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The Observe and Rapport Newsletter
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A weekly guide of my favorite books, articles, products, and lifestyle habits.
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August 2nd, 2024 | by Kyle Brennan
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Thought of the Week
In movies, whenever the main character travels to the past, they worry about radically changing the present by doing something small (i.e. The Butterfly Effect).
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Yet, if that's the case, why don't we think we can radically change the future by doing something small in the present?
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How can you radically change the future by taking a tiny action today?
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What I'm Reading
I just started reading two books - one fiction, one non-fiction - so no reviews yet!
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My Latest Article
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Last month, I was invited to give a speech to a group of young men. Instead of dishing out the usual “advice I’d give my younger self,” I chose to tackle something more immediate and relevant:
Why not talk about the advice I still need to hear at age 31?
This led me to identify five crucial soul-building instructions that I must constantly remind myself of. These insights aren’t just reflections from the past — they’re the things we kinda all know, but often fail to remember in the throes of life.
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Book Club I Enjoyed
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I've been following Alex from @alexandbooks on Twitter and Instagram for a long time. He's built a massive following and provides some of the best book reviews and reading advice I've come across.
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The other week, he posted about an upcoming Non-Fiction Reading Club he was hosting at EBBS Brewery in Williamsburg. I figured it would be an awesome opportunity to go and meet some interesting people and discuss great books. And it was!
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Each person brought their own book and Alex also gave out a free book of our choice to each attendee. We read for about 45 minutes and then broke out into groups to chat about what we were reading. Looking forward to the next one!
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What I'm Listening To
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Paolo Nutini is a little-known artist (you may know him from his commercial hit New Shoes). But I heard his song Candy the other day and it blew me away. He has a totally different sound that reminds me of a modern-day James Taylor. Beautiful song.
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Quote I'm Pondering
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“Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
― A.A. Milne
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Keith and Kyle sit down to try and figure out just what the hell is going on these days, Tim Urban's new book "What's Our Problem?", John Stewart Mill's "On Liberty", Kamala Harris and the current political climate in general, and their opinions on the origins of "wokeness" and why it seems to have gone as far as it has.
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Books and essays discussed in this episode:
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Check Out My Amazon Favorites Bookstore
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Browse my favorite book selections hand-curated by me. I also earn commissions so if you buy anything, those earnings get reinvested right back into this fancy newsletter ;)
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Kyle's Published Work
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33 Life Lessons on My 33rd Birthday
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Thirty-three was a big one. Mostly because I became a dad. Our daughter was born on New Year’s Eve — a fitting arrival for a kid destined to reset everything. It’s been a beautiful, if slightly sleep-deprived blur ever since. I’ve only been “Dad” for less than ten months, but if I’m being honest, I’ve been preparing for the role for over …
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Depth Over Downloads: Why Spending Time with Books Still Matters
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Everyone wants faster information. But no one asks if faster information leads to better understanding — or a better life. In the age of AI and tweet-sized wisdom, we’ve confused information with transformation. But there’s a massive difference between knowing what a book says and being changed by it. The Delusion of Instant Learning In a recent interview, political journalist Ezra Klein admitted he once believed …
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The Jack Reacher Approach to Never Being Caught Off Guard
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There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, ‘Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,’ and an optimist who says, ‘Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyway.’ Either way, nothing happens.” —Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia I don’t read much fiction, but I’ve always been hooked on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. He’s not your typical …
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