Deity: Hello. Welcome. <spreads celestial “hands”> me: uh … hi. Where am I? Deity: What’s the last thing you remember? me: Going to bed, I think. Yeah, that and a weird dream after I fell asleep. And then, all of a sudden, here. Deity: uh huh. me: Am I ……

Anniversary, Skepticism, AI, Health Care, Thinking, Logic, Pep-talks, Technology — Note: this will be the last issue of 7 Takeaways published on Medium. Check back here next week for news on its replacement. 0. “728 takeaways” This week’s issue, #104, marks the two-year anniversary of 7 Takeaways. That means (assuming my math is correct) 728 takeaways to date! YIKES! Do I feel smarter…

Gratitude, Critical Thinking, Boredom, Start, Language, Anger, Skills — 1. “Brussels sprouts used to be terrible” Underrated reasons to be thankful — (Dynomight Internet Newsletter) OK, this one’s both fun, and a little eye opening. 30 things to be thankful for I guarantee you’ve never considered. there’s been a 93% decline in stomach cancer deaths over the past 100 years — from by far the biggest…

Expectations, Purpose, Gifts, Friendship, Gratitude, Boredom, Writing — 1. “Our expectations are like the air we breathe” The Expectation Effect — David Robson — (ebook) My takeaway is the entire book, which I finished last week. Using anecdotes and the results of many (many!) scientific studies, Robson makes a compelling case that we’re undervaluing the power of expectation in our daily lives. From everything to sleep, disease…

Change, Expectations, Imagine, Population, Stories, Strengths, Happiness — 1. “Making a promise that a stranger is going to have to keep.” You Don’t Actually Know What Your Future Self Wants — Shankar Vedantam — (YouTube, TED talk) Future-you is a stranger, a completely different person than who you are today. Vendantam (host of the excellent Hidden Brain podcast) illustrates this with two very moving stories, one a personal anecdote from his…

Charlatans, Fun, Pi, Dunning-Kruger, Time, Sunk cost, Living — Yep, I know it’s 100. Not celebrating, per se. Saving that. Stay tuned. 1. “Our truth, the real thing, is far more powerful than any story” Why Your Brave is Someone Else’s Save: When Your Story is the One Someone Desperately Needs to Hear — Julia Hubbel — (Walkabout Saga blog) I mention Ms. Hubbel often. One description is that she’s a nearly…

Showing Up, Expectations, Drugs, Winging It, Twitter, Smartphones, Happiness — 1. “Never bet against the person who just keeps showing up.” The Difference Between Amateurs & Professionals — Sahil Bloom — (The Curiosity Chronicle newsletter) An interesting “listicle”, of sorts. Eleven differences, but each with some explanation and exploration. While certainly aimed at entrepreneurs and business minded folks, the concepts apply to anyone wanting to achieve anything in life. …

Understanding, Questions, Time, Teaching, Atheism, AI, Optimism — 1. “It’s infinitely more rewarding to understand than to be right” 16 Life-Learnings from 16 Years of The Marginalian — Maria Popova — (The Marginalian newsletter) I’ve mentioned before that I’m drawn to these lesson-collection posts, particularly from people I follow and admire. Popova gives me another collection to enjoy, based on her 16 years of publishing her very popular newsletter…

Smart, Living, Survival, Being Wrong, Truth, Manifesting, Language — 1. “You’re almost certainly smart enough” “I’m not that smart” — Seth Goden — (Blog) This hurt me as I read it because it’s something I hear variations of over and over again at Ask Leo!. As Godin points out, it’s probably more accurate to say “I don’t care enough”. That’s valid. That’s a choice. I…