting makes a difference.

~ Cal Newport from, On Vampires and Method Writing

slip:4ucabo7.

Setting is real, and it is important. But there’s a second part to finding (or creating) the optimal environment: Scene. Where are the others who are also doing the same work? It could be the other painters or authors like you, and you’re all living in a neighborhood and regularly gathering and conversing at the local cafes. (The archetypical writers scene of the 1900s was in Paris.) If I’ve imagineered a certain niche of work that I want to do, how do I find (or create) the scene?

ɕ

May 28, 2023 — #34 →

Published May 28, 2023  ·  All posts on May 28  ·  

Reading time: About 7 minutes, 1500 words
Get 7 for Sunday in your inbox. → Subscribe here.
This issue is https://7forsunday.com/34

Creating connection →

Published May 28, 2023  ·  All posts on May 28  ·  ,

The alternative is an interaction that creates a connection instead of destroying it. Where is the eye contact? Where is the dignity that comes from recognizing another?

When we humanize the person at the other end of the counter or the phone or the Internet, we grant them something precious—personhood. When we treat the people around us with dignity, we create an entirely different platform for the words we utter and the plans we make.

~ Seth Godin

slip:4a1165.