#30 - The Art of Self-Examination: 33 Questions to Uncover Your Hard Truths

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This week's edition:

• ???The Art of Self-Examination: 33 Questions to Uncover Your Hard Truths
• ?? NUS President Tan Eng Chye on university rankings and morning walks with staff
• ?? Diversity is a Joke at Your Company! (Here’s Why)

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??The Art of Self-Examination: 33 Questions to Uncover Your Hard Truths

I first heard about Morgan Housel?on a Tim Ferriss podcast. It was about a book called The Psychology of Money. Tim mentioned it is a short read which got me interested.

Despite the brevity, the essence is stronger than many other books I've read.?It is one of those books that I will pick up again and re-read.

Morgan also recently became a podcaster and is one of the few I?look forward to. His episode release isn't regular, but each monologue is a gem.

Recently he wrote a?post on?Collective Fund,?where he is a partner. But it isn't anything related to investment but a list of questions to help examine our lives.

Socrates famously said that?the unexamined life is not worth living.

And that can be done by asking ourselves tough, insightful questions.

Here are the ones that Morgan shared, which I will reflect on deeply over the next few days.

I hope you will too, and see what insights you can unearth about your life.

• Whose life do I admire that is secretly miserable?
• What do I believe is true only because believing it puts me in good standing with my tribe?
• Which of my current values would be different if I were raised by different parents?
• What do I believe the most with the least amount of evidence of it being true?
• Who has the right answer but I ignore because they’re a bad communicator?
• Who is full of it but I pay attention to because they’re a good communicator?
• What do I think is ambition (a good trait) but is actually envy (a terrible one)?
• What annoys me about other people that I sometimes do myself?
• How much of my nostalgia is a false or incomplete memory of the past?
• What in your profession is impossible to know no matter how smart you become? David Deutsch said, “Beware of the difference between prediction and prophecy. Prophecy purports to know things which cannot be known.”
• Is this thing I’m worried about actually a problem, or am I looking for problems to worry about because they make me feel in control?
• What in my field do I think is a law (works all the time) but is actually just a rule (works some of the time)?
• What do I think is a universal truth but is actually just a norm unique to my own culture?
• What was true a generation ago that no longer is, and who is clinging to that old truth?
• What is partially true but I believe in it so absolutely, and take it so seriously, that I’ve turned it into a dangerous belief?
• Are there things going well in my life today that I will look back on and wish I had quit while I was ahead?
• Is there something in my life I think I’m “passionate” about or “focused” on but I’m actually just addicted to it?
• Do I spend more time defending what I already know instead of trying to learn something new?
• Are there people in my life who I consider kind and compassionate but they’re actually just too shy to tell me hard truths?
• What would Instagram look like if it were an honest reflection of people’s life, instead of a curated highlight reel?
• Am I being as nice as I could be, rather than just as nice as I need to be?

???Work It – The Leader’s Chair: NUS President Tan Eng Chye on university rankings and morning walks with staff

NUS President Tan Eng Chye takes the seat on this episode of The Leader’s Chair.

He shares what the future of university education looks like, why he invites staff for morning walks and how he deals with difficult situations.

Listen to the full episode at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0al5AQMBVu05q8GeFTDwGE?si=45ff246bc3b64f91

??Recommendations

Diversity is a Joke at Your Company! (Here’s Why)

Diversity and inclusion. Every company talks about it, but how many truly walk the walk? This provocative article calls out the superficial diversity efforts that fail to create real change.

It's time to move beyond vanity metrics and listen to employees' day-to-day experiences. Optics and quotas won't cut it if people still feel marginalized.

The path to inclusion is messy and requires sincere commitment, not just rearranging the deck chairs. Are you ready for raw truths on how to move the needle at your company? Then click at the title above?to read this no holds barred take on diversity efforts that miss the mark.

ChatGPT Summary for Websites & Youtube videos

As professionals, we're constantly pressed for time and must absorb information quickly. That's why I'd like to recommend an app called Summary GPT to help streamline your research and learning.

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I've found Summary GPT invaluable as a busy professional. It allows me to rapidly expand my knowledge base by distilling lengthy material to its essence. I can absorb 5x more content in the same amount of time.

If you want to work smarter and bolster your learning efficiency, I highly recommend checking out Summary GPT. It will save you precious time while ensuring you never miss the core insights again. The usefulness speaks for itself - try it once, and you'll be hooked!

Magical

Magical is a smart text expander and form-filling tool that uses AI to speed up your workflows as you work across the web. It works directly in your browser to boost productivity on any website or web app without complicated setup or integrations.

The key benefit is that Magical can automatically fill out forms and draft messages for you using AI. So you can instantly personalize emails, social media posts, support tickets, and more. It's like having your own AI assistant to handle tedious busywork and data entry at lightning speed.

Magical shaves hours off my week when doing sales outreach, answering support tickets, transferring data between apps, and other repetitive typing tasks. The time savings add up when you automate multiple workflows.

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??Thanks For Reading

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