Do the Opposite - Developing Love of Boredom, Fair Hiring, Frugality for Freedom
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Developing Love of Boredom
We don't like it, but the truth is: the act of walking towards our goals almost always requires us to do repetitive things that seem very boring to our brains.
Examples: if you want to learn to play the piano, get used to playing scales. If you want to pick up running, you will have to hit the pavement and actually (surprise surprise) run. To learn the vocabulary of a foreign language, you will need to do quite a bit of rote learning of the vocabulary.
Doing these things is part of the process, and learning to love "the practice" is what will make all the difference between being a dilettante (amateur) or becoming a pro. Amateurs don't love the process, they are in love with the status, the result, the finished state. That's why all the "learn a foreign language in 2 weeks" and "lose weight in 3 weeks with this surprising trick" products and articles are so popular - because amateurs don't want to "do the work". It's also why people buy Instagram followers and otherwise do things that get them to the end result without the taking the journey altogether. It's why there are people cheating at marathons - a sport where for most participants there are no real prizes and stakes besides the 'inner journey and overcoming' part of it. (here's an article if you want to learn more) A pro would never do any of these things, because they know that it would be an empty achievement. The amateurs also know that deep inside, but they prefer not to think about that and look for the next shiny thing instead.
I must say though, that even Pros were not born loving the grind and the daily practice. It's something each of us has to grow into, to cultivate within ourselves. Start with the simple things. Don't rush through the boring parts of the activities - instead, try to "live them fully" through awareness and understanding of why you are doing them.
Let's say you are running. It's pretty boring. To fight that, you can focus on the way your body feels when you run. Take notice of your stride, see if you can adjust your arms, back and neck to improve it. Think of your plans in the near future (I find that I get a lot of ideas when I run and start thinking about my projects). Think of how this run is making your muscles and body stronger.
If you are playing the violin and have to practice scales (this is very specific but I am confident you will be able to transfer this concept to anything you are working on): you can just "do the time" playing the variations for a given number of repetitions. OR you can focus on improving the sound, the way you slide the bow, your hand and finger position and more. The fact that it's boring and repetitive can even become your advantage: because of that you can isolate the specific things you want to improve - i.e. the right hand position when you are shifting hand position.
(P.S. I play the violin so I know what I am talking about, albeit I am not well versed in English terms for anything too specific :) )
My advice is, with any subject you are studying, to not think of the boring activities involved as hustle or struggle, but as of "practice". As if you were a painter or a student of a martial art - in the act of doing the activity, you get better.
By learning to love boredom you will become a pro.
Articles:
1) "This Company Hired Anyone Who Applied. Now It’s Starting A Movement" by Eillie Anzilotti
This is an interesting idea that paid off. I like it because it's a win-win situation for both employers and the employees. The article talks about the concept of Fair Hiring (or "Open Hiring") which basically means what the title says: they hire anyone who applies. Of course, they can't hire all, but there is a list of people who applied and they contact the next person on the list as soon as the company is ready to add on another employee.
They give chances to people whom the traditional system ignores and openly rejects: people who have had a criminal record (no matter how small), or something else in their past. These people are often changed or maybe got into a bad situation when they were very young (poor family, bad influence and such) and all they want is a chance to prove that they can do the job and have a normal life. I am glad to see companies like the ones mentioned in the article that give people a second chance.
2) "How Copenhagen Plans To Reach Carbon-Neutral Status In Just Six Years" by Adele Peters
This story goes to show that it's possible to change a system in a short period of time and that a lot of the "let's do it by 2050 or 2060" plans we hear about are just a way to prolong the existence of status quo, changing as slowly as the public/stakeholders will allow. Copenhagen is once again providing a great example to all of us around the world.
They've already managed to affect dramatic change once before: "After the oil crisis in the 1970s made the government question car-centric urban planning, it started building better bike infrastructure, and in response, people started to ride more. In 1970, roughly 10% of residents commuted by bike; that number is now 62%."
Observing the climate and weather patterns in last couple of years, we can't help but ring all the bells we have in our disposal ― to increase people's awareness of the severity of the situation and the need to make changes fast. Sharing stories like this helps us teach people that change is not as scary and unrealistic as it seems, and is, in fact, doable.
Videos:
1) "35 SERIOUSLY Frugal Habits to Live By (Pay Off Debt, Save Money, Build Wealth)" by "Debt Free Dana"
I've become interested in frugality ― not as a way to cut all spending, and sit at home all year round being happy we are saving as much as we can ― but as a tool to: 1) assist in developing a minimalist lifestyle 2) find clever ways to save money on things we do mindlessly or don't have a real need for (like using paper towels for everything out of pure convenience) 3) allow for more money to be spent on things we really care about ― travel, large purchases and investments in the future, etc.
I don't agree with some of the extreme frugal tips, but some of them make a lot of sense. Among the videos I watched on the topic, Dana's video (link is above) is the one I resonated with the most.
Don't think of frugality as something negative, instead consider the following:
a) You will be able to do more things you actually care about
b) With less things, your mind will become calmer and your stress levels will go down
2) "Missy Elliott Performs 'Get Ur Freak On', 'Lose Control' & More | 2019 Video Music Awards"
I am not sure if you have yet heard (maybe you don't care about Hip Hop, but if you do, don't skip this:) but Missy Elliot is back this week with a new EP called Iconology. Here's a link to a new music video on a song from the new EP: "Throw It Back".
The video above from the link above (from VMA ― Video Music Awards) - I think it happened about a couple of hours ago - so this is very fresh :) That's why the quality of the video might not be best (there might be a better one released soon), but it's just great: It's a Potpourri of classic songs by Missy coupled with an amazing show. Give it a watch :)
Tweet that resonated with me
Try on shoes with the help of AR
Bonus tweets:
One ― Two
Ethos:
Quotes:
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."
― Ray Bradbury
"We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?"
― Ray Bradbury, "Fahrenheit 451"
"Language can become a screen which stands between the thinker and reality. This is the reason why true creativity often starts where language ends."
— Arthur Koestler
"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."
— Blaise Pascal
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Keep doing the opposite,
Alexander Kallaway
Website: dotheoppo.site
Twitter: twitter.com/ka11away