Friday Roundup 2.10.23 Edition
Each and every Friday — I outline a few of the articles and/or books that I have read over the last week or two that are worth taking a look at.
Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control
To master anything, one must first master themselves–one’s emotions, one’s thoughts, one’s actions. Eisenhower famously said that freedom is really the opportunity to practice self-discipline. Cicero called the virtue of temperance the polish of life. Without boundaries and restraint, we risk not only failing to meet our full potential and jeopardizing what we have achieved, but we ensure misery and shame. In a world of temptation and excess, this ancient idea is more urgent than ever.
In Discipline is Destiny, Holiday draws on the stories of historical figures we can emulate as pillars of self-discipline, including Lou Gehrig, Queen Elizabeth II, boxer Floyd Patterson, Marcus Aurelius and writer Toni Morrison, as well as the cautionary tales of Napoleon, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Babe Ruth. Through these engaging examples, Holiday teaches readers the power of self-discipline and balance, and cautions against the perils of extravagance and hedonism.
At the heart of Stoicism are four simple virtues: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. Everything else, the Stoics believed, flows from them. Discipline is Destiny will guide readers down the path to self-mastery, upon which all the other virtues depend. Discipline is predictive. You cannot succeed without it. And if you lose it, you cannot help but bring yourself failure and unhappiness.
Go here to grab a copy of this great book: https://a.co/d/9RFwjQ0
Mastering The Art Of Letting Go
One of the keys to living a life of calm and purpose is the art of letting go.
If you’d like a more peaceful life, it’s powerful to look at what disturbs that peace, and practice letting go of whatever you’re holding onto that’s causing you anxiety and frustration.
If you’d like a life of purposeful focus, it’s powerful to examine what is standing in the way of that … and let go of whatever is blocking you.
Letting go can seem quite simple, but it isn’t necessarily easy. We have attachments that we cling to quite tightly, and letting go of them is often something we don’t want to do.
In this article, I’ll share the deeper part of the practice of letting go. Then I’ll talk about how you might practice.
The Heart of Letting Go
When we are clinging to something that’s causing us to resist purposeful action, or to have our calm disrupted … what’s causing that?
The cause is some kind of idea, concept, or narrative we have in our minds. Let’s look at some examples:
Go here to finish reading: https://zenhabits.net/mastering-letting-go/
Warren Buffett’s McDonald’s Breakfast Is A Genius Motivation Hack — Replicate That In 4 Steps
If you’ve ever struggled with maintaining a habit, you’d be able to relate.
Every morning, Warren Buffet asks his wife Astrid to keep a specific amount of money in his car’s cupholder.
The amount is either $2.61, $2.95 or $3.17.
And then, on his way to work, he stops by a McDonald’s.
At McDonald’s, he pays $2.61 for two sausage patties, $2.95 for a sausage McMuffin with egg and cheese, or $3.17 for a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit.
He has been making this trip to McDonald’s for the last five years!
And it’s not random at all. There’s a reason behind choosing each of those amounts.
“When I’m not feeling quite so prosperous, I might go with the $2.61, which is two sausage patties, and then I put them together and pour myself a Coke….$3.17 is a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, but the market’s down this morning, so I’ll pass up the $3.17 and go with the $2.95.”
His decision is tied to his stock performance.
If his stocks do well, he gets the $3.17. And if they don’t do well, he sides with $2.61.
Go here to finish reading: https://medium.com/mind-cafe/warren-buffetts-mcdonald-s-breakfast-is-a-genius-motivation-hack-replicate-that-in-4-steps-27305e9d7307
Pinterest Now up to 450 Million Active Users, Posts Solid Numbers in Latest Performance Report
Pinterest has posted its Q4 and full-year earnings for 2022, showing steady increases in both users and revenue, as it continues to build out its various offerings.
First off, on users, Pinterest added five million more active users — most of them coming from Europe — within the final measurement period of last year.
That’s a good sign for Pinterest, which actually lost users in early 2021, after the COVID-induced boom in eCommerce activity of the previous year, which saw the platform post record high usage numbers.
Go here to finish reading: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/Pinterest-Q4-and-Full-Year-2022-Results/642135/
Hope you enjoy these articles and books. Have a great rest of your Friday and amazing weekend!
