3 unexpected places to find wisdom
The Goal of Life is “Flow”
Welcome, curious minds,
You’re reading Personal Growth Wisdom Newsletter — actionable ideas from great minds on practical philosophy, psychology, productivity and self improvement to build a career or life you love.
Newsletters to enhance your learning!
This is a summary of thought leaders and publications. Productivity, finance, healthy-living, self-improvement, career growth and more.
Top publications readers are loving. The most valuable newsletters—trusted by thousands and proven to deliver insights that matter.
The must-reads to keep you ahead. Take control of your learning.
I admire Brandon Stanton’s project: Humans of New York (HONY). He beautifully captures the candid stories New Yorkers. The project sheds light on the lives of ordinary people, giving them a platform to share their voices and experiences. Stanton’s work explores diverse themes of human experience, including poverty, resilience, joy, love, and ambition.
We often associate wisdom with ancient philosophers and great authors. While there’s immense value in learning from those who have come before us and influential people, we can also find real-life wisdom from the most unexpected places we normally ignore. Practical knowledge for life doesn’t just reside with a selected few; it filters through the many experiences around us.
“Life is the best teacher, just as it is. It is the toughest teacher. It won’t tolerate slothfulness for long. It’s always throwing some difficult problem your way and then seeing what you will do with it.” — Stephanee Killen
Open your senses, be more curious and listen to the world around you. Go beyond the bookshelves. You might just find that the most profound lessons are waiting to be discovered in the most unconventional places. Outside books, we become active participants, eyes and ears open to the subtle lessons in the seemingly ordinary experiences.
1. The human stories/experiences we take for granted
The mundane, from sunrise to sunset, holds hidden lessons. Observe the quiet acts of kindness, the resilience of strangers, a child’s unfiltered perspective on joy and the silent smile exchanged between strangers. Every face you encounter is a story waiting to unfold.
“To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” — Marilyn vos Savant
You could take it a step further and start a conversation with a stranger, listen to the tales of elders, and immerse yourself in the diverse experiences of those around you. Each interaction offers a unique window into the human condition, revealing the spectrum of emotions, perspectives, and struggles that shape our lives.
Open your ears to their stories, joys and struggles, triumphs and defeats. In listening, you learn not just about their lives but also about yourself. Stories, shared and heard, become bridges of understanding and fountains of unexpected wisdom.
When you face adversity, observe your resilience and the surprising strength that lies dormant within. Learn from the challenges that test your patience, the failures that teach you resilience, and the successes that ignite your curiosity. Life offers invaluable lessons if we are willing to pay attention.
2. The silence within
Our inner wisdom often goes unheard in the noise of the world around us. Make intentional time for quiet reflection moments and allow your thoughts and emotions to flow freely.
Sometimes, the most profound lessons come not from words but from silence. In the solitude, away from the many distractions, we can connect with our inner wisdom, intuition, and deepest truths.
“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.” — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
In the silence, you might find answers you never knew you were seeking and a deeper understanding of yourself and your place in the world. In the stillness, you may find hidden desires, uncover limiting beliefs, and gain clarity on the path you wish to forge.
3. The cracks in your plans
Cracks in plans, missed opportunities, and unexpected detours can feel like defeats. But in these imperfections lies a hidden wisdom. Unplanned turns carry hidden lessons. They nudge us to new paths. We stumble on interests we never knew we possessed, encounter people who become lifelong friends.
“There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there.” — Paulo Coelho
Detours force us to improve our mental resilience.
Learn from your stumbles, adapt to the unexpected, and find lessons for your next steps. Every obstacle overcome, every tear shed, every lesson learned becomes a brick in the foundation of your wisdom, teaching you courage, perseverance, and the importance of grace in the face of hardship. In your imperfection, you’ll find resilience, flexibility, and a deeper appreciation for life’s messy, unpredictable nature.
Robert Waldinger, MD on the good life
“Spoiler alert: The good life is a complicated life. For everybody. The good life is joyful… and challenging. Full of love, but also pain. And it never strictly happens; instead, the good life unfolds, through time. It is a process. It includes turmoil, calm, lightness, burdens, struggles, achievements, setbacks, leaps forward, and terrible falls. And of course, the good life always ends in death.”
Source: Good Life Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness Notebook
Dan Harris On making the present your friend
“Make the present moment your friend rather than your enemy. Because many people live habitually as if the present moment were an obstacle that they need to overcome in order to get to the next moment. And imagine living your whole life like that, where always this moment is never quite right, not good enough because you need to get to the next one. That is continuous stress.”
Source: 10% Happier
Naval on why personal greatness is your responsibility
“Doctors won’t make you healthy. Nutritionists won’t make you slim. Teachers won’t make you smart. Gurus won’t make you calm. Mentors won’t make you rich. Trainers won’t make you fit. Ultimately, you have to take responsibility. Save yourself.”
Source: The Almanac of Naval Ravikant
Author Elizabeth Gilbert on the secret to time management
“You should know by this point in your life what time of day you’re ‘good' — like what time of day is your brain at its best. Because the reality is we all get, maybe, two good hours a day where we actually feel awake and alert.
“And the big, important question is: Who currently gets that time from you. The best time from your brain every day—who or what currently gets that? And would you be willing to take it back so that it’s yours and then give the world the ‘second-rate' version of you (which is the other 22 hours of the day)…”
Source: Big Magic
Food for thought from me (free read on Medium)
Flow. That feeling when time disappears. When you’re lost in what you’re doing. Fully present. And conscious. No distractions. You don’t think. You just are. Experiencing reality as it is.
You become the experience.
That’s the goal of life.
My NEW free books (or donate what you want)
Until Next Week,
Be Well.
Thomas
I absolutely love the article was j definitely inspirational and motivational for me. Hope you don't mind if I copy it and keep it and pass it along.