10 Ideas For The Interested This Week - For The Interested

10 Ideas For The Interested This Week

“If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

It’s nice to take a moment and be thankful for things that matter in life.

But Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be the only day we do that.

Here’s to remembering that in the year to come.

Now, on to this week’s ideas…

1. THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL TO DEVELOP IS INTELLECTUAL DISCIPLINE

“Children are going to have to learn something that I didn’t have to learn as much which is discipline, intellectual discipline — the ability to say no. There was no choice if I went to a store. The world my children are growing up in is exactly the opposite: An explosion of choice, an explosion of options, an explosion of opportunity.”

The world has changed, but the skills we focus on haven’t kept up with its changes.

Quartz details CNN’s Fareed Zakaria’s recent comments about why intellectual discipline is the most necessary skill for children (and adults) to develop.

He points out the ability to recall facts is unnecessary in a world where Google is in the palm of your hands, and suggests what’s more needed is an ability to wade through the noise, discern the facts, analyze perspectives, and develop your own expertise.

2. HOW TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ACTUALLY ENJOY YOUR SUCCESS

“This mental time-travel allows you to view your achievements in the context of past expectations.”

Adam Grant, author of the book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move The World, recently realized he had a habit of not celebrating his successes — when he published one book, he immediately turned his thoughts to the next one.

That realization led him to develop a simple trick to help enjoy success that involves a bit of “mental time travel.”

Grant’s slow-down strategy involves viewing current accomplishments through the prism of your past expectations, which inevitably creates a greater sense of pride and enjoyment in your success.

3. HOW INDEPENDENT BOOK STORES HAVE THRIVED IN SPITE OF AMAZON

“While pressure from Amazon forced Borders out of business in 2011, indie bookstores staged an unexpected comeback. Between 2009 and 2015, the ABA reported a 35 percent growth in the number of independent booksellers, from 1,651 stores to 2,227.”

Amazon may be a juggernaut, but it turns out they haven’t wiped out every business in their path.

Harvard Business School explores why independent bookstores have thrived in spite of Amazon and shares important lessons that can be applied to other industries as well.

The indie success is attributed to three factors: the development of community, an emphasis on curation, and a shift to stores becoming places to convene like-minded customers.

Maybe that explains why I did this.

4. SEVEN INVESTMENTS TO MAKE IN YOURSELF

“Decide you’ll never feel guilty again. Successful people don’t feel guilty. Successful people are entitled and believe they deserve.”

You’re not going to get what you want until you invest enough in yourself to get it.

Aram Rasa Taghavi breaks down seven investments worth making in yourself in order to get what you want out of life including to take leisure time for yourself, invest in learning, and focus on earning more as opposed to consuming less.

5. HOW TO SHOW APPRECIATION TO YOUR CO-WORKERS

“While 50% of people express gratitude to their immediate family on a daily basis, only 15% of people do so with their colleagues. In fact, the workplace ranked as the very last place where people are regularly inclined to say thank you. (Even mail carriers ranked higher.)”

Studies show one of the keys to work satisfaction is to feel your work is appreciated and yet…we never show any gratitude to our co-workers.

This Jocelyn K. Glei post suggests how to show appreciation to your co-workers including to write an open thank-you letter to the people who helped you in your career and to show someone that their work is seen.

6. 22 WAYS FOR CREATIVES TO INCREASE THEIR HEALTH, WEALTH, AND WISDOM

“If you’re going to practice becoming more creative, get ready to be viewed as an idiot by the insane. Think of it as a badge of honor.”

There’s no one blueprint to creative success, but there are ways to stack the deck in your favor.

Chad Grills has compiled 22 secrets for creatives who want to increase their health, wealth, and wisdom including to stop telling stories about your past, recognize the source of creativity is unlimited, and find healthy addictions.

7. HOW TO REMEMBER INFORMATION WITHOUT WRITING IT DOWN — LIKE A SPY DOES

“By placing the element that you need to remember in an area on a circuit that you know well, you are fixing that unknown element to something known, and are embedding the element in your memory.”

This one’s for all you wannabe James Bonds.

Business Insider interviewed a former British Secret Service MI6 agent to learn how spies remember important information without writing it down.

It involves an image association technique in which you associate vital new information with previously known information that’s embedded in your memory already — for example, the nooks and crannies of your family home.

8. THE ULTIMATE FINANCIAL ADVICE FOR 30-YEAR-OLDS

“Doing okay and being wealthy are two very, very different things. If you’re after the latter, then you need to live as far below your means as possible.”

This one may be geared to 30-year-olds, but its likely of value to you no matter how old you are.

Eric Roberge is a financial planner who shares seven pieces of financial advice for 30-year-olds including to focus on the percentage of income saved instead of the dollar amount, diversify where you invest instead of just your portfolio, and spend time tracking and reviewing your money.

9. THE EIGHT FRIENDS YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE

“Mind Openers are the friends who expand your horizons and encourage you to embrace new ideas, opportunities, cultures, and people. They challenge you to think in innovative ways and help you create positive change.”

Based on research that studied the friendships of more than 1,000 people, Eric Barkerbreaks down the findings that there are eight types of friends you need to be happy in life.

The types include Builders, Champions, Collaborators, Energizers, and more.

10. THE STORY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MONTH OF THE 20TH CENTURY

“Newly appointed as prime minister, Churchill was faced with two monumental tasks: steer the British government away from a peace deal with Germany, and if successful, prepare his nation for the bitter and costly war that would result.”

Timed to the release of the new movie The Darkest Hour, this New York Times feature tells the story behind the most important month of the 20th century.

It’s an interesting look at the dangerous situation Winston Churchill inherited and the decisions he made to navigate it.