“I’m not a book quitter!” Clutching The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo, I heard the words inadvertently escaping. “Why don’t you just stop reading it?” My girlfriend asked upon seeing me squirm under the covers, reading by nightstand light, brows furrowed, an occasional guffaw breaking the silence.
As I write, that magical and fleeting stretch of New England weather that begins sometime in September and ends sometime in October is upon us. The air is crisp. The stinging morning cold strikes your face like a boxer’s landing blow. Momentarily jarred, it takes a second to register this strange phenomenon, this thing cold. You shrug, knowing that come brunchtime, remnants of Summer will again regain the upper hand… for a few hours at least.
Dan Harris may claim some obscure “longest title” award for his 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works — A True Story. I happened to have opted for the audio version (proudly borrowed from the public library database), which turned out to be conducive to his writing style and pretty entertaining. His tone is casual, almost like chatting with you over a pint. A bit autobiographical, Harris spends effort outlining his background and career progression from small market local news to big time network anchor. He candidly recounts the darker side of his ascension: a burgeoning drug habit coupled with an aggressive winner-take-all approach to interpersonal relationships. He remembers getting feedback from a manager, who described him as “an asshole that nobody likes.” Personal insecurities and drug abuse smashed together with a pressure cooker corporate environment take its toll, eventually culminating in an on-air public meltdown. He has a panic attack on live television, struggling to breathe let alone speak words cogently into the camera.
I picked up Richard Koch’s: The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less upon recommendation from the Tim Ferriss Podcast (see my review of the Tim Ferriss Podcast here). I can see why a tinkerer like Tim might gravitate towards this book and its contrarian logic. The substance of the book is: defining the concept, its application within the business world and its application to one’s personal life. Right off the bat, he states his motivation:
“This book is written from a burning conviction validated in personal and business experience, that this principle is one of the best ways of dealing with and transcending the pressures of modern life.”
I was first exposed to Walden and Henry David Thoreau, like many, during high school. And like many, tripled the amount of ink on its pages, underlining, circling and annotating its margins. I make it a point to reread it every handful of years.
Simple as it were, Thoreau’s goal was to see if he might not live by himself in the woods. Well, that’s probably the short version he maybe told curious inquirers anyway. The lessons shared with Walden, and immortalized in American literature canon, are deep, yet tantalizingly simple still: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” In what pursuit could be more urgent, more noble?
Anytime is a lovely time to go to the beach. The Cape is not the beach. My preference: September, early morning if possible. Yeah, a sweater is likely accoutrement, but equally likely to be shed. You find parking. You do not find traffic. You find more than a patch of sand to claim. You may even find yourself Commander in Beach, with only a spattering of fellow bipeds about, free to do silly things as one pleases.
“Polymath” is an apt characterization of Tim Ferriss. He’s an entrepreneur, an author, an angel investor, a master interviewer, an accomplished martial artist, a… oh, just go to his about page for his story. He’s done a ton in just over 40 years on this here planet.
I honestly don’t even remember how I came across his podcast, but about two years ago I started listening and was immediately drawn to the format and content. It became my go-to podcast for car commutes and lunch-time walkabouts. The podcast is long form interviews featuring “world-class performers,” in which he attempts “to extract the tactics, tools, and routines” that made these folks who they are today (which implicitly listeners may adopt themselves). If you find yourself drawn to self-improvement and/or biographical content, you’ll be right at home with Tim. Read More
Farmers’ markets bring out the best in people. Maybe it was the weather, I don’t know. It was one of those perfect August days: zero humidity (a rarity for coastal New England summers), zero clouds in the sky, mid 80’s… People move slower when content.
Drifting from stall to stall, we serpentined through the crowd, stopping to point out a particularly interesting vegetable or chat with an enterprising proprietor. 30 second interactions with queued patrons flowed naturally, yet mutual acknowledgement of its transience was a given. No one made a fuss about it. Intrigued by a slight ruddiness and tinge of dirt on the hands, I envied the farmers. Was that flicker in the eye that of joie de vivre or a salesman in a less-than-sporty attire? I was happy to keep it a mystery. Read More
Hello! My name is JR and welcome to Insisting Simplicity. Created in 2018, Insisting Simplicity is a forum to share ideas, adventures and (maybe) inspire.
I make no pledges with this project, nor do I care to limit creativity by focusing too narrowly. I prefer the mental meandering and the pursuit of varied interests. I hope you do too!
Here you will find a commitment to candor and a passion for living a meaningful, fulfilled, yet simple lifestyle. Join me on the ride!
