4-Point Weekend #127
Hi everyone,
Please enjoy this week’s 4 points!
1) Mental Diet
When people worry about your mental diet, they tend to fret about the junk you’re pouring into your brain—the trashy videos, the cheap horror movies, the degrading reality TV, and ... I’m not so worried about the dangers of mental junk food. That’s because I’ve found that many of the true intellectuals I’ve met take pleasure in mental junk food too. Having a taste for trashy rom-coms hasn’t rotted their brain or made them incapable of writing great history or doing deep physics.
No, my worry is that, you won’t put enough really excellent stuff into your brain. I’m talking about what you might call the “theory of maximum taste.” This theory is based on the idea that exposure to genius has the power to expand your consciousness. If you spend a lot of time with genius, your mind will end up bigger and broader than if you spend your time only with run-of-the-mill stuff. The theory of maximum taste says that each person’s mind is defined by its upper limit—the best that it habitually consumes and is capable of consuming.
- Author David Brooks
2) Confidence
A definition of confidence I like:
Confidence: a sense of certainty about your ability, which allows you to bypass conscious thought and execute unconsciously
- Source: The Confident Mind
3) Building Habits
If you're having trouble sticking to a new habit, try a smaller version until it becomes automatic. Do less than you're capable of, but do it more consistently than you have before.
- James Clear
Like learning, sometimes we need to scaffold our habits through gradual progression. It doesn't seem like much, then all of a sudden you can’t go without doing the thing.
4) Quote Of the Week
“Life is harder when you expect a lot of the world and little of yourself. Life is easier when you expect a lot of yourself and little of the world. High standards, low expectations.”
- James Clear, again
Thank you for your time and attention this week.
Much love,
Kyle
Good advice and food for thought.
A rich intellectual life is among the top riches of all, like nature and fine friends. Reading, study, and education leads you on to new fascinating trails for your whole life through.