The Curious Corner / Issue #1

Hi!

If you're reading this, welcome to the first issue of The Curious Corner - my rather ambitious project to compile a small bunch of my most interesting reads (and something more) from the last week. The compilation will be a mix of articles from culture, marketing, psychology, work-life balance and more - basically all the topics I love and love talking about.

I hope you will enjoy the collection and let me know what you think. Here we go!

• Bad listening is everywhere and unfortunately we are too used to it. In a culture of short attention spans, we incentivise speaking at the cost of listening. That means we have way too many bad listeners. I really enjoyed reading this piece on the beauty and gifts of good listening. Read it for a totally different perspective on how to approach conversations and really work in improving them, for your own sake as much as for others.

‘The greatest compliment that was ever paid me,’ said Henry David Thoreau, ‘was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.’

• Didn't think an article from Microsoft Worklab would feature in this issue but this is something I feel deeply about. The concept of a traditional career is so outdated and so jaded. It's wonderful to see your career as a playground, as this article suggests and champions. The average person today will hold 12 different jobs over the span of a career. So maybe it's time to revisit the idea of a career?
• One of the world's most beloved brands, Nike, has turned 50. Truly a brand that has combined design, individuality and personal development like no other. A true blue "emblem of individuality, in an age where indviduality has become rampant", as a line from this piece goes. And what a great tribute this New York Times piece is. A must-read. (Article might be soft-paywalled)

?Nike wasn’t “an outfitter of equipment for athletes but a platform for constant personal progression,” which happened to coincide with an era when “personal progression” became intertwined with physical activity on an every day level.

• Eric Barker's book 'Barking Up The Wrong Tree' has to be one of the books I have gifted to others the most. So naturally, when he wrote something on the 5 types of emails that can make your life better, I had to feature it here. The last thing you want is to send out emails. But trust me, once you read this list, you will feel the urge to send at least one of these emails right away.
• One marketing thing that really touched me this week was how the retail brand Chewy responded to a customer who called them to ask if she could return an unopened bag of dog food because her pet had died. The brand's response just shows you the power of caring and doing things that don't scale. The brand deserves all the love they have been getting on social media over the last week.

That's it for the first issue, everyone. Short and sweet (because, attention spans!) but I will see you next week with a new collection of reads. For now, I've just finished reading The School Of Life by Alain de Botton (highly recommend) and will keep you updated of some interesting books I come across in the coming issues of this newsletter. Wish you a great weekend.

Happy reading. Stay curious!