The Rad Stoic #007

I am taking some of my own medicine.

In my recent talk in Baltimore, I opened with "Similar to the only constant is change, the only certainty is the unknown. There is an enormous unknown element on the horizon. And that is what we will all do once AI actually hits its stride."

I go on to say that folks needs to pursue their passion with AI readily in their toolbelt. At that point, how was I actually using AI -- beyond just random (but extensive) ChatGPT conversations? Well, I wasn't.

That changed and in the last 2 weeks, I have spent many hours learning a tool called n8n that infuses AI into automated workflows (yes, almost as exciting as contingent workforce analytics - but I am digging it!).

All this to say that if something is worth learning, prioritize your time to start learning it. But prioritizing requires a higher level of awareness of how we are using our time.

We are like water - we want to take the path of least resistance. Ideally, we lift a 5-pound weight instead of a 35-pound weight. But which one makes us stronger? The one that requires more focus, more intentionality, and more of an awareness of long-term goals.

So in light of this, grab the 15-pound before the 35er until you build that momentum. Be intentional with your time. Listen to helpful YouTube videos on 2x speed (or better, insert 3 YouTube videos into Notebook LM and create a podcast that blends all 3 together! I digress...)

Let's see what we got this week...

Rad's Take

Time allocation. Training. Fear. Happiness. Labeling.

Another way of approaching quote 1 is "People don't rise to the occasion. We fall back on our training." Similar to what I was talking about above in terms of training and being intentional with your time: if you spend your time training, that will go a long way to alleviate fear.

The first time you do anything chances are there is at least some trepidation. But as you go through the reps and become more familiar with the task at hand, the fear that you felt of the unknown is completely dissipated. So that training eliminates any fear you may have previously felt.

But go upstream with that. You don't just need baptism by fire. You can mentally prepare for new situations like a pilot in a flight simulator. Get intentional about what you are walking into. Talk to other folks that have been in those shoes. Read up on the topic. Every second spent in preparation and training is 10 seconds of fear removed.

So once we can address fear, which is essentially checking boxes for food and shelter in Maslow's hierarchy, we can start pursuing happiness and self-actualization.

Dr. Vivek Murthy (former Surgeon General of the US) was recently on Meet the Press and said that people should not pursue happiness, but aim to be happier. The difference there is an awareness of current state - the now. And if you know where you are, you have a more tangible way of improving that state -- versus some nebulous future goal where you are rich, svelte, and a laughing somewhat maniacally as you drive a speedboat on a lake in Switzerland (or that's just my idea of happy...?).

Frankl says that happiness follows meaning. So, do not pursue happiness but pursue something that will make you happier. To continue his analogy, we do not go out and purchase laughs - we purchase tickets to watch someone who is funny enough to make us laugh. What's your ticket?

And finally Epictetus addresses materiality and the impression we all get that "once we get that couch or the floors installed or the bathroom redone, then we will be settled and happy." You will eventually not own those things...they will come and go. The thing that remains is you.

He is impressing on us the importance of being comfortable in your own shoes and not relying on external things to make us happy. Externalities (as they are called) are neither good nor bad but our thinking makes them so. And our thinking is the one thing that stays with us. So master your thinking and you will be happ(ier).