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7PS: When Optimism Becomes Fragile ๐ฆ
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Read time: 1 minute, 319 words. James Stockdale spent eight years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was tortured repeatedly. Later, he was asked: Who did not make it out? His answer: The optimists. The ones who said, Then Christmas came and went. Then Easter. Then Thanksgiving. Then Christmas again. They died of broken hearts. The lesson: Never lose faith that you will prevail in the end. But never lie to yourself about the reality in front of you. -Kabirโโ PS - The Stockdale Paradox explained. Seven Point Sunday - March 29 โRebecca Solnit โ Writer, historian, and activist whose career spans cultural criticism, environmental writing, feminism, and political thought. โก๏ธ Productivity โGlasp. Social highlighting and note-taking tool for capturing ideas while reading on the web. ๐ฐ Wealth Account Autopsy - Pull up your last 3 months of bank and credit card statements. Highlight every recurring charge you no longer actively chose in the past 30 days. Cancel at least one today. The goal is not frugality, but reclaiming attention and optionality. ๐ Books โStolen Focus by Johann Hari. An investigation into why sustained attention has become harder, combining neuroscience, psychology, and cultural critique. It focuses less on personal hacks and more on structural forces shaping how we think and work. ๐ต Music โHejira by Joni Mitchell. Written during a period of near-constant travel, the album replaces traditional song structures with open-ended narratives and fretless bass lines played by Jaco Pastorius. Its restless, searching tone mirrors the physical and emotional movement that shaped it. โ Describe a version of my life where I never slow down. Explain what I am afraid would surface if I did, and what staying busy helps me avoid. โ โWrite what you know. The world will notice.โ โThe life you want is closer than you thinkโ โ12 months, 12 paychecksโ
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Seven Point Sunday๐กby Kabir Sehgal
I help you build your portfolio career. Get 7 actionable ideas on Sundays. From a Multi-Grammy & Multi-Emmy Winner, New York Times bestselling author (21 books), ex-J.P. Morgan banker, Navy Vet. Join 10k readers.
Read time: 1 minute, 337 words. Valerie Plame spent years working undercover in places like Athens and Brussels. Even many friends and acquaintances did not suspect. Her husband later explained how she did it: Most people are interested in talking about themselves. That detail stayed with me. The more you talk about yourself, the less you learn. The more interested you are in other people, the more they open up. Curiosity is a kind of skeleton key. Try that the next time you go to an event....
Read time: 1 minute, 305 words. Today is March 15. The Ides of March. So I find myself thinking about Julius Caesar. Not how he died. But how he once got kidnapped by pirates. They demanded 20 talents for his release. He laughed. He told them to ask for 50. Even as a hostage, he refused a discount on himself. Maybe confidence is not optimism. Maybe it is pricing yourself correctly. So, where in your life are you still underquoting your own worth? -Kabir Seven Point Sunday - March 15๐ผ...
Read time: 1 minute, 358 words. A composer friend of mine was offered a well-paid film scoring job he didn't love.He asked me whether he should take it.So we thought through the math together.He is 62.The average life expectancy for U.S. men is about 76, so he may have ~14 years left.We sleep about 1/3 of our lives, which means maybe he has ~ 9.7 awake years.The project would have taken 2 years.So, I asked him:Do you want to spend ~20% of what's left on this project? He declined the...