Daniel Day Lewis is one of my favorite movie stars. The authenticity he brings to the characters he plays makes it hard for me to fathom that he is “creating” - it feels more as if he is channeling someone. His acting skills are not the only reason I find him inspiring. He has finally retired now but during his acting years, he was on and off making movies taking long breaks of retirement. It is rumored that the actor interned with a Florentine master craftsman and learnt how to make bespoke shoes during one of his retirements. For his last movie, The Phantom Thread, he played a designer and learnt how to cut, drape, and sew - and even recreated a Belanciaga dress on his own. Daniel is an exceptional mind and a curious soul, but being able to delve into your curiosities like he is able to is a privilege. For most of us mortals, life seems to get in the way. Perhaps your version of living your best life fulfilling your desires and following your passions does not involve shoemakin...
I was thinking about making a video to mark the end of the year. It seemed apt to talk about goal setting since this is what I (and I am sure many others) are thinking about this time of the year. However, instead of talking about what goals to set in 2023, I want to talk about what 2022 has taught me. Here are the lessons. 1. The magic of thinking small Over the years, I used to set extraordinarily difficult goals with the mindset that even if I don't reach the goals, I would have made significant progress. Unfortunately for me, that would usually turn into an intimidating goal. I would procrastinate and the more I ran away from it, the scarier the goal became. Long story short, I would feel bad at the end of the year and set even more audacious goals - hence repeating the cycle. 2. Doing less, not more I, like many others, have a lot of interests. There are many things that I think are cool - so many books to read, courses to attend, Youtube, Podcasts, Blogging. In a burst of...
Deepwork a term coined by Cal Newport is referenced multiple times by Lex Fridman in his podcast. In fact, one of the youtube videos where Lex Fridman is explaining his daily routine, it is clear that Deepwork is central to his day. I admire Lex Fridman for his philosophical outlook on life, the knowledge that he conveys to the world through his podcast and his love centered worldview. So I picked up Cal Newport’s Deepwork and took some notes to share with friends and family. Cal Newport is a seminal and authentic thinker — his philosophy towards work and learning is laid out in the series of books he has produced. TL;DR The idea: Deepwork is valuable Deepwork is rare Deepwork is meaningful The rules Work Deeply Embrace Boredom Quit Social Media Drain the shallows In the first part of the book Cal lays out the foundations of why working deeply is becoming more and more important in today’s world. Most people today are bombarded by information and distractions making the abil...