Very good. Lots to ponder. Having read this, I feel that I don’t need to read the book - then again, it’s probably not the type of book I would ever read.
Thanks Bill. I think about this topic (of making and maintaining friendships) a lot. I have come to realize that despite the fact that it doesn't come "naturally" to me and I have to work at it, it does provide a significant amount of stress relief from the other, genuinely stressful areas of my life.
Thank you for sharing! I was seeing Brene Browns books at my library but I thought she was a republican so I sneered. I must be thinking of someone else lol! I’m going to explore this now thank you!
That is too funny! You are safe. We have several of her books. Her Daring Greatly has a wonderful story at the beginning.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”—Theodore Roosevelt
Brown explains how vulnerability is both the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, and the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. She writes: “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.”
Great article! I love the the rule of three for starting a conversation. It’s a great reminder not to take things personally, not to give up too quickly, and to offer others some grace.
Also, thank you for high beams stat. I have a teenage son learning to drive and it is a regular occurrence that we discuss the amount of cars we are blinded by as we drive home from our regular nightly activities. Next time I get my oil changed I’m having my headlights checked.
• Is it just me, or do some cars now seem to have much brighter, blinding headlights—the equivalent of what we used to think of as "high beams?" Key stat: 2/3 of cars have misaligned headlights, because it’s nobody’s job to check at the factory. (Business Insider)
OMG I thought it was just me and my end of the day dirty contacts. Is it really no one's job to check??
Thanks, Bill - another great read today. I'm about halfway through reading The Good Life and I'm enjoying it very much. It's an easy read and some of the details behind the research are very interesting and I've already recommended it to several friends and relatives. The power of relationships, especially as we get older, is really valuable to our mental and physical wellbeing.
Also, I ordered a book written by Robert Brault (subject of Friday's newsletter) that is due to arrive today. I'm looking forward to reading more of this man's writings.
Thanks for your daily newsletter - I always look forward to checking it out.
Re: Blinding lights - Ever since automakers switched to LED headlights, drivers (including me) have suffered from these too-bright lights. When I bought a new car in late 2019, I asked if I could get normal headlights and was told NO. Now I feel guilty every time I'm driving after dark and approach another vehicle. Wish there were a solution.
It's not just you. Every evening, it seems, a vehicle heading in my direction has headlights seemingly burning holes in my pupils from lights on high-beams. So when the cursory flash toward the offending vehicle is shown, an even more intense reply is given. Geez....
I'm going to nurture some casual relationships and make time for conversation today. Hello to everyone on Understandably. Tell me, with the eclectic nature of readers on Understandably, what do you think brings us all into a common purpose on here? Have a great day.
Here I am nurturing a casual relationship! Lol! In answer to your question-We all like to know what’s going on but Bill talks to us in a casual and respectful way. So different from the 24/7 sensational so called “news” that the media gives us !
I meant to mention yesterday that, combined with the last few days of very positive comments and the fact that it was Presidents’ Day weekend, we all probably would endorse “Bill for President”
Haha sorry, that would be great though..
When all else fails a tidbit I flip back to is that “happiness is the absence of suffering” big picture stuff.. kind of like Brad Pitt’s quote from the new year list, real life wisdom from someone who has had at the very least, an interesting and eventful life.
It used to be that you'd get "fixit" tickets for nuisance issues like taillight, headlight, and license plate visibility, for too bright, too dim, or not working at all, but in the past decade or so, such traffic stops were deemed to be rife with abuse for racial profiling and were stopped. You now only get tickets for such things if they stopped you for an actual moving violation.
7 great areas to work on everyday. Thanks
Very good. Lots to ponder. Having read this, I feel that I don’t need to read the book - then again, it’s probably not the type of book I would ever read.
Thanks Bill. I think about this topic (of making and maintaining friendships) a lot. I have come to realize that despite the fact that it doesn't come "naturally" to me and I have to work at it, it does provide a significant amount of stress relief from the other, genuinely stressful areas of my life.
Brené Brown is a shame researcher. She has several great books and Ted talks on vulnerability. Her 2010 TedX talk literally changed my life.
https://www.ted.com/speakers/brene_brown
Thank you for sharing! I was seeing Brene Browns books at my library but I thought she was a republican so I sneered. I must be thinking of someone else lol! I’m going to explore this now thank you!
That is too funny! You are safe. We have several of her books. Her Daring Greatly has a wonderful story at the beginning.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”—Theodore Roosevelt
Brown explains how vulnerability is both the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, and the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. She writes: “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.”
Congratulations on being #1!
Well-earned!
Thanks for the friendship reminder. If we all work at making friendships, the world would be a kinder place.
Great article! I love the the rule of three for starting a conversation. It’s a great reminder not to take things personally, not to give up too quickly, and to offer others some grace.
Also, thank you for high beams stat. I have a teenage son learning to drive and it is a regular occurrence that we discuss the amount of cars we are blinded by as we drive home from our regular nightly activities. Next time I get my oil changed I’m having my headlights checked.
• Is it just me, or do some cars now seem to have much brighter, blinding headlights—the equivalent of what we used to think of as "high beams?" Key stat: 2/3 of cars have misaligned headlights, because it’s nobody’s job to check at the factory. (Business Insider)
OMG I thought it was just me and my end of the day dirty contacts. Is it really no one's job to check??
Thanks, Bill - another great read today. I'm about halfway through reading The Good Life and I'm enjoying it very much. It's an easy read and some of the details behind the research are very interesting and I've already recommended it to several friends and relatives. The power of relationships, especially as we get older, is really valuable to our mental and physical wellbeing.
Also, I ordered a book written by Robert Brault (subject of Friday's newsletter) that is due to arrive today. I'm looking forward to reading more of this man's writings.
Thanks for your daily newsletter - I always look forward to checking it out.
And if one or more of those relationships just ain't working out, this might help....
Suffering is made of thought.
Re: Blinding lights - Ever since automakers switched to LED headlights, drivers (including me) have suffered from these too-bright lights. When I bought a new car in late 2019, I asked if I could get normal headlights and was told NO. Now I feel guilty every time I'm driving after dark and approach another vehicle. Wish there were a solution.
It's not just you. Every evening, it seems, a vehicle heading in my direction has headlights seemingly burning holes in my pupils from lights on high-beams. So when the cursory flash toward the offending vehicle is shown, an even more intense reply is given. Geez....
I'm going to nurture some casual relationships and make time for conversation today. Hello to everyone on Understandably. Tell me, with the eclectic nature of readers on Understandably, what do you think brings us all into a common purpose on here? Have a great day.
Here I am nurturing a casual relationship! Lol! In answer to your question-We all like to know what’s going on but Bill talks to us in a casual and respectful way. So different from the 24/7 sensational so called “news” that the media gives us !
As always, thank you for sharing
I meant to mention yesterday that, combined with the last few days of very positive comments and the fact that it was Presidents’ Day weekend, we all probably would endorse “Bill for President”
Haha sorry, that would be great though..
When all else fails a tidbit I flip back to is that “happiness is the absence of suffering” big picture stuff.. kind of like Brad Pitt’s quote from the new year list, real life wisdom from someone who has had at the very least, an interesting and eventful life.
Thank you!
It used to be that you'd get "fixit" tickets for nuisance issues like taillight, headlight, and license plate visibility, for too bright, too dim, or not working at all, but in the past decade or so, such traffic stops were deemed to be rife with abuse for racial profiling and were stopped. You now only get tickets for such things if they stopped you for an actual moving violation.
Maureen, I feel the same way. Bill gives us the facts so we can decide for ourselves. I like the casual way Bill presents the information.