Category: 🌎 World

Some of the people I find most fascinating have publicly straddled the line or gone back and forth between trying to improve work or productivity and life or wellbeing. I find it hard to categorize such people, and I have innately or instinctively admired this kind of person.

• Leo Babauta - Created Zen Habits website and blog where he writes and teaches about productivity, improvement, and personal development, but also about being healthy, achieving happiness, and simplifying your life. (Zen Habits)
• Gina Trapani - Created LifeHacker website and blog where she straddled the line between writing about useful tips and tools to make life and work better, and works as a software developer and designer creating tools to make work and life better. (Note To Self)
• Derek Sivers - Created CD Baby business by following his technical interests after working as a musician following his artistic interests. Created Derek Sivers website blog and books to help people improve their life, work, music, and technology. (Derek Sivers)
• Belle Cooper - Created Hello Code business and works as a software developer making apps that help with journaling, logging, and keeping track of life and work. Writes and journals about life and work at various websites and her blog. (Belle B. Cooper)
• Tim Ferriss - Created The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans books focused on work and productivity, and The 4-Hour Body and 4-Hour Chef focused on life and health. Created and invests in businesses, and created educational podcast. (Tim Ferriss)
• Penelope Trunk - Created Penelope Trunk website and blog to write candidly and openly about all aspects of careers, education, life, and struggles. Teaches, coaches, and provides courses to help people with careers, education, life, and writing. (Penelope Trunk)
• Bill Gates - Created Microsoft business to improve work and productivity technology and software which made him a lot of money, and created a foundation to improve life and health resources and research which made him a lot of money. (Gates Notes)
• Oprah Winfrey - Created The Oprah Winfrey Show and subsequent media network that entertained people, but made the choice to also educate people with positive information and stories to make your life better, which made her rich and famous. (Oprah)

June 7th, 2026

If Buddha was content doing nothing, then "Why is Buddha so famous?"

• If Buddha thought that living a life in which you don't need to do anything, make any improvements, or strive for any purpose was most rewarding or the best way to live, then why is he so famous and how did he produce many teachings which are so well-known?
• Could it be because he followed his passions, sometimes strived to make things better with his ideas, found ways to potentially be of service for others, spent time doing and working on things he enjoyed, and even gained recognition from others for his work?
• If Buddha was truly happy and content with just existing, meditating, and sitting in nature all of the time, then I wonder if we would not know him at all, let alone recognize him as such a famous and great writer, teacher, and philosopher.
• I wonder if he may have really enjoyed his purpose or role as a teacher and philosopher, and spent a good deal of time learning and teaching how to live a better life, which resulted in him creating and writing many teachings on enlightenment and other ideas.
• I admit my ignorance that I am not a master scholar of Buddha's teachings. Of course I understand he taught many different ideas including the Middle Way of finding a balance, and I know that he didn't actually teach everyone to just "sit in nature all day".
• This was simply inspired by my ignorant image of him sitting in nature all day being content, and wondering if he might not be so famous if he did not follow his own passions and get some enjoyment from or even attachment to the purposes, roles, practices, or habits he did in his life.

February 18th, 2026

Have A Positive Attitude

The lives of two sisters and mothers with very different attitudes shows the incredible power of humans and the mind to drastically influence and affect their life and the lives of those around them, negatively for the worse or positively for the better.

A Negative Attitude

• One sister lives in an idyllic and spacious two story home with fences and a nice backyard
• She has one healthy son and a kind hard-working husband who provides everything for her
• She has no job and does not have to work because her husband makes all of the money
• She is very negative, pessimistic, depressed, hateful, fearful, hurtful, frowny, and angry
• She is afraid of almost everything including all living beings, and even nature and plants
• This sister thinks negatively despite an easy life, appreciates nothing, and hates life

The Negative Result

• One sister constantly criticizes and complains to salespeople, doctors, and anyone she sees
• She constantly yells at her husband and doesn't appreciate him or give him any affection
• She constantly berates her overweight son, doesn't love him or accept him or his passions
• She is resentful towards her deceased mother and feels her childhood was very difficult
• She doesn't thank her son at all or want to touch the flowers he got her for Mother's Day
• This sister thinks negatively, acts poorly towards others, so she feels depressed and upset

A Positive Attitude

• One sister lives in a small, run-down, upper floor apartment which she adorns with plants
• She has two healthy daughters and she no longer has a husband or anyone who helps her
• She works hard as a hairdresser and makes all the money to support her and her daughters
• She is very positive, optimistic, content, grateful, hopeful, helpful, smiley, and happy
• She is peaceful with everything and everyone, including upset customers, and loves nature
• This sister thinks positively despite a hard life, appreciates what she has, and enjoys life

The Positive Result

• One sister listens to her friends, her customers, and enjoys providing a service to everyone
• She loves her daughters, who enjoy being around her and are talkative and playful with her
• She supports her daughters, who exercise and help her any way they can around the house
• She is respectful towards her deceased mother and feels that her childhood was enjoyable
• She appreciates the small things like a glass of wine with her plants after a tough work day
• This sister thinks positively, acts kindly towards others, so she feels content and happy

Hard Truths - Rotten Tomatoes

December 4th, 2025

I wonder if it might be better if we encouraged women and eventually made it a common practice for women to keep their last name when married and throughout their whole life, and also possibly have girls take the last name of the woman and boys take the last name of the man.

What

• Women simply keep their last name if they get married, and all life
• Men also still keep their last name if they get married, and all life
• Girls take the last name of the woman or one chosen parent?
• Boys take the last name of the man or the other chosen parent?

Why

• Women wouldn't need to feel they are changing their identity
• Women would have a consistent name and identity throughout life
• Women could also potentially carry on their name with girl children
• Men who do not want children may be less pressured to do so
• No more extra work, paperwork, or changes to have to deal with
• No long hyphenated names that we would have to deal with

July 29, 2025

I think formulating an ideology and creating ways of living based solely on practical habits or action instead of theoretical beliefs or dogma may be beneficial and essential to further maintain and improve our overall wellbeing and happiness.

On Beliefs, Theories & Dogmas

Beliefs, theories, dogmas, and myths can often be harmful as they can be used to promote rituals based upon mere suspicion, and therefore they may not be practically helpful.

• I think we should reserve belief only as a tool to believe in ourselves to do something
• Beliefs, theories, and dogmas may be harmful and unhelpful in making life better for all
• It may be worth striving to focus only on knowing things instead of believing in things
• Decoupling beliefs from practices within church and communities may be important

On Practices, Habits & Actions

Practices, habits, actions, and plans may shape our positive wellbeing and happiness if we proactively create good practices, or our negative suffering and misery if we do not.

• As for ideology, I might broaden its definition to include not just beliefs, but practices
• Whatever we call it, I think creating habits and practices to make life better can succeed
• It may be worth focusing not on what is right or true, but what is good or better for all
• Focusing on practices, habits, action, and values may be worthwhile and important

April 22, 2025

I wonder if we should use bullet lists for all or most of our writing, and particularly to make concise, argumentative list essays that present a single plan, idea, practice, or habit with points describing the action or steps the author suggests.

Names

• List Essay or Bullet Essay
• Brief or Bullet

What

• Can a bullet list of points be an essay?
• Should we write more ideas and plans as argumentative essays in bullet list form?
• We could call this simplified and brief style of writing a "List Essay" or "Bullet Essay"
• Argumentative essays with a single idea would work particularly well as a list essay
• Any idea, plan, practice, habit, policy, strategy, or rule could work well as a list essay
• Any and all types of writing may be simpler, better, and read easier as bullet lists too

Why

• Many books, essays, texts, articles, and literary works are way too long
• We need to focus on brevity and simplifying our information and important actions
• Maybe we should shorten our ideas and other information and just get to the point
• It is easier and quicker to skim a list of lines and points than long paragraphs or essays
• An idea should often focus on what and why changes are to be made more so than how
• A bulleted list encourages the author to describe their idea or information much simpler

How

• Use bulleted lists instead of paragraphs, hopefully which will fit on a single line
• Shorter sentences might be preferred, but sentences of any length would work
• Possibly make groups of 6 points or less separated with headings for further simplicity
• Create a What section with a simple description of your idea, plan, action, or habit
• Often create a Why section to outline the reasons for the idea or explain your argument
• Optionally create How, Steps, or Rules sections to further detail your plan, idea, or action

April 8, 2025

Meditate every day because it improves your wellbeing and your mind by helping you to become more relaxed, focused, and aware of all the unnecessary thoughts in your head, which can make you happier and more relaxed and focused on each day you meditate.

What

• Sit down and breathe slowly and deeply for some amount of minutes at least once a day
• Attempt to clear your mind of thoughts and focus on one thing, such as your breathing
• Focus on your breath, body, surroundings, or close your eyes to focus on one thing
• Don't worry if thoughts creep into your mind, just try to let them go, breathe, and focus
• You can also try saying a mantra like "I'm grateful for today. I'm hopeful for the future."
• You may also spend time focusing or contemplating on single projects, goals, or dreams

Why

• Breathing deeply may provide oxygen to the brain which is key for our brain functioning
• Relaxing our mind may allow it to make new connections, which occurs when we sleep
• It may help us become more focused, improve our concentration, and get things done
• It may help us become more relaxed, improve our happiness, and feel naturally calmer
• It may help us process our thoughts, be more creative, and improve our critical thinking
• It may help us slow down and recognize that the thoughts in our head are not our reality

April 1, 2025

I wonder if we should show respect for those that are currently weaker or younger than us, and shake hands after we win instead of gloating or putting others down at the end of a competition.

Dear Anonymous Athlete,

Thanks

• You should be very proud of yourself for everything you have achieved in your life
• You have had an exceptional career as a basketball player due to your hard work
• You have made your own life as well as your family much better in many ways
• You have brought joy to many people who enjoy watching a fun competition

Gifts

• You are also lucky to have been given some incredible and uncommon physical gifts
• You are lucky to have been given an amazing opportunity and life partially by chance
• We should realize we could easily have been born as someone else without such gifts
• We should consider treating opponents and others as we would our young children

Respect The Weak

• Unwritten rules like not scoring at the end of the game can be confusing to understand
• I think the reason for this unwritten rule is not so both teams stop trying at the end
• The weaker team losing should always keep competing until the very end to catch up
• The stronger team should show some mercy, not run up the score, and shake hands after

Competition Can Be Good

• Competition is good because it makes all of us better, even the weakest and youngest
• Competition is good if the older and stronger show respect for the younger and weaker
• Competition can be bad if the stronger and older do not show some level of respect to those that are currently weaker or younger than them for competing and taking part, which could cause some people, who are not lucky enough to be as intelligent or strong, to give up and not want to compete or contribute to society at all
• Competition can be bad if the strong rub it in the face of the weak or young at every opportunity and never come to realize or learn to understand that the goal should be to ultimately pass on their superior skills and knowledge to future generations through competition and to make us all better in the process

Quote

• "Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box." - Italian Proverb

March 25, 2025