New year, new you. Two pieces I enjoyed that feel timely — Aristotle’s 10 Rules for a Good Life, and then 9 Ways to Improve Your Relationships in 2024. Good advice that’s easy to employ.
The Fox is Black
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As I wrote about in this week’s newsletter, I’m approaching a turning point in life, and this piece from Maria Popova has been top of mind for me, 17 Life-Learnings from 17 Years of The Marginalian. Here’s one of my favorites:
Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity. Ours is a culture that measures our worth as human beings by our efficiency, our earnings, our ability to perform this or that. The cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that makes life worth living — for, as Annie Dillard memorably put it, “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
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I’ve been trying to work on myself lately (as one should always be doing) so when I read Annika Hansteen-Izora’s 6 Things I’m Trying to Say More it really clicked with me. A lot of what she’s written about is being open, asking for help, and enjoying the wonders of everyday life. For me, I can get caught up in my routines, doing things in the same ways each day, so I’m trying to break free of these routines and explore what else may work.