3 Minute Monday
Hi friend,
I’m back from Italy.
FYI – some of Europe is strict AF on covid restrictions still. Masks everywhere, proof of vaccination or test before entering any public transport or restaurants. Heavy.
I rode a Vespa through the Tuscan Hills, did a cycling tour of Florence, went to see an orchestra in a 500 year old church, was guided up to the top of Il Duomo, then took a train to Rome to see the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel.
So I’m basically the most cultured person you know now.
I also said “gracias” a lot, even though I tried really hard not to.
If you’re not British, you might be confused by why I’d use Spanish in Italy.
But you have to understand that if you’re British, and you’re in Europe somewhere warm, buying a glass of wine at 3pm, you’ve been conditioned for every holiday in your life prior up to that point to presume that you’re in Spain.
So “gracias” just tumbles out of you when the waiter arrives like some lexical pavlovian response.
Apologies to the country of Italy.
Whilst I was away I was learning a lot from museums and tour guides and locals.
It got me thinking about all the other things I don’t know about.
The least endearing types of people are the ones who never admit their ignorance.
We inherently don’t like know-it-alls, but a special place in hell is reserved for know-it-alls who actually know nothing.
Knowing what you don’t know and being able to admit it is a superpower.
It helps to humanise you to other people, it makes them feel involved in improving your development and it allows you to grow through the assistance of others.
Awareness of the limits of your expertise is nearly as important as the expertise themselves.
The more that you get used to asking for explanations and clarification, the less you attach a sense of self-worth to appearing knowledgeable.
The goal isn’t to appear knowledgeable, it’s to be the sort of person who acquires knowledge.
You should ask more questions.
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MODERN WISDOM
I do a podcast which has had 25 million+ downloads. You should subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
This week’s upcoming episodes:
Monday.
Anna Lembke – how to reset your brain’s dopamine balance. A must listen discussing the key neurotransmitter of pleasure & pain which is being manipulated in 2021.
Thursday.
Ali Abdaal – 12 simple ideas to earn passive income. Hedging your income across multiple streams is a good idea, Ali goes through his best suggestions.
Saturday.
Carl Zimmer – what is “life”? What defines the edges of something being alive or dead? What crazy extreme examples of living creatures have we discovered?
THINGS I’VE LEARNED
1.
Women want taller men more than men want shorter women.
Women are most satisfied when their partner was 21cm (8in) taller.
Whereas men are most satisfied when they were 8cm (3in) taller than their partner.
So women prefer, on average, a larger height difference between themselves and their partner than men do.
Men and women are not the same.
But they’re also not perfect opposites either.
Both partners can end up with a suboptimal outcome individually, which is actually optimal for the relationship.
2.
“Ideas are cheap. Execution is expensive.
The ability to execute separates people, not the ability to come up with ideas.” — Shane Parrish
3.
Brandolini’s Law (aka the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle).
It takes a lot more energy to refute bullshit than to produce it.
Hence, the world is full of unrefuted bullshit.
LIFE HACK
50% off everything on MyProtein.
50% off everything site-wide from supplements to clothing, this week only while stocks last.
If you need to stock up on Orange & Mango Clear Whey and Gooey Cookies and everything else, now is the time.
50% discount with code: MODERNWISDOM
Big love,
Chris x
Join the Modern Wisdom Community.
PS
Just confirmed Rory Sutherland for Round #3. #bde
