Find Freedom of the Mountain in Everything You Do

By Leo Babauta

In the last week, two separate(ˈsep(ə)rət) men told me they fantasize(ˈfan(t)əˌsīz) about leaving everything behind and living on a mountain.

I can relate(rəˈlāt) to this fantasy(ˈfan(t)əsē), because I’ve had it myself — live a simple life, away from the chaos and burden of this crazy world.

What we (and many others) crave(krāv) is not really the mountain, but freedom. Simplicity(simˈplisədē) and space and the liberating(ˈlibəˌrādiNG) feeling of freedom.

We think if we simplify and let everything go and get our lives free of the burdens, we’ll feel free.

But what I’ve found is that getting rid(rid) of everything and living a simple life doesn’t necessarily give you that freedom. You’ll find a way to experience life as burden and trapped. That’s because we create the feeling of burden and trappedness for ourselves. It’s not the external(ikˈstərnl) circumstances, but something we create with our minds.
A teacher a few years ago gifted me with a liberating idea: find the freedom in your current life, without having to change a thing.
And I’ve found that it’s completely possible. And also that I forget to do it, a lot!

If you’re interested in playing with this, you can try it now. In this moment, can you find a feeling of freedom? Can you experience this moment as if you were living a simple burden-free life on a mountaintop? Can you create this feeling of freedom for yourself right now?

It’s a relaxing of the mind, a feeling of openness and liberation, of joy and space. And we create it.

If you can do that, try this practice:

In anything you do today and for the next few days, try to remember to practice creating freedom. You might be washing a dish, answering an email, talking to someone, driving, anything.
Notice in the moment the feeling of burden and closedness that you’ve created for yourself.
See if you can create a feeling of freedom without changing what you’re doing externally(ikˈstərnəlē).
Enjoy this joyous(ˈjoiəs) feeling of freedom!
And repeat, all day long.

What is it like to live freedom without having to change anything? This doesn’t mean you never change anything externally, but it means you’re liberated from having to do so.

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https://zenhabits.net/freeing/

This is what it’s like to love an old dog

By Abigail Cukier

The pandemic puppy(ˈpəpē) craze(krāz) has come at a peculiar(pəˈkyo͞olyər) time for me. As so many people are seeking the comfort and companionship(kəmˈpanyənˌSHip) of a young dog, mine has just turned 15.

We recently had a backyard visit to meet another family’s new puppy. He was utterly(ˈədərlē) adorable(əˈdôrəb(ə)l). He pranced(prans) and played, nipped(nip) and licked(lik). Our friends beamed(bēm) as they told us about his first days at home and how he was already sleeping through the night. It was truly puppy love.

Later that night, as I walked behind my dog to give her a boost(bo͞ost) as she climbed(klīm) the stairs(ster), and the next morning, when I heated(ˈhēdəd) up the homemade food that helps control her kidney(ˈkidnē) disease(dəˈzēz), I thought about how you don’t consider this level of extra care when you bring home a furry(ˈfərē) new family member. But that is often what that puppy love turns into.

I am lucky to know this more “mature(məˈCHo͝or)” love. To love, and to be loved, by an old dog, is truly a privilege(ˈpriv(ə)lij).

For a long time, I denied(dəˈnī) it. My husband would remark on how Skyler, our German short-haired pointer, wasn’t running as much at the park or was a bit slower on the stairs, and I told him he was imagining it. For the longest time, I really didn’t see that my high-jumping, fast-running girl was getting older. But these days there is no denying it.

The chocolate fur(fər) on her face is flecked(flek) with white and her wise(wīz), dark eyes are hooded(ˈho͝odəd) by grey brows(brou). Sometimes, she will fall while eating from her bowl(bōl) and wait patiently for someone to help her up. On our daily walks, one of my favourite times of day, I sometimes have to stop and let her rest or pick up her hind(hīnd) legs if she starts to fall. But still we walk.

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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-this-is-what-its-like-to-love-an-old-dog/

How to Cope(kōp) When Everything Keeps Changing

Making plans is basically(ˈbāsik(ə)lē) a thing of the past, but there are ways to deal.

By Cindy Lamothe

How do you make plans when it’s impossible to make plans?

The ground beneath(bəˈnēTH) our feet is constantly shifting. Planning for anything more than a week out can feel futile(ˈfyo͞odl) — almost silly(ˈsilē) — since no one knows what the next week, much less the next month, will bring. A surge(sərj) in coronavirus cases in your area(ˈerēə)? More lockdowns? Worrying about natural(ˈnaCH(ə)rəl) disasters? And concerns about health and financial(fəˈnan(t)SHəl, fīˈnan(t)SHəl) well-being make matters even worse.

“The questions are endless. And the answers are always changing,” said Nick Tasler(ā), an organizational(ˈˌôrɡənəˈzāSHənl) psychologist(sīˈkäləjəst) and the author of “Ricochet(ˈrikəˌSHā): What To Do When Change Happens To You.”

“One day the W.H.O. recommends this, and the next day the C.D.C. recommends something else,” Mr. Tasler said. “One day the economy(əˈkänəmē) is opening back up. A week later it’s closing back down.

“And all of this changes not just day-by-day, but country-by-country, state-by-state.”

It’s enough to frazzle(ˈfrazəl) anyone.

Knowing how to react when our plans fail, according to experts, is essential for recalibrating(ˌrēˈkalibrāt). Fortunately, there are strategies we can take that can help us cope when life resembles(rəˈzembəl) an endless stream of curveballs(ˈkərvbôl).

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Overcome mental barriers(ˈberēər)

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Don’t underestimate(ˌəndərˈestəˌmāt) your ability to adapt(əˈdapt)

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Take action, no matter how small

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Reframe(rēˈfrām) your situation

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/07/smarter-living/how-to-cope-when-everything-keeps-changing.html

Make it anything you want

By Derek Sivers

After your business has been up and running a while, you’ll hit an interesting crossroads(ˈkrôsˌrōdz).

Everyone assumes that as the owner of the company, you’ll be the traditional CEO, having high-powered lunches with other high-powered CEOs and doing all the big business deals.

But what if you don’t like doing that? What if what you love the most is the solitude of the craft? Or talking to customers?

Never forget that you can make your role anything you want it to be.

Anything you hate to do, someone else loves. So find that person and let him do it.

For me, I loved sitting alone and programming, writing, planning, and inventing. Thinking of ideas and making them happen. This makes me happy, not business deals or management. So I found someone who liked doing business deals and put him in charge of all that.

If you do this, you’ll encounter(inˈkoun(t)ər) a lot of pushback and misunderstanding, but who cares? You can’t just live someone else’s expectation(ˌekspekˈtāSH(ə)n) of a traditional business. You have to just do whatever you love the most, or you’ll lose interest in the whole thing.

On a similar note, people also assume that you want to be big big big — as big as can be. But do you, really?

Huge growth means lots of meetings, investors(inˈvestər), bankers, media, and answering to others. It’s quite far from the real core of the business.

Happiness is the real reason you’re doing anything, right? Even if you say it’s for the money, the money is just a means to happiness, right? But what if it’s proven(ˈpro͞ovn) that after a certain point, money doesn’t create any happiness at all, but only headaches(ˈhedˌāk)? You may be much happier as a $1 million business than a $1 billion business.

Funny thing is, I didn’t want CD Baby to grow at all. Even from the start, I didn’t want this website hobby(ˈhäbē) to take away from my career as a musician, but it did. I didn’t want it to have more than a couple employees or outgrow my house, but it did. When I had twenty employees, I vowed(vou) to keep it that small, but customer demand kept growing, and I had to keep the customers happy. When I had fifty employees, I swore(swôr) that was enough, and we needed to curb(kərb) this growth, but the business kept growing.

When people would ask, “What are you doing to grow your company?” I’d say, “Nothing! I’m trying to get it to stop growing! I don’t like this. It’s too big.”

They thought that was the weirdest(wird) thing. Doesn’t every business want to be as big as possible?

No. Make sure you know what makes you happy, and don’t forget it.

https://sive.rs/ayw7

One Billion Americans

By Matthew Yglesias

Introduction

America Is Too Small

The American political(pəˈlidək(ə)l) system has fallen into a state of torpor(ˈtôrpər) and dysfunction(ˌdisˈfəNG(k)SH(ə)n) driven by, among other things, the absence(ˈabsəns) of a shared sense of purpose.

Disagreement and debate(dəˈbāt) are vital(ˈvīdl) in a free society. But it’s also useful at times to have common goals—settle the West, beat(bēt) the Nazis(ˈnätsē), win the Cold War—that structure the disagreements. What we’ve been doing lately isn’t so much debating how to proceed as a country as it is simply fighting with one another. And now the country faces a very real challenge that we must meet: rapid(ˈrapəd) ongoing economic(ˌekəˈnämik) growth in India and especially China is leading to the relative decline(dəˈklīn) of the United States of America as a great power and threatens(ˈTHretn) its position as the world’s number one state in the not-too-distant future.

Contemporary American politicians(ˌpäləˈtiSHən) give no sign of wanting to accept that decline, but they’re also not proposing(prəˈpōz) to do anything about it. There’s no way that all the specific ideas in this book will ever command broad consensus(kənˈsensəs) in American society. But I think the big picture idea of the book, that America should try to stay number one, already does. The question is what follows from that.

For starters(ˈstärdər), it is beyond dispute(diˈspyo͞ot) that there are fewer American people than there are Chinese or Indian people, as is the fact that China and India are trying to become less poor and seem to be succeeding(səkˈsēdiNG). Maybe they’ll just stumble(ˈstəmbəl) and fail, in which case we will stay number one. But it would be unfortunate(ˌənˈfôrCH(ə)nət) for hundreds of millions of people to be consigned to poverty(ˈpävərdē) forever. It’s not an outcome we have it within our power to guarantee. And even if we could, it would be hideously(ˈhidēəslē) immoral(i(m)ˈmôrəl) to pursue it.

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https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/636499/one-billion-americans-by-matthew-yglesias/

California(ˌkaləˈfôrnyə) Prop(präp) 22 Vote Heralds(ˈherəld) Judgment Day for Uber, DoorDash

The initiative(iˈniSH(ē)ədiv) would exempt(iɡˈzem(p)t) app-based companies from having to classify contractors(ˈkänˌtraktər) as employees(emˈploiē).

By Ellen Huet

The gig(ɡiɡ) economy is preparing for a reckoning(ˈrek(ə)niNG). California voters are set to pick sides during the Nov. 3 elections in one of the most fraught(frôt) debates(dəˈbāt) of today’s labor market: Are flexible working arrangements worth the trade-offs of weaker job security and fewer benefits? A state ballot(ˈbalət) measure, known as Proposition(ˌpräpəˈziSH(ə)n) 22, would exclude app-based companies from California’s new gig economy law, which makes it tougher for companies to classify workers as contractors rather than employees. If voters reject the proposition, the companies would have to start treating drivers as staff who are eligible(ˈeləjəb(ə)l) for benefits such as guaranteed minimum wages(wāj), paid sick days, and other standard protections.

Ride(rīd)-hailing apps Uber and Lyft and food delivery(dəˈliv(ə)rē) services DoorDash, Instacart, and Postmates sponsored(ˈspänsərd) the initiative, pouring a record $200 million into the campaign to convince voters that app-based drivers want to preserve their freedom and that an employee-based model would raise(rāz) costs for customers. The outcome—while legally(ˈlēɡəlē) binding only in California—could have ramifications(ˌraməfəˈkāSH(ə)n) across the U.S., potentially influencing states looking to tighten(ˈtītn) regulation of the gig economy, which has thrived(THrīv) in the era(ˈirə, ˈerə) of app-based work. Lawmakers from New York to Illinois(ˌiləˈnoi, ˌiləˈnoiz) who are also rethinking labor laws for gig and freelance workers may take a cue from California’s handling of Prop 22.

App-based companies have propelled “this longer-term trend away from stable full-time employment,” says Juliet(ˌjo͞olēˈet) Schor, a professor at Boston College who studies gig workers. “The dangerous thing about it is, the bigger this gig economy is and the more it undermines protections for workers, the more likely you see the reduction of those stable, secure(səˈkyo͝or) jobs.”

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-10-29/uber-lyft-brace-for-california-prop-22-vote-result-on-contractors

Curiosity(ˌkyo͝orēˈäsədē) Goals

By Steve Pavlina

Maybe you have some goals for accomplishments you’d like to experience and enjoy(inˈjoi). That’s great. Just be aware that you can also set goals for outcomes and experiences that you don’t even know if you’ll like.

One of my current goals is to be able to walk 80 steps at a normal walking pace(pās) while comfortably(ˈkəmftərblē) holding my breath(breTH). That’s after exhaling(eksˈhāl) and with only relaxed and shallow(ˈSHalō) nose-breathing(ˈbrēT͟HiNG) beforehand, not while holding in a deep breath. I started working on this goal last week, and currently I’m up to 25 steps.

What will I gain(ɡān) by achieving this goal? I don’t know. I’m simply curious what might be different when I’m able to do that. Maybe there will be some interesting side effects like better focus and concentration(ˌkänsənˈtrāSH(ə)n). I can’t actually predict(prəˈdikt) what difference it will make. After reading The Oxygen(ˈäksəjən) Advantage, I have some ideas regarding potential benefits, but I won’t really know if there are any meaningful benefits till I experience them.

I’m not pursuing this goal for known and clear benefits. I’m exploring it for curiosity’s sake(sāk). I like giving myself new experiences to see how they affect me.

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Curiosity is a great antidote(ˈan(t)iˌdōt) for perfectionism(pərˈfekSHəˌnizəm). Curiosity is flexible and detached(dəˈtaCHt) from neediness. Curiosity keeps us wondering about what’s possible. Curiosity encourages exploration in the face of uncertainty. Curiosity is a fabulous(ˈfabyələs) teacher and an incredible character-sculpting(skəlpt) tool.

https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2020/10/curiosity-goals/

The Road Ahead

Three decades ago, my Midwestern friend, Joe Rosenfield, then in his 80s, received an irritating(ˈiriˌtādiNG) letter from his local newspaper. In blunt(blənt) words, the paper asked for biographical(ˌbīəˈɡrafəkəl) data it planned to use in Joe’s obituary(ōˈbiCHəˌwerē). Joe didn’t respond. So? A month later, he got a second letter from the paper, this one labeled “URGENT.”

Charlie(ˈCHärlē) and I long ago entered(ˈen(t)ər) the urgent zone(zōn). That’s not exactly great news for us. But Berkshire(ˈbərkSHər) shareholders need not worry: Your company is 100% prepared for our departure(dəˈpärCHər).

The two of us base our optimism(ˈäptəˌmizəm) upon five factors. First, Berkshire’s assets(ˈaset) are deployed in an extraordinary variety(vəˈrīədē) of wholly(ˈhōl(l)ē) or partly-owned businesses that, averaged out, earn attractive(əˈtraktiv) returns on the capital they use. Second, Berkshire’s positioning of its “controlled” businesses within a single entity(ˈen(t)ədē) endows(inˈdou) it with some important and enduring(inˈd(y)o͝oriNG) economic advantages. Third, Berkshire’s financial(fəˈnan(t)SHəl) affairs(əˈfer) will unfailingly(ˌənˈfāliNGlē) be managed in a manner allowing the company to withstand external shocks of an extreme(ikˈstrēm) nature. Fourth, we possess(pəˈzes) skilled and devoted top managers for whom running Berkshire is far more than simply having a high-paying and/or prestigious(preˈstējəs) job. Finally, Berkshire’s directors – your guardians – are constantly focused on both the welfare(ˈwelˌfer) of owners and the nurturing(ˈnərCHər) of a culture that is rare(rer) among giant corporations. (The value of this culture is explored in Margin(ˈmärjən) of Trust, a new book by Larry Cunningham(ˈkəniNGham) and Stephanie Cuba(ˈkyo͞obə) that will be available at our annual(ˈany(o͞o)əl) meeting.)

Charlie(ˈCHärlē) and I have very pragmatic(praɡˈmadik) reasons for wanting to assure(əˈSHo͝or) Berkshire’s prosperity(präˈsperədē) in the years following our exit(ˈeɡzət): The Mungers have Berkshire holdings that dwarf(dwôrf) any of the family’s other investments, and I have a full 99% of my net worth lodged(läjd) in Berkshire stock. I have never sold any shares and have no plans to do so.

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https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2019ltr.pdf

Apple Watch’s blood oxygen(ˈäksəjən) monitor is for ‘wellness,’ not medicine

Wrist(rist)-based sensors usually aren’t as accurate(ˈakyərət) as fingertip(ˈfiNGɡərˌtip) devices

By Nicole Wetsman

The new Apple Watch Series(ˈsirēz) 6 includes a sensor that allows the watch to measure(ˈmeZHər) blood oxygen levels. The device is a long-awaited addition to Apple’s suite of health(helTH) tools, but it tracks oxygen levels at the wrist, which can be less accurate than measurements typically gathered at the fingertip.

Most oxygen sensors, including Apple’s, measure the amount of oxygen in your blood using light. These devices are called pulse(pəls) oximeters(äkˈsimidər), and they typically clip on to your fingertip. A standard version sends both red and infrared(ˌinfrəˈred) light through the finger, where there’s lots of blood close to the surface. A protein(ˈprōˌtēn) in the blood absorbs(əbˈzôrb) more infrared light when it has oxygen and more red light when it doesn’t. A sensor on the other side of the finger calculates how much of each type of light travels through, providing an oxygen reading.

The Apple Watch Series 6 also has red and infrared lights, but instead of sending that light through a body part, it measures the lights’ reflection. It’s the same strategy used by Garmin and Fitbit, which already have similar blood oxygen features(ˈfēCHər). But the reflective method at the wrist may be less accurate, especially when oxygen levels start to drop, according to some research.

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https://www.theverge.com/21438576/blood-oxygen-apple-watch-series-6-reliability

The Magic of a Fresh Start

By Leo Babauta

One of the biggest obstacles(ˈäbstək(ə)l) to sticking(stik) with a habit change, a new system, a goal or long-term project … is that we get disrupted.

Something interrupts our progress — we skip a workout day or two — and then some programming in our brains turns that into a message of how we’re not good enough, we can’t do it, we should just give up.

This stops so many people from making long-term progress.

It stops us from simply starting again.

This is because most of us don’t realize the power and magic of a Fresh Start.

A Fresh Start is when we get to start anew, with a blank slate(slāt). It’s waking up to a brand new morning, with a day we get to use however we want.

When we miss a few days of meditation, or eat junk(jəNGk) for a week because of various celebrations, or fall off from writing our book … instead of making that to mean that this whole thing is a waste(wāst) of time or that we somehow suck … we can look at it as a Fresh Start.

I’m not simply reframing(rēˈfrām) things to “be positive.” There’s a lot of power available to us in a Fresh Start that we miss out on.

A Fresh Start is magical:

We can see the habit or project with fresh eyes, as if we’d never seen it before, and bring a sense of wonder and curiosity to what we’re doing
There’s a sacredness(ˈsākrədnəs) to letting everything go from the past and just showing up in a new moment
We can learn something from the past failure or disruption, and use this new start as a way to get better at that difficulty(ˈdifəkəltē), armed with this new information, so that every Fresh Start becomes a new opportunity to learn, grow, get better at something
We get to reinvent(ˌrēinˈvent) ourselves, reinvent what we’re taking on, reinvent what we want to make our lives to be
We can recommit(ˌrēkəˈmit), and remind ourselves of why we’re committed to this

This is all missed when we ignore the magic and power of a Fresh Start!

The beautiful thing is that a Fresh Start is available to us not only when we get disrupted or stumble(ˈstəmbəl) … but in every moment. Every day. Every new meditation or workout or work session. Every new meeting with someone, every new conversation.

Every new breath(breTH).

https://zenhabits.net/anew/