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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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June 28th, 2024 | by Kyle Brennan
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Thought of the Week
Today's thought of the week comes courtesy of George Mack, who was recently a guest on the Modern Wisdom podcast with Chris Williamson. He spoke about how normal behavior is forgotten. Nobody tells stories of when you did the expected.
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Only the weird survives.
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Your weirdness is your competitive advantage. No one can beat you at being you. If you try to please everyone, you will please no one. Embrace your traumas, life experiences, your funny accent, whatever it is. This is what sets you apart. The weirder you are; the more unique you are; the more competitive & interesting you are.
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This maxim recently proved accurate on a more personal level.
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Unfortunately, I had to attend a funeral. Amidst the emotion and heaviness of the moment, one thing stood out to me:
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The only stories people shared about the person who had passed were the irrational, weird, or eccentric behaviors that made them them.
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As George Mack called out: at the end of your life, all normal behavior is forgotten.
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We often try so hard to fit in and rid ourselves of our individualism because we think it's weird or we'll be judged. The irony is, at the end of your life, the only thing people will remember about you are the things that made you unique.
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It's a reminder to us all not to hide our true self.
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Embrace all the odd, quirky, and embarrassing shit that makes you you!
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What I'm Reading
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As you may imagine, I get inundated with tons of great book recommendations from friends, coworkers, and strangers on social media regularly. Now and then, a particular book gets mentioned enough times that I have to see what all the fuss is about.
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The Red Rising trilogy falls in that category. Over the last couple of years, at least eight people (all men, oddly enough) have told me these books are must-reads.
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Sci-fi/fantasy is usually not my cup of tea, but Pierce Brown created such a mystical, futuristic world a la Game of Thrones that it convinced me my previous stance might be mistaken. The first book, Red Rising, was great, but every fan of the series has told me Book #2 is the best one of them all
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I'm only 2/3rds through the book but I'm reading it 10x faster than I normally would because it's so gripping. I'm excited for the drama and plot twists to ensue!
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Full review to come next week.
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My Latest Article
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Last week I published an article on Medium titled The Universal Handbook of Timeless Wisdom: 12 Foundations of a Fulfilling Life.
The article was my attempt to catalog the common "truths" about our human existence and what it takes to live a full life by combing through all the best books over the last 2,000+ years.
Below are what I deemed to be the 12 most consistent cornerstones of timeless guidance.
1. Embrace Uncertainty
2. Start Before You’re Ready
3. Follow Your Talent
4. Give More Than You Take
5. Master Impulse Control
6. You Are What You Think
7. Consistency is Key
8. Practice Gratitude
9. Love the Journey
10. Ignore the Naysayers
11. Move Daily, Eat Well
12. Relationships Define Life
Check out the full article here.
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What I'm Watching
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The story of doping in professional cycling never ceases to amaze me. The classic line, or perhaps the excuse you hear is that the Tour de France is so physically taxing it's actually safer to use performance-enhancing drugs than to attempt it otherwise. They say it is the equivalent of running a marathon every day for three weeks. It's no wonder the competitors are willing to do whatever it takes to push their bodies to the max.
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This two-part documentary provides all the context you could possibly ask for about the rise of Lance Armstrong, the history of cycling, the use of EPO and doping, and the catastrophe that ensued in the late 2000s.
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Watching this documentary made me recall The Last Dance, the Netflix miniseries chronicling the career of Michael Jordan. Lance Armstrong reminds me of Michael Jordan in some ways. Both were legendary for their hyperfocus and determination to win. Their obsessive perfectionism fueled their competitive drive, and in many ways made them more enemies than friends.
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Lance Armstrong certainly made A LOT of enemies. And this story really delves into the making of a monster, while also highlighting his incredible journey, impact, and the massive value Armstrong delivered with his cancer foundation despite his countless flaws, gaffes, and mistakes on his rise to superstardom.
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How I'm Saving My Knees
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I have been singing the praises of Ben Patrick's Knees Over Toes program for so many years that I should be getting paid a commission. The 3-4 daily exercises have improved my knee stability (and pain) tenfold after two knee surgeries and multiple minor injuries.
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Even if you have no history of knee injuries, if you're a former athlete and/or over the age of 30, your quality of life will vastly improve by adding these exercises to your routine. If you don't want to shell out $30 for a slant board you can use your stairs or stack a couple of 45lb plates at the gym.
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My Favorite Books Through the First Half of 2024
I've read 23 books through the first six months of 2024. Here are the best of the best thus far:
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Have you read any of these? Have any other recommendations? Let me know! Shoot me a DM @observeandrapport
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Check out my favorites from 2022 and 2023!
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Podcast I'm Listening To
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I've become a big fan of entrepreneur Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast. I wasn't familiar with him but kept seeing great clips of his show with high-profile guests on Instagram and TikTok.
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This episode with Simon Sinek, author of one of my favorite books Start With Why, was excellent. I took a ton of actionable insights from it - including an interesting fact that apparently one of the most important indicators of a long, healthy, life is strong thigh muscles (?!)
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Quote I'm Pondering
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“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
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Keith and Kyle sit down to discuss Keith’s recent trip to Texas, the practice of applying selfishness as a path to happiness as discussed in Ayn Rand’s book “The Virtue of Selfishness”, The mind-opening and fascinating insight of Carl Jung as discussed in his autobiography “Memories, Dreams & Reflections”, and their top 3 topics for a public speaking event for teenagers.
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Books 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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