What To Say When You Talk To Your Self #

A more useful summary would be….

When you talk to your self, tell your self the attitude that you want to have…

Zero To One

By Peter Theil.

 

The book is ostensibly about what it takes to create a billion dollar startup. The book covers much material in the process. There are some very deep concepts here and I must re-read this book at some point to ensure I understand them better

 

For example, Theil covers the concept of definite v.s. indefinite thinking and the way it shapes our choices...

 

For example definite optimism… The future will be better because it will have the following specific qualities…

Indefinite optimism… the future will get better but I don't know how.

 

Successful startups are built on definite optimism and unless you can think that way, you probably won't be able to build a successful startup. Indefinite optimism encourages you to invest your money in an index fund and let other people improve it.

 

Product pricing… It's hard to sell a product that's priced from ~$100.00 to $10,000.00 Products priced less than $100.00 are easier to sell with traditional advertising and marketing. Products priced more than $10,000.00 can be sold with a dedicated sales force. Products in-between the two don't sell enough to pay for a traditional sales team, but cost too much for them to easily succeed in stores.

 

This book covers many topics with similar depth

 

 

 

What To Say When You Talk To Your Self

By Shad Helmstetter.

 

We believe what we tell ourselves, even if it's just a little. If you repeatedly tell you self something simple and positive, then you will grow to believe it.

 

There is a focus on the simple and positive here. For those trying to quiet smoking, instead of saying "Don't Smoke!" Say "I take care of my lungs and my health."

 

Procrastination… "I do what is necessary with energy."

 

Problems getting out of bed… "I great each day with energy."

 

Instead of telling yourself negative things over and over again. Tell yourself the positive, with a focus on simple things that you can actually do.

 

Weddings. So many of them.

 

This past weekend Steven and I went to Yakima for a friends wedding. The wedding was at Gilbert Cellars. Very nice place.

 

Weekend before we flew to Denver for a wedding & a few days R&R.

 

The 20^th, we caught a concert at the Red Rock Amphitheater. The Piano Guys. They are a great band. I was initially surprised that I had never heard about them before. After all, they filled a ten thousand seat venue and they were clearly knew there stuff. Over the course of the evening though, I figured it out. They are Mormon, and they are very famous amongst Mormons. I'm just not in touch with the Mormon world.

 

Check them out on YouTube.

 

Friday we went to the Celestial Seasonings Tea factory for a tour. Yes, you heard that correct.

 

It was one of the most intense experiences I have been through. One of us got injured and had to leave. The peppermint room was an assault on the senses…. I exaggerate but only a little.

 

The tour was largely populated by middle aged women and their families. Oddly enough we were there at the urging of a female middle aged friend who wanted to see it.

 

One person on the tour did have to drop out. She was asthmatic and the tea dust made it hard for her to breath.

 

The peppermint room was intense. Celestial Seasonings has a separate warehouse room to store peppermint. When you walk into that room your eyes and nose start to run.

 

And then we sampled tea.

 

Saturday we went to an amusement park but left early because the threat of lightening shut down the big rides.

 

Saturday night was the frosting emergency. The mother of the bride had elected to make the wedding cake. But Saturday evening, for the Sunday Wedding, the cake was still not ready. In fact the first batch of frosting didn't turn out and the mother of the bride didn't have a car or kitchen available to her to make another batch. So, we drove across Denver Saturday evening to a friends with an available kitchen.

 

The frosting and the cake turned out very well.

 

On Sunday was the wedding. It was held at a barn at a botanical garden. It was very beautiful.

 

 

A Place of My Own

By Michael Pollan
 
There is a huge gap between dreams and reality.
 
This book covers the two years it took Pollan to build a small cabin behind his house. Much of the book covers the gap between the cabin's architect, and the contractor. The architect trying to make the cabin as nice as possible. The contractor dealing the expensive, and sometimes impractical reality of the architects choices.
 
There is a good amount of opinion in this book on modern architecture and it's challenges. I found these sections fascinating. Many modern architects are so driven by the art of the building that the functional requirements are an afterthought to the aesthetics. The consequences of this are buildings that look the best the day before the client moves in, that have leaky roofs, that age poorly.
 

Hyperbole and a Half

By Allie Brosh

Is this a graphic novel? It is a lovely set of short stories illustrated by Brosh's distinct drawings.

Brosh ultimately realizes that she is just sort of naturally shitter than what she wants to be, and she had to trick her self to keep herself from finding out and making her disappointed. This trickery is the cause of many weird and unfortunate behaviors behind many of Brosh's  hilarious stories.

Aren't we all.

Brosh's story about her depression is very deep and touching.

I read this book for a second time in May 2017. I close friend of mind had just told me that he just doesn't feel anymore. From our conversation I gathered that he was deeply depressed. He didn't use those words though. I thought of gifting this book to him, maybe to cheer him up. First I reread it to ensure it was as relevant as I had thought.

This is not a book to help depressed people. This is a book for friends of depressed people. I think I've realized that I can help him. Even worse, helping him may be counter productive. As the author said, "Telling a depressed person to cheer up is like telling an armless person to keep punching him self until his arms grow back-- That plan is just fundamentally wrong."

Instead I can keep in touch with him as he goes through this journey and perhaps double check that his decisions to go off into the weeds.

The Upside of Irrationality

By Dan Ariely

We are irrational far more often than we'd like. We are often unaware of than this because e don't fully understand our behavior. Irrationality isn't all bad. It can give us meaning and purpose, so it's not all bad.

To protect your self, make decisions based on testable experiments.