Arman's Antics (#025)
The latest from mental closet cleanser Arman Khodadoost
Hey everyone,
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas. Here is your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics. A list of usefulness from my mind to yours.
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Welcome to the two new subscribers receiving this for the first time (175 total). I will do my best to send you thoughts and ideas I would like to receive.
That number still blows my mind. The fact that more than one person reads this (thanks Mom) is wild. I appreciate you.
Essay I wrote last week
Very few recommendations are universal. But this is one of the rare exceptions.
Cleaning out your closet can feel amazing. Cleaning out your mind feels even better. Let’s put our Marie Kondo hats on so we can experience the magic of tidying up the mind.
What I’m reading
The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness by Morgan Housel. This book has sold over 2,000,000 copies in less than three years. And for good reason.
It has become my bible for financial wisdom. Much like Atomic Habits became my bible for, you guessed it….habits.
And since I’m told the actual bible deserves to be read over and over, that’s what I’m doing with The Psychology of Money.
This is my third time reading it. How do I know it’s a good book? Because I have to place the it down after each chapter to have a good think.
He does a superb job of questioning many of our unquestioned money beliefs. Money is one of two things that affects all of us whether we care about it or not (health is the other). If you haven’t read this book yet, you are probably thinking about money wrong.
What I’m watching
Long form interviews. I don’t know many other people who do this so maybe I’m crazy (99.67% likelihood). But I love watching two interesting people sit down and have a multi hour conversation. If the topic is intriguing, I have no problem sitting for the length of a feature film.
Think about how amazing that is. At no other time in history could we have been a fly on the wall while two legendary figures were speaking. Imagine if we could watch Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson debating. Or Marco Polo sharing his stories from his recent voyage with Kublai Khan.
Now it’s totally normal. Elon Musk, Ray Dalio, Oprah, etc. all sharing their deepest thoughts (for free).
I did that this past weekend with two interviews between the same two people. Lex Fridman and Tim Urban. Totaling over five hours. My couch and I got real familiar with each other. Here’s a quick five minute clip to give you a taste on How to read 1000 books in 50 years.
Would you ever watch two people sitting and talking for 5+ hours? Or is something seriously wrong with me?
What I’m experimenting with
I hate cooking. Totally despise it. But I love eating. So where’s the disconnect? I’ve been cooking the same handful of meals for far too long. I’m the most unimaginative cook of all-time.
Then, like a sign from the Gods, the Youtube algorithm recommended a korean-style beef stir fry recipe. And it changed everything. I would normally NEVER watch a Youtube video on cooking. Much like I avoid cooking reality shows like the plague.
Here’s the video. Some combination of his soothing voice, the short duration, and the simple instructions were the exact combo I needed.
Next thing I knew, I was driving to the grocery store to buy ingredients for the meal with a big fat smile on my face. Something that has never occurred inside of a grocery store. I typically look like Mr. Scrooge while shopping.
And man oh man was that a delicious meal. So good, that I decided to watch another one of his videos to get an idea of what I’ll be cooking tonight - sweet & sour chicken😋.
Random thought
It’s always been a dream of mine to have written a book in the past. But writing a book in the present sounds miserable.
That’s it for the 25th edition of Arman’s Antics. You could be spending your time doing so many other things. But you chose to spend a few minutes with me. I don’t take that lightly. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
A new essay will be sitting in your inbox this Thursday morning.
A terrific Tuesday to you and yours!
Cheers,
Arman
Hearts and comments are below.
Oh, and Marie Kondo did a 180 and has taken her foot off the gas pedal of tidiness! I wonder what might change for you in the future😉
That Korean beef looks tasty