Excellent advice for living

Don’t be the best. Be the only.

Graduate school applications are in full-swing…

I miss writing this newsletter on a weekly basis, but I’m confident I’ll have plenty of war stories to share once I’m through the process in October/November.

I’ve been squeezing in time to read some mind-expanding books. One is Kevin Kelly’s Excellent Advice for Living.

I feel like I could quote this entire book. Below is just a selection of its boundless wealth of pithy insights:

“Don’t be afraid to ask a question that may sound stupid, because 99% of the time everyone else is thinking of the same question and is too embarrassed to ask it.”

“If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. Hang out with, and learn from, people smarter than yourself. Even better, find smart people who will disagree with you.”

“Learn how to take a 20-minute power nap without embarrassment.”

“To build strong children, reinforce their sense of belong to a family by articulating exactly what is distinctive about your family. They should be able to say with pride, ‘Our family does X.’”

“Don’t take it personally when someone turns you down. Assume they are like you: busy, occupied, distracted. Try again later. It’s amazing how often a second try works.”

“That thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult—if you don’t lose it.”

“Don’t be the best. Be the only.”

On that last point, I think of Packy McCormick’s 6th grade teacher, who is the fastest pumpkin-carver in the world. (What a unique thing to be world-class at.)

Read Packy’s excellent article on how you can differentiate yourself and be the “only”.

Have a good week!

—Brendan

Thanks for reading! I love when these thoughts lead to conversations with readers. Did you find anything interesting or surprising? Reply to me and let me know.