Welcome to the fourth issue of Sabbath Sessions!
As this newsletter evolves, I am experimenting with formatting to determine what feels best to write and what seems to resonate most with you.
Last week I wrote a single-threaded mini-essay.
Today is an exercise in curation.
Do you prefer one to the other? Does the variation keep things fresh or create discontinuity? Leave me a comment or shoot me a DM @beingdustin and let me know!
Is this your first week? You can catch up on past sessions here. Also, if someone shared this with you and you would like to read more, please subscribe!
Three Bits
Kevin Kelly (of 1000 True Fans fame) celebrated his 70th birthday recently and shared 103 ābits of wisdom I wish I had known when I was young.ā
Iād encourage you to take a moment and scroll the list in total over a cup of coffee; itās a brief read. Here are three quotes that specifically spoke to me; Iād love to hear which impacted you:
Efficiency is highly overrated; Goofing off is highly underrated. Regularly scheduled sabbaths, sabbaticals, vacations, breaks, aimless walks, and time off are essential for top performance of any kind. The best work ethic requires a good rest ethic.
If your opinions on one subject can be predicted from your opinions on another, you may be in the grip of an ideology. When you truly think for yourself your conclusions will not be predictable.
A wise man said, āBefore you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, ask yourself, āIs it true?ā At the second gate ask, āIs it necessary?ā At the third gate ask, āIs it kind?ā
Iām debating the idea of writing more extensively about each of these points, either in future editions of Sabbath Sessions or as individual essays. Let me know if that is something youād be interested in reading!
Devotional Style Reading
My friend Tommy Dixon wrote about Tim Ferrissā Tribe of Mentors in his newsletter this week, and it reminded me of how much I enjoy the formatting of that book and its predecessor Tools of Titans.
Each chapter of both books are brief, interview-style profiles, usually only spanning 2-3 pages. The questions are uniform and the format is consistent throughout.
I keep Tribe of Mentors on my desk in my office, and whenever I have downtime it is easy to quickly read a profile or two before getting back to work.
If you are someone who struggles with building and maintaining a consistent reading habit, books that lend themselves to daily bursts of consumption without the fear of losing context or the narrative thread can be incredibly helpful.
The Compliments We Give
A recent conversation with Michael Sklar succeeded in becoming something I cannot stop thinking about.
Michael described a conversation he was having with a friend of his, a psychiatrist. The conversation began on the topic of gleaning wisdom and direction from the compliments we receive from others.
He surmised that was only half of the equation and that we could also gain insight from the compliments we give most often.
His friend affirmed this theory and replied:
The compliments we give are our aspirations, they are the things we see in others that we wish to see in ourselves.
I wrote down a list of the traits I most compliment in others:
Kindness
Caring
Loving
Consistent
Unburdened
Experimental
Comfortable
Imaginative
What are the compliments you find yourself giving often? Comment or shoot me a DM; Iād love to compare notes!
Thank you for reading, have a joyful week, and I will see you next Sunday! Please feel free to share it with someone else if you enjoyed this newsletter!
Iād love to connect more! Follow me@beingdustin, and letās chat!
Second Sandra's comment! Great newsletter, again.
I knew Kevin Kelly for his famous 1000 True Fans article, but had no idea he had other writing. Those three points were awesome - especially on efficiency vs goofing off. Think we need to make more time for play, without feeling guilt. Great work Dustin!