[antifragile 4 🔥] the greatest holiday gift our kids give us, Prof G on gifting the person who has everything, the two people you need to make proud, Sam Harris on the power of thought.
#26: a weekly 4-item newsletter created to inspire dads to use the challenges of fatherhood as fuel for building an incredible life & an antifragile mind.
Welcome to the 26th edition of the antifragile 4 🔥.
It’s a weekly 4-item newsletter created to inspire dads to use the challenges of fatherhood as fuel for building an incredible life & an antifragile mind. Some weeks will have a theme, others will meander. Expect it every Friday.
Here is this week’s antifragile 4 🔥:
the greatest gift 🎄 our children give us during the Holidays
a gift idea from Prof G 🎁 for the person who has everything
the only two people ✌🏻 you need to make proud in your life
a 30-second reminder 💭 from Sam Harris on the power of thought
+ AI Image of the Week 🤖 🎨
—
1.) the greatest gift 🎄 our children give us during the Holidays
Having kids during the Holidays (especially fully sentient ones) reminds us of the magic this time of year holds.
It’s easy to forget when you’re the one putting up all the decorations, buying the gifts and cooking the ham. Plus sprinting for year-end revenue goals, trying to avoid packing on an extra five pounds, holiday parties and catching up with old friends who flew in from Portland.
It can all add up to feeling less like the most wonderful time of the year and more like the most packed f’ing time in your life.
But then, as you’re driving home from daycare, you look in the rearview mirror and catch that dreamy look in your kid’s eye as you pass your neighbor’s 16 gigawatt Christmas light display - and you remember just how amazing this time of year is for them.
How each of their December days is filled with excitement and anticipation and joy and wonder.
What’s keeping us grown-ups from feeling a bit of that magic too?
Thanks for fellow dad Matt L for the reminder.
2.) a gift idea from Prof G 🎁 for the person who has everything
Scott Galloway is at the center of the ballooning content machine that is the Prof G Podcast network. He’s very smart, very witty and very much doesn’t care what you think about him (which makes for a good podcast host). About 60% of what he says lands with me…but overall usually fun listens.
In this episode, amidst discussing the art of spending money, he talks about his favorite gifts to receive:
I want meaningful gifts. I want my sons to write me a note or they'll get me a book that was meaningful for me or they'll get a picture of us framed. That's the shit I want. I can buy anything I want personally. I don’t want an automatic tie rack or shave cream heater.
Scott Galloway
This holiday, I’m writing a few letters. Especially to the people in my life who don’t want more stuff. It’s a rare opportunity to take an hour and think deeply about the contribution someone has made to your life…and let them know about it loud and clear.
It’ll almost certainly beat a shaving cream heater.
3.) the only two people ✌🏻 you need to make proud in your life
This post got me thinking.
I’d certainly like to make my boys proud. And my parents. But I think the younger and older versions of yourself might be the most important.
Make the younger version of yourself, who once looked up to this version of you, proud that you stayed consistent enough to become happy in life.
And make the older version of yourself excited to look back on all the things you did to remain happy.
4.) a 30-second reminder 💭 from Sam Harris on the power of thought
This short 30-second clip is from Sam Harris’ Waking Up app.
States of happiness and misery are no more than clouds of thoughts we allow to exist in our minds. Why not use them to our advantage?
Even the happiest person is never more than a thought away from being miserable. And the most miserable person is never more than a thought away from being happy.
Sam Harris
—
AI Image of the Week
DALL-E crushed it this week! Here’s the prompt:
“Even the happiest person is never more than a thought away from being miserable. And the most miserable person is never more than a thought away from being happy"
Two last things for you this week:
Find magic in this holiday season. Soak it in. Don’t forget, you only have a few of these left.
Be fire and wish for the wind 🔥
With love,
Chris