One Thing You Can Do in 2020 More Than Any Other Year in History
“Before I was paralyzed, there were 10,000 things I could do. Now there are 9,000. I could dwell on the 1,000 I lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left.”
Many years ago I read an article in Chicken Soup for the Soul written by W. Mitchell, who had been in not one, but two horrific accidents — severely burned in the first and paralyzed in the second. I have long held onto something he said, almost non-nonchalantly sounding even in written form: “Before I was paralyzed, there were 10,000 things I could do. Now there are 9,000. I could dwell on the 1,000 I lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left.”
Mitchell’s optimism and resolve is the embodiment of the stoic philosophy expressed in Epictetus’ dictum, “It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters" — which seems even more relevant today in the social isolation that COVID-19 has caused for so many. If you think of Mitchell’s words, they are just as applicable for us right now — “Before COVID-19 there were 10,000 things to do, now there are 9,000.” For most, it’s not what COVID-19 has done to us, but how we react to it.
That is a wonderful way of thinking of things, and it has helped me a good deal. But I wanted to take it one step further, because we are still going to have our ups and down. I summed up some of my own personal experience with these ups and downs in a three-minute podcast. So, about six months ago, I decided to flip Mitchell’s statement altogether. The inverse being, “What are things I can do more during COVID-19?” The isolation and mitigation efforts won’t last forever, so is there an opportunity we take now unlike ever before?
The answer, for me, which has been absolutely liberating during the periods of confinement has been simple. We can learn.
Think about it. There are more resources provided to us now than ever before in history. At this exact moment. Next year there will even be more resources, but highly possible less down time to feed off of them. Less time to quietly and diligently learn. So why not do it now?
Choose whatever you want, of course. What has been fascinating to me, or my colleagues below, may not be so for you. I know nothing about gardening and never hope to. A friend of mine who is a dean of a law school lists it as a hobby of hers. To each their own. My new obsession is longevity science. But if you want some broad-reaching starting points, the rest of this article is meant to provide some extraordinary resources for learning. One such resource is in the seminal book by Viktor Frankl (a concentration camp survivor and neurologist/psychiatrist) Man’s Search for Meaning. Per Frankl: “Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning. The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life.” Frankl saw three possible sources for meaning: in work (doing something significant), in love (caring for another person), and in courage during difficult times. Without diminishing how challenging life has been for so many during COVID, I have also found that I can find meaning in at least two of the three above BECAUSE of COVID times, not despite them.
Each of the pieces below offers something amazing. They contain truly unique thoughts — thoughts that while not ours, we have the incredible fortune of partaking in. Devour them. “What is writing? Why Telepathy, of course,” explains Stephen King in On Writing. After all, notes King,“We’re having a meeting of the minds.” In a real sense, then, COVID-19 offers us a chance to meet the minds of those we never would have been able to in any other time. Below are some of the greatest I have found.
Some of the personal learning resources I have used this year.
Podcasts
The Drive (Dr. Peter Attia). I listen to this every single day, generally while exercising (which incidentally makes me lose track of the fact I am exercising at 5:00 in the morning because I am so into the learning elements in the podcast).
— Start with the episode Earning the Gift of Life with Ric Elias. It is perspective-altering.
Joe Rogan interviewing Aubrey Marcus. If you aren’t interested in the first 45 minutes (on tripping on mushrooms, and talking to sagacious bears who wish they could go back to a time where health didn’t matter, or happy dolphins), the 1 hour to 1 hour and 9 minute mark is probably the best metaphysical discussion I’ve heard — keeping in mind I was a philosophy major, and that’s all we did in college when we weren’t playing video games.
Books
The Ugly American by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer. Little known fact — this book was part of the inspiration for the establishment of the Peace Corps. Even less known fact, this was the first book that ever taught me anything. I was probably about 6 or 7 when my dad, who had served in the military, gave me a copy. It was my first glimpse outside of the child- (and adult-, see the David Faster Wallace speech below) like notion that we are the center of the universe.
Brain Rules by Joseph Medina. Every year I get asked by scores of soon-to-be law school students, “What’s the one book I should read before law school starts?” and this is always my recommendation, for over 15 straight years — and I have yet to get a single complaint. Only testimony of how valuable this book was to them.
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. See the quote above: “It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, discussed above. The most influential book I’ve ever read.
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard P. Feynman. Feynman was the smartest person who ever lived in my lifetime, and while this book is light and whimsical, but you will learn a lot from the multitude of stories he tells.
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. You’ll never see a higher rated book on Amazon. It also reminds me of why so many college and law school personal statements on redemption and turning one’s life around stand out to admissions committees in such a positive way.
Meaningful Speeches
Pale Blue Dot (Carl Sagan). This is an absolutely epic four-minute speech, and one that many of you may have heard before. Someone online set it to the backdrop of the Interstellar soundtrack, and since that’s my favorite movie of all time, all the better — that is the version linked above.
This is Water (David Foster Wallace). A 20-minute commencement speech given to Kenyon College’s 2005 graduating class.
Commencement Life Lessons (Denzel Washington). A quote from the speech: “There is no passion to be found in playing small. In settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
For Kids
The Daily Dad. This is a daily email subscription from Ryan Holiday to help fathers be the best dads they can be.
Universal Yums. This is a subscription snack box, but it comes with learning as well — exotic treats and trivia from a different part of the world each month. This allows for kids to be exposed to cultures they would never have the opportunity to interact with.
Email Subscriptions
James Clear (short quotes and anecdotes). I quote this once-a-week email a least, well, once a week. Nothing is wasted in the brief space he provides.
Gates Notes (Bill Gates). His book recommendation list is much more comprehensive than this. Fun fact, my firm emailed The Gates Foundation to request an interview with him, and they responded at 3:00 in the morning. They are pretty busy over there.
The Daily Stoic (Ryan Holiday).
From Anna Hicks, Jenn Kopolow, Sir Williams, Laura Wrobel, Nikki Laubenstein, Shannon Davis, and Nick Everdell, all colleagues at our firm:
Podcasts:
Ear Hustle. This popular podcast is produced from inside San Quentin State Prison by inmates, telling stories and discussing themes of prison life that range from the light and heartwarming to the very serious. It was also one of just three nominees for the first ever Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. Fun fact, our COO Anna Hicks actually designed a limited-edition t-shirt for this podcast, and got to talk to the hosts and introduce an episode.
Rough Translation. This NPR podcast tells stories from abroad that have implications here in the US. Every episode is a learning experience.
Rabbit Hole. This podcast miniseries by the New York Times is made up of eight episodes about social media algorithms and their role in radicalizing people on both sides of the political spectrum. Our Millennial COO learned an incredible amount about the invisible forces influencing all of us online from this.
Throughline. This NPR podcast talks about various themes across history and their relevance today.
S-Town. A nutty story with a brilliant and tragic protagonist.
Freakonomics, and its sister podcast, No Stupid Questions.
Wake Up/Wind Down and Where is My Mind? (Niall Breslin).
Books:
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. This book has the power to change the way you think about the world and humanity’s role in it.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller. As a warning, this memoir, written the woman who was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner at Stanford, gets very dark (for obvious reasons). But Miller is truly an incredible human being, her story and the way she writes it are powerful, and the world would be a better place if everyone read this book.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. This is another one everyone (at least in the United States) could benefit from reading, on mass incarceration.
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. Some of our Spivey Consulting colleagues saw Achor speak at an LSAC annual meeting, and he was flat-out one of the best speakers they had seen. He also has a TED Talk on the topic.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sachs. He writes beautifully about brain disorders. The book was eventually turned into a musical.
The Biggest Bluff, How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win by Maria Konnikova. (All of her books are excellent if you would like to check out others as well.)
What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey. After film critic Gene Siskel asked her, “What do you know for sure?” Oprah Winfrey began writing the “What I Know For Sure” column in O, The Oprah Magazine. These columns were collected, revised, updated, and organized by theme—joy, resilience, connection, gratitude, possibility, awe, clarity, and power to make this book.
When Breath Becomes Air by Dr. Paul Kalanithi. This is a memoir about Dr. Kalanithi’s life and illness battling stage IV metastatic lung cancer. It is as inspiring as it is heavy, and gives some perspective.
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. On the Great Migration, this is one of the most informative books one of our consultants has read in a long time.
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.
Becoming by Michelle Obama.