Action Figure Daniel

Category: Notes

  • “The Shortest History of India” by John Zubrzycki

    • India has the longest continuous civilization
    • India comes from the word Hindu
    • Chess derives from an India game
    • India pushed vegetarianism and religious freedom
    • The Caste culture displaced the notion of being self-protective
      • (My [caste] position is not that great, so why bother to defend our land?)
    • Fasting became a powerful tool that could be used by everyone, including the poorest

  • “Of Orcas and Men” by David Neiwert

    • Orcas are often viewed as ancestors
    • Dolphins have acoustic signaling but maybe not language
    • “Orcas are not really smart humans but humans are really stupid orcas.”
    • Killer whales have been the dominant predator in the ocean for three times as long as humans have been on land
    • Whale brains are literally structured differently, making it difficult to compare to humans
    • Orcas have a lot more of brain power through interconnectivity
    • Echolocation literally paints a picture in their minds
    • They are very emotional creatures, according to trainers and brain scans
    • Orca skin literally lets water flow through it
    • Orcas “hear” through their hollow jaw bone which is enlarged to better capture and relay vibration information
    • Orcas share echo sounds with each other and can “point” with it
    • We can learn cooperation from the whales

  • “Intuitive Listening” by Christiane Northrup and Mona Lisa Schulz

    • We recreate things that are not resolved so we can try to fix it
    • We need someone to be able to call and ask, “Am I crazy?”
    • When coupled, we tend to balance each other
    • Life is about generating, retiring is about not generating, focus on the generating
    • Your Money, My Money, and Our Money is very important to maintain
    • You need separate “dance spaces”
    • Self-esteem needs to be balanced across
      • Intellect
      • Body
      • Prowess
      • Spirituality
      • Relationships
    • Emotions are energy in motion
    • You cannot rely on your original tribe forever
    • Being opposite of you family does not make you better, just different
    • A script gives you infinite freedom; You can act it out however you want
    • Premature cognitive commitment to being trapped
    • Keep pushing your life until just before you are not effective

  • “The Happiness Hypothesis” by Jonathan Haidt

    • We have so much “wisdom” that it is no longer useful because it is not accessible
    • The brain has a confabulator that makes up stories about what it is doing
    • Controlled processing is limited but automatic is not really
    • Controlled processing requires language
    • We need to learn how to distract the elephant to manage stimulus
    • Whenever we have a goal, the automated system monitors your progress towards that goal
    • The elephant really holds the reigns but the rider can piece words together
    • “No, I dropped them back there but the light is better over here”
    • “Our life is the perception of our mind”
    • People often hurt themselves base of their behavior
    • “Nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it”
    • Elephant is all about like/dislike or approach/withdraw
    • You have to change your repartee to change your outputs
    • Be nice on the first interaction, then do reciprocity
    • Reciprocity is a way to extend evolution’s familiar bonds
    • Language may have been a replacement to physical grooming
    • Gossips is mostly critical
    • We do not generally approve of gossips even though we all gossip
    • Concession counts as reciprocity
    • Scandal is great entertainment because we get to flaunt our morals
    • You can only react to what we think someone did
    • The elephant leans on a position and then looks for confirmation
    • We overestimate our own virtue but do well as estimating others’
    • We create “makes sense” stories and then stop looking for explanations
    • Children use touch to return to baseline
    • Romantic love can be “passionate” or “companionate”
    • Learn to make sense of trauma
    • “Self” interferes with our ability to have awe
    • Religion does not need God
    • People need a clear goal
    • Staying grounded requires us to have vital engagement

  • “Leading Without Authority” by Keith Ferrazzi

    • Co-elevation is a mission driven approach to problem solving
    • “Everyone” (that you need to accomplish your mission) is on your team
    • Come to the table ready to learn new ideas
    • Follow-up with remote workers
    • “Always do what you are afraid to do” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
    • Look for people’s “blue flame”
    • Fan that flame
    • The point of being vulnerable is to make connections
    • “Committed to the mission and to each other”
    • Everything will be innovated, it will either be you or someone else
    • “Recontracting” ensures everyone is in the same page before collaboration begins
    • Avoid “bake and ship” solutions because people hate them
      • ^^ Especially if you are going solicit feedback and engagement
    • Say, “I’m not sure I understand”
    • “Land the plane” at the end of each meeting
    • Always ask permission before providing feedback
    • Focus on coaching future behavior, not critiquing past behavior
    • Avoid “why did you do this?”, instead use “what did you think about this alternative?”
    • Praise anything that aligns with your goals
    • You will meet resistance, focus on the wins instead of the misses