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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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May 3rd, 2024 | by Kyle Brennan
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Thought of the Week
It's often been said that fear has two faces: one that wants to flee and the other wants to investigate.
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Brianna Wiest argues that "the emotion most associated with fear is interest, believe it or not."
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It means that you care enough to fear the result of either success or failure. It means you're interested.
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People often overestimate the danger of the threat, and underestimate their ability to deal with it.
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So rather than flee, explore that curiosity. Trust the feeling and know that learning is on the other side of the fearful experience.
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After all, is there anything worth pursuing that isn't at least a little bit scary?
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Feal the fear, and do it anyway.
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What I'm Reading
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Mixed feelings about this one. I loved Brianna Wiest’s @briannawiest book The Mountain is You. She writes the kinds of books/articles I wish I could have read when I was a teenager. As an adult, this book still provides important reminders and insights to face certain truths and embrace life fully, but towards the end, it became incredibly repetitive.
I was disappointed when I realized that the book is just a thatched-together collection of Wiest’s articles from Though Catalog, rather than essays (they’re not really essays at all). I was expecting more like 101 collated essays/articles across disciplines that are life-changing or insightful (religion, history, psychology, etc). A few are well-written and sharply focused and I highlight LOADS of phrases, but some of the sections had me wondering “Was the initial target for this Buzzfeed?”
The topics discussed are all basically “How to be happy” or “Why your life isn’t that bad.” It’s all meant to make you feel good (nothing wrong with that); but once you’ve read one you’ve read them all. There are good parts in the book, but the amount of fluff that you have to get through - I just don’t have the time and energy to do that
Some of these essays could very easily be viewed as the same, just phrased differently. Some key points that were hammered home plenty:
* Feel your emotions, don’t repress them.
* Perception is subjective, and realizing this is a sign of emotional intelligence.
* Keeping yourself comfortable can keep you from reaching new goals.
* Pain = growth.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t change the way I think but it did change the way I pick books. I love Brianna Wiest’s work and expected her to deliver another impactful book like The Mountain is You.
I do think people will find value in this (mainly high school or college students) - especially if you’re looking for some quick hits on how to change your mental approach to life.
Rating: 1.8 / 5 ⭐️
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Article I'm Reading
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Every year for his birthday, Kevin Kelly shares tiny bits of advice for his children that he wished he had received when he was their age. He published a book called Excellent Advice for Living, which is filled with these great pieces of wisdom. This year, he offers 101 additional tidbits he wishes he had known earlier.
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• If you are more fortunate than others, build a longer table rather than a taller fence.
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• If you think someone is normal, you don’t know them very well. Normalcy is a fiction. Your job is to discover their weird genius.
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• When you find yourself procrastinating, don’t resist. Instead lean into it. Procrastinate 100%. Try to do absolutely nothing for 5 minutes. Make it your job. You’ll fail. After 5 minutes, you’ll be ready and eager to work.
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• For steady satisfaction, work on improving your worst days, rather than your best days.
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• What others want from you is mostly to be seen. Let others know you see them.
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Other Article I'm Reading
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Four years ago, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong was treated as a heretic when he insisted on leaving politics out of work. Now he looks prophetic.
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When Armstrong first announced this in 2020, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's nice to know the organization you spend roughly 35% of your waking hours with cares about societal issues enough to have a stance and protect their employees.
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On the other hand, what if you disagree with the company's policies or speech on the matter? What if you begin to feel ostracized for holding an opposing view, or worse yet, feel like you have to lie about your opinions to protect your source of income?
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What I'm Listening To
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I hadn't heard this song in years, and I forgot how goddamn good this beat by Dr. Dre is. Been listening on repeat in this beautiful weather we've had recently.
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Quote I'm Pondering
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"Writing is nature's way of telling us how lousy our thinking is." — Leslie Lamport From Sunday's @farnamstreet newsletter
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Keith and Kyle sit down to discuss how awesome summer is on Long Island, whether or not schools should ban smartphones, the dangers of allowing the federal government to regulate speech online, and what their last meals would be.
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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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