Arman's Antics (#077)
Latest from the curious contrarian Arman Khodadoost
Howdy partner (I’m testing new openers other than “hey”),
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas.
Here’s your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics — five things I’ve been pondering or exploring that will start off your weekend with a think, laugh, cry (or a nasty combination of the three).
A warm welcome to the 17 new subscribers receiving this for the first time (510 total). I don’t take your attention lightly.
And I hope no one reads this, but if you do, please keep it to yourself.
Essay I wrote this week
It’s safe to say that all of us — you, me, everyone — are drowning in a sea of advice.
Excellent advice for you may be terrible advice for me, and vice versa.
So the best remedy I can think of is to:
Reject advice that saps your energy
Many of us seek advice with an insatiable appetite. And I must confess I’ve been an advice junkie for far too long. But the best advice I ever heard was: reject advice that saps your energy.
Three books I’m rereading simultaneously
Same as ever: A Guide to What Never Changes by Morgan Housel.
Amusing ourselves to death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman.
Fooled by randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Taleb.
All three of these gentlemen belong on my personal Mount Rushmore of writers. I find myself coming back to them often instead of taking a risk on new authors who I may not vibe with.
Here’s the descriptions:
Same as ever — “With his usual elan, Morgan Housel presents a master class on optimizing risk, seizing opportunity, and living your best life. Through a sequence of engaging stories and pithy examples, he shows how we can use our newfound grasp of the unchanging to see around corners, not by squinting harder through the uncertain landscape of the future, but by looking backwards, being more broad-sighted, and focusing instead on what is permanently true.”
Amusing ourselves to death — “Originally published in 1985, a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment. It is also a blueprint for regaining control of our media, so that they can serve our highest goals.”
Fooled by randomness — “The word-of-mouth sensation that will change the way you think about business and the world. A modern classic that turns on its head what we believe about luck and skill. Written in an entertaining narrative style, the author tackles major intellectual issues related to the underestimation of the influence of happenstance on our lives.”
Do yourself a favor and pick up each of these at some point if you have any desire to become wiser.
Documentary I enjoyed
Giannis: The Marvelous Journey
Description: “Chronicles the extraordinary odyssey of NBA mega-star Giannis Antetokounmpo from an impoverished childhood in Greece as the son of Nigerian immigrants to the very top of the basketball world.”
I’m still furious that he prevented my Atlanta Hawks from making the finals a few years ago, but if they had to lose, I’m glad they lost to him.
Another strange realization
For better or worse, many of us have thought jobs these days.
Yet few of us give ourselves much time to think.
Our bosses expect us to be sitting in front of our computers, banging away at our keyboards for 40+ hours a week to prove that we’re working.
But many of my best ideas for how I could do my job better don’t come at my desk.
They come while I’m walking the dog, taking a shower, or simply sitting on the couch.
This wouldn’t make sense if I was a ditch digger. Obviously, I would need to be digging to be working.
But if you work with your mind more than your body, then wouldn’t it be useful to spend some time simply thinking?
Good luck convincing your boss of this.
Random thought
Would you rather earn $100k when all your friends are earning $75k or earn $125k when all your friends are earning $150k?
It’s all about that pecking order, baby.
That’s it for the 77th edition of Arman’s Antics.
I hope you didn’t make it this far, but if you did, you’re my kind of person.
Now back to your regularly scheduled nonstop scrolling.
Try to be a little more curious than you normally are today.
Cheers,
Arman
Jealousy saps my energy, and it's what I feel when I hear about you picking up 17 organic subscribers in a week. So I need your advice. How are you doing that? Is it just your fun and thoughtful newsletter content, or is there something else you're doing to spark the growth? Also, what kind of churn are you experiencing? (If you're willing to share.)
Great round up as usual, Arman. Morgan Housel is one of my inspirational writers in terms of his style too - love it. What do you think of Same as Ever as it compares to Psychology of Money?