Something that I’m interested in today is the idea of the small details. This doesn’t mean that I’m going to clean every crack and crevice of my home after I finish this newsletter, but just thinking about the small habits that we have and how they add up.
Yet on the contrary, the small details have a way of getting us hung up on things that don’t matter. I have trouble following storylines in movies because I want to know what everything means.
You have to let the movie play out and then a lot of these bits will start to make sense.
Here’s a good small detail for you to let go of: What other people think of you.
I grew up in a socially ‘noisy’ environment. Maybe this was everyone’s experience in high school, but looking back it feels like there was a lot of work being put into what other people think of you.
It was the antithesis of being authentic. Yet it’s hard to expect teenagers to be authentic because their soul/ego is not fully formed. It’s developing like film in a dark room during these years.
I don’t have the answers, but just notice this trap as you go through new stages of your life. Are you trying to keep up with the Joneses, or are you doing what feels right for you?
The reason why the opinion of other people is a small detail is that everyone is so consumed by their own problems that they don’t really care about you as much as you think they do.
And because we all end up in the same hole in the ground at the end of it all. If your life was opulent and easy or it was hard and painful, none of it matters as we’re all destined to turn into dust at the end of the day.
Do what’s right for you and what you need to make sense of this short blink we call life.
Three Ideas from My Notebooks
Work like you’re inventing the bomb before the Germans do. Put on the Oppenheimer soundtrack if it helps.
Beyonce becomes “Sasha Fierce” when it’s time to perform. What alter-ego do you need to create for yourself?
Meditation is the act of giving your mind some space to exist. Downtime and rest are also in service of this important act.
All of the ideas going back to May 2023 are now located in The Ideas Index:
Listen to Descent
This one is slow and marauding. That might not sound appealing, but slow music has its place if you can find it.
Think about what you would put on in the bath or if it’s time to get ready for bed. Do you want to listen to a banging rager? No, you need a song like this one.
or listen on Apple Music or Amazon Prime.
Sabina helped me figure out that in this photo, Teddy looks like a bagel:
Have a great rest of your weekend,
Elliott
Thank you Elliot. I’ve had many alter egos over the years. Currently I just want to be hard working, thoughtful and the best partner I can be for my wonderful lady Susana.
I suppose I’m also figuring out who my Midjourney alter ego is, but that’s a work in progress…