š±Chase and Embrace the Magicš±
š±Chase and Embrace the Magicš±
š„Welcome to volume #00027!š„
IāmĀ Christian Champ. This is āÆļøThe Middle Way NewsletterĀ āÆļø. It is a place where I write, explore, share, and invite you along for the journey.
š±Chase and Embrace the MagicĀ š±
āWhen you demand logic, you pay a hidden price: you destroy magic.ā- Rory SutherlandĀ
I remember when I first graduated college and thought there was a rational way to live. Perhaps I read one too many Ayn Rand novels. Itās a hilarious concept and one that is reassuring. We crack the code of life by living ārationaleā.Ā
Of course, this presupposes there is a rational way to live. We fall back on tired tropes focused on a monetary scoreboard or accumulating some other tokens and trophies- as if that is rational. As if maximizing a story and a symbol (money / property / health / status / reason / science) is in any way tied to being logical or rational. Whatever we define as rational becomes the thing.Ā Ā
Itās a false reality, but it makes us feel good. It makes us aim at a target and know if we are hitting it. If we are crushing the KPIs (key performance indicators), we see ourselves getting it done.Ā
This approach murders magic. We chase things for the sake of things. We lose ourselves in finite games, missing out in the beauty that surrounds us. The unknown is the beauty. The magic and the mystery is the beauty.Ā
When we chase and embrace the magic life lights up. When we engage with the here and now, we get captivated by the mystical. Like Ram Dass says āBe Here Nowā and catch the waves of magic when they hit.
The most magical word is thank you. Sitting in that moment of gratitude takes us to a mystical place. Close your eyes and feel the things you are grateful for.Ā
What happens?Ā
Why?Ā
Itās MAGIC!
šArticles to ReadšĀ
Institutional Investors offers an article entitled The Most Overlooked Career Hack: Coaching
The investment industry warmly patronizes consultants for almost every area of expertise (legal,Ā prospecting,Ā clawing power out of aged hedge fund foundersā wrinkled clutches, etc.). Ask around, and one might be surprised at how many successful individuals have worked with coaches. Many major organizations bring in outsiders to help with talent development.Ā
But coaches freely admit to encountering confusion around what they do and who itās for.
Transitions are core to the work: helping clients figure out where they want to go, what theyāre good at, how to reach their goals, and guiding them as they do it.Ā
I got interested in coaching a couple of years ago after randomly working with a coach, who ended up being exceptionally helpful. At the time, I hired someone for neurofeedback to improve my sleep, which worked, and the package included coaching.
Self-inquiry makes up a large part of my annual reviews, but the power of having someone else ask the questions and pushing me to explain my reasoning 10x the exercise. When the coach digs into your whys, you need to keep going to get at the roots.
This lead to the completion of coach training programs from IPEC and the Flow Genome Project. I side project of coaching friends, family and mentees, who get stuck or want to examine an aspect of their lives. It entails asking tough open-ended questions, doing a lot of listening and them ending up with a new thought, idea or mental model.
Ed Batistaās self coaching class that he offers for free online is a must take and a great way to push yourself even if you donāt enlist a coach (more from Ed below).
The article does coaching a disservice by calling it a āhackā. Coaching is a powerful tool for getting unstuck, helping reframe and aligning your actions with your words. Coaching takes us beyond where we can venture by ourselves. It shines a light on ideas and frames that we neglect or miss.
Itās not a hack and itās not a shortcut. Coaching opens us up to deeper self-reflection and helps us find our footing on our path.
Coaches make us better.
Changing Poison Into Medicine for All Humanity features an interview with my buddy and mentor Sherman Edmiston III.
Sherman is a master storyteller
A couple years ago, he donated one of his kidneys to his father.
He is someone you want on your side and your team whether he is negotiating a deal, giving you advice or sitting on your board. Sherman makes you better.
Sherm grew up in Harlem and went through many trials and tribulations of being a black man in America and on Wall Street.
When dealing with challenges Sherm noted:
Well, I started a family and my own firm, and we faced numerous challengesābusiness failures, financial struggles and my daughterās health. But at each crucial moment, I recalled a passage from Nichiren Daishoninās writings: āA sword is useless in the hands of a coward. The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faithā (āReply to Kyoāo,āĀ The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 412).
Sherm walks the talk and continues to ask himself the challenging questions. Knowing that he is human and canāt be perfect, but always coming at life from a point of inquiry.
Every day, I ask myself:Ā How am I fighting to create a better world? How do I bring the teachings of Nichiren to life through my own behavior?Ā Some days are better than others since Iām human after all. But I challenge myself to make the guiding philosophy of my life that of the oneness of mentor and disciple. And it is this foundation that gives me the strength, courage and wisdom to keep going.
Iām still trying to figure out what I can do as an individual and as an SGI leader. I donāt think there are easy solutions. But I do know that I canāt expect the SGI or Sensei to solve these issues for us; otherwise, weāre just passing the responsibility on to someone else. It should always be,Ā What am I going to do?Thank you again, Sherman. To conclude, what would you like to share with the youth?
Sherman:Ā Political and legislative reforms are important but itās not possible to legislate human nature. The systemic racism and the institutions built on it are a reflection of the hearts and life conditions of the people who make up those institutions. Peopleās hearts need to change; our hearts need to change.
The SGI, which featured Shermanās interview, has a great piece on The Middle Way on their website.
From this perspective, to pursue the Middle Way is not a compromise. It is to bravely confront lifeās challengesāidentify root causes and seek means of resolutionāwhile summoning the transformative strength and wisdom of Buddhahood from within oneās life to create harmony. Moreover, the Middle Way does not equate to societyās definition of what may be accepted or considered ānormalā at any given time. Rather, it transcends subjective values and accords with something more fundamentalāour humanity. At the social and political level, the Middle Way could be expressed as the commitment to upholding respect for the dignity of life and placing it before adherence to a particular political or economic ideology. This approach is expressed by Gandhi in his well-known words: āRecall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him.ā
šĀ Books to Read or Listen toš
The Spark - Cirque Du Soleil - Inviting the Creative Fire That Lives Within All of UsĀ (Goodreads)
TLDR: We all have the ability to do amazing things that we don't believe possible and just need the right people, places and play to let it grow.Ā
"From a tiny spark a great fire was kindled and its flames warmed the world..."Ā
Passion is the key to everything we doĀ
Constraints like time, money, budgets, gravity and resources are incredible motivatorsĀ (Power of Constraints)
Magic, imagination and discipline ā> New ways of thinking along with speed, poise, precision and energy are essential for Cirque
You need to deliver, you need to take risks and if you fail, figure out a way around the failure by using all that you know and figuring out what you don't knowĀ
They look for performs who are courageous and generousĀ
Everyone has their own unique journey.. you need to find your creativity and find your crazy ideas and chase them with compassionĀ
When you voice your dreams, you never know what will then happenĀ
Credibility and trust are central to the teams at Cirque. Good ideas and good people dominate... playing and tinkering unlocks those good ideasĀ
No compromise on safety, no compromise on aesthetics, 100% aesthetic and 100% safeĀ
Mindset is everything is integrated into the show and nothing is impossibleĀ
We fear the unknown, but the unknown is what takes us into the possibilities of successĀ
Even the best athletes need months and months of training and practiceĀ
"The greatest risk isn't in failing, but in getting too comfortable and getting stuck at a certain altitude"Ā
To avoid getting stuck they mix up acrobatics, jugglers, fire breathers, mimes, musicians, puppeteers, caberte, dance groups, circus schools... keep shaking people up to create new and more.. mix performers with artistic groupsĀ
They nurish the artists and staff in every way possible to make them comfortable so they have the ability to get uncomfortable and createĀ
"They want artists taking things to the next level. If your attitude is I'm doing my job, then you're not really doing your job. The audience is paying for more than that. They want to feel inspiration."
Eliminate things that deaden the MAGIC
Mind in Motion by Barbara Tervesky (Goodreads)
TLDR: Tversky explores different ways we think. The world is never static and as the world changes it changes us and we change the world.
Her laws of cognition are worth notingā¦
First Law of Cognition:Ā There are no benefits without costsĀ (Life is a series of trade offs)Ā
Second Law of Cognition:Ā Action molds perception...mirror neurons (allow us to map other bodies on to our own/understand other bodies through our own), motor resonanceĀ Ā
Third Law of Cognition:Ā Feeling comes firstĀ
Fourth Law of Cognition: The mind can override perceptionĀ (mind can override what is perceived and generally hypothesis overrides perception)Ā
Fifth Law of Cognition:Ā Ā Cognition mirrors perception (spatial and mental frameworks can organize ideas
Sixth Law of Cognition:Ā Ā Spatial thinking is the foundation of abstract thoughtĀ
Seventh Law of Cognition:Ā The mind fills in the missing information
EighthĀ Law of Cognition:Ā Ā When thought overflows the mind, the mind puts it into the worldĀ
Ninth Law of Cognition:Ā Ā We organize stuff in the world the way we organize stuff in our mindsĀ
šļøĀ Listen / WatchĀ šŗĀ
Staying Sane and Effective via Ed Batista and Standford MBA
We need to learn about our emotional tendencies and what triggers us
Understand our framing and the accuracy
MESSY - Meditation, Exercise, Sleep, Stress (indentify chronic stress),
Urgency can remind us to slow down. When we feel that urgency, we can respond by slowing down vs. speeding up
Endings are all symbolic deathsā¦ lean into them to practice death.
āThe end of a melody is not its goal: but nonetheless, had the melody not reached its end it would not have reached its goal either. A parable.ā āNietzche
Each ending prepares us for the larger ending that we all face. We can make sure to note what we learned from each ending and use that in our process of growth.
How Satchel Paige helped Integrate Baseball on Fresh Air (Spotify / Transcript)
Satchel, who I never saw play, was my favorite player when I grew up. He came alive in books I read and my grandfather telling me about him. My grandfather saw him play when he played for the Pittsburgh Couriers and according to him, Satchel lived up to all the hype.
When you read about Satchel you know he had the magic.
DAVIES: So amazing athlete, but a real performer - almost a circus act.
TYE: Yeah, a circus act that understood that there was a thin line between entertaining a crowd and demeaning himself, and he would never take it to the point where he was doing anything to demean himself. But he also understood that Negro League baseball was something that, to attract fans - and he attracted extraordinary numbers of fans, record numbers of fans - to attract fans, he had to be more than just a brilliant pitcher. You had to be a showman, as well. He was as sensational a showman as I've ever seen or read or heard about in the entire game of baseball.
TYE: Sure. Let me tell you, first of all, what the life of the Negro leagues was like then. This was a time where men in the community, particularly on Sunday afternoons, when the premier games were being played, would come out in straw hats and patent leather shoes. Ladies would take out their high heels, their white gloves, their fur stoles. Ministers, actually, for these games, would let people out of church early on Sunday so no one was late, including them. Everybody wanted to go there. This was Black society then. Black ball was Black society. And Satchel Paige was in the center of that world.
TYE: I think it changed them extraordinarily. And I think that the - you don't have to look any further than Dizzy Dean to see that. Dizzy Dean was a good ole boy who wasn't beyond all kinds of racial slurs that were a part of his natural language. And he grew to adore Satchel. He had - they would try to outdo one another not just pitching on the field but telling stories.
And the - there was a great story once in Dayton, Ohio, where Dizzy hit a blooper to first base and ended up making his way eventually to third base with nobody out. And fans started yelling for Dizzy when he was on third base and wanted him to score. And Satchel - in his wonderful way, he would always decide to just sort of take a temporary respite from his time on the mound and go out and talk to people who were on the bases. The umpires let him get away with extraordinary things. And he walked over to Dizzy, and he said, I hope your friends brought plenty to eat 'cause if they're waiting for you to score, they'll be here past dark. You ain't going no further.
Nobody out at the time. And Satchel proceeded like he always did. He would boast, and then he would back up his boast he fanned the next three ballplayers, and Dizzy was stranded there on third base. Dizzy said that, if Satch and I played together, we'd clinch the pennant by the Fourth of July, and we could go fishing until the World Series. He said, between us, we'd win 60 games. So they had this extraordinary friendship.
And yet there was another dimension to it. And the dimension that - essentially, when they got done with their barnstorming games, Dizzy would go back to Broadway. And Satchel would go back to Outer Mongolia, playing in the Negro Leagues where very few people were watching him. And Satchel said, they used to say that Diz and I were about as alike as two tadpoles. But Diz was in the majors, and I was bouncing around the peanut circuit. And he watched all of these guys who he made friends with, whether it was Dizzy Dean or Bob Feller or Joe DiMaggio - he watched them take off and their careers soar. And he watched himself stuck playing in the shadow world, when he knew he was their equal. He had proven it on the baseball field.
Taleb on EconTalk (Spotify / Transcript)
Nassim Nicholas Taleb:Ā Than the pandemic. Than COVID. But, then I said, 'Okay. But, if you don't behave conservatively, you will increase that risk dramatically because the collective risk doesn't scale linearly from individual risk, unlike other risks that do effectively have some scale transformation.' So,Ā ifĀ I don't pay attention, the risk will be high for everybody else.
It's just like wearing a mask. I wear a mask not for myself, but because a person I'm going to infect will infect maybe 10 more, or, I mean, maybe up to 10 more--
Russ Roberts:Ā Some number. Yeah --
Nassim Nicholas Taleb:Ā Maybe up to 20 more. Some number more, maybe on average. So--
Russ Roberts:Ā Depends if they sing in a choir or go to a urologist.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb:Ā Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So, you wear a mask not just to protect yourself, but for the systemic effect.
And, very few understand that thing. And, last time we discussed rationality, we spoke about scaling. Like, some things may be perfectly rational for society, but totally irrational for any individual in it.
Russ Roberts:Ā So, in the case of wearing a mask, if we all--and we'll get to masks in more detail because we've come to a moment in American history deeply depressing to me, where wearing a mask has become a partisan, ideological issue rather than a scientific issue.
But, the point is, is that wearing a mask has external effects that are beneficial. It's like being a nice person. You bear a very small cost. It is uncomfortable and hot. And, by doing so, you reduce the chances that you are asymptomatically spreading a deadly disease to, potentially, as you say, dozens of people.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb:Ā Yeah. Yeah. So, it becomes a duty, sometimes, to act against your own interest--
Russ Roberts:Ā A moral imperative--
Nassim Nicholas Taleb:Ā It's a moral imperative. And, masks are the cheapest. I mean, think about it. You're inflicting huge economic cost by not wearing a mask. Because--I've computed a few things about convexity of masks and errors made by bureaucrats, initially. Because initially the World Health Organization [WHO], the CDC [Centers for Disease Control], all these people wereĀ againstĀ mask-wearing.
And, we said there were two things they did not figure out. The first nonlinearity, the first one, is they didn't think--again, they don't scale--they did not think that if I wear a mask and you wear a mask, we're not reducing the risk by P, the protection, by a mask, but by P-squared. See?
So, the idea--so, for example, if I have 50% probability of being infected wearing a mask, and you have 50%, the total would be .25. So--but, there's another thing people did not pick up. And, we saw it in a lot of papers. And, that is even more central: that, if I reduce the viral load by half, I don't necessarily decrease the probability of infection by half. It may decrease it by 99%--
š£Words of Wisdomš£
The Man in the High Castle -Philip K. Dick
āWhat profit it a man if he gain the whole world but in this enterprise lose his soul?āā
How to Love - Thich Nhat Hanh and Jason DeAntonis
LOVE IS EXPANSIVE In the beginning of a relationship, your love may include only you and the other person. But if you practice true love, very soon that love will grow and include all of us. The moment love stops growing, it begins to die. Itās like a tree; if a tree stops growing, it begins to die. We can learn how to feed our love and help it continue to grow.
Lifelong Kindergarten - Mitchel Resnick, Ken Robinson
Thereās an old saying āWe treasure what we measure.ā Schools tend to focus more attention, and place more value, on the things that they can measure, rather than valuing and focusing on the things that will make the biggest difference in childrenās lives.
In the same way, you cannot describe someoneās behaviour based on what you see, or what you think they see, because what determines their behaviour is what they think they are seeing. This distinction applies to almost anything: what determines the behaviour of physical objects is the thing itself, but what determines the behaviour of living creatures is their perception of the thing itself.
Drew Houston of Dropbox: Figure Out the Things You Donāt Know - NYTimes.com
The circle is really about the idea that youāre the average of your five closest friends, so make sure to put yourself in an environment that pulls the best out of you. And the last is the number 30,000. When I was 24, I came across this website that says most people live for about 30,000 days. So you have to make every day count.
Over the last few days, I have been able to see my life as from a great altitude, as a sort of landscape, and with a deepening sense of the connection of all its parts. This does not mean I am finished with life. On the contrary, I feel intensely alive, and I want and hope in the time that remains to deepen my friendships, to say farewell to those I love, to write more, to travel if I have the strength, to achieve new levels of understanding and insight.
šThanks for readingš
Where do you go to embrace the magic?
Where do you go to chase the magic?
How do you get more magic in your life?
What are you most grateful for?
Namaste,Ā
Christian
