NonTrivial

People look for stability in the labels we give ourselves. Our job, our title, our salary, the associations we join. But the only thing truly constant in life is its ever-changing nature.
Those labels we take comfort in are in constant flux, getting reshaped and redefined by a changing economy, and the technologies that drive it. In this episode I argue that instead of looking for stability in the not-so-stable categories we create for ourselves, we can find greater security, peace and contentment by embracing the dynamics of life.

Suggested Reading Related to Intro Example
The End of Work: The Decline of the Global Labor Force and the Dawn of the Post-Market Era by Jeremy Rifkin

Episode Music for Intro Example
Anton Kornienko

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We do things for the mystery more than the facts. Scientists go on into the deepest parts of the ocean, yes to conduct research, but under highly uncertain and dangerous circumstances. What really drives deep sea exploration is the mystery. This is true of anything we create.  If we are writing a book, yes there is structure, yes there are facts, but ultimately we are trying to deliver a kind of mysterious synthesis that precipitates out from our efforts. In this episode I argue that we need to channel the mystery to create our best work.  If that's true, then we should find ways to tap into the unknown when we create.

Suggested Reading Related to Intro Example
The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean by Susan Casey

Episode Music for Intro Example
Sergii Pavkin

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School shows us topics worth learning, but it does not, I would argue, impart genuine comprehension. And yet, everyone’s life contains the same patterns that lead to what we are shown in school. This means that the knowledge locked away in textbooks is actually most useful to us later in life. In this episode, I argue that we should look to embrace scholastic information later in life, when our experiences give the collective knowledge of humanity meaning (and utility) to our lives.

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When we are not in the mood our energy is low. But when our energy is low our mind is better aligned to what matters when it comes to doing good work; contemplation, reflection, prioritization. Critically, not being in the mood means not going down too many wrong paths. In this episode I argue that the best time to work on a given task is when we're not in the mood, and discuss how we should stop waiting for mental energy, and instead wait for mental clarity.

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Our lives are a product of our thoughts. Our thinking directly latches onto tangible things in our lives. And whenever we think about our thoughts it’s always after-the-fact (introspection, therapy, etc.).  But some thoughts we know do not lead to good outcomes (non-negotiable), and are thus not worth struggling with. In this episode I argue that there is no point in allowing thoughts that we know lack utility, or lead to poor outcomes, into our lives. If we don’t choose our thoughts, they’ll choose us. I put forward a disciplined approach to actively choosing our thoughts, and thus improving the quality of our lives.

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A formidable skill is one that is related to a high level of expertise, surpassing the norm. It is one that is difficult to acquire, requires significant effort and dedication. Formidable skills are ones that are largely automatic.  The automation comes from the mind figuring things out in ways we don't understand. So much of honing a formidable skill is learning which parts are automatically handled by the mind, and which parts require our deliberate attention.  To get really good at something, we need to actively let go/trust that our minds can figure things out (better than we can).

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Doing more with less means being able to create a decent amount of content in a small amount of time. To create a lot using a small amount of time (and other resources) requires one to find something generative. Something generative is highly efficient because it encapsulates and expresses a high degree of abstraction and complexity in a compact form. We can do a lot more by doing less, if we learn to look for universally true things in our work. We need to learn how to find and develop universal primitives that allow us to tackle a broad spectrum of problems and create diverse things.

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Moving slower means we can focus on what matters. But it's also true that moving fast is a signal that we are figuring things out. In this episode I argue that to really get good at something we should find the slowness that moves us. We should seek ways to move slowly, and expect brevity.

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So much of life is about searching for answers. Answers have to do with information, but real-world information has no “location" (it does not exist at a single point inside the space of possibilities), meaning that in some sense, answers don't exist. In this episode I argue that we should be looking for conversations, not answers. Conversations provide us the kind of information that can move us in positive directions. If this is the case, then we should place ourselves into environments that facilitate having good conversations.

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There are 2 kinds of heroes; extraordinary people in ordinary circumstances, and ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The problem with heroes portrayed as extraordinary people in ordinary circumstances is that they are far less relatable, and more rigorously, reveal less useful information. In this episode I argue that our choice in heroes should be aligned to ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, based on concepts of disorder, information and pattern.

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