- The Second Mountain by David Brooks
- From Strength to Strength Arthur C. Brooks (not related)
- Marcus Aurelius
- Four Thousand Weeks Oliver Burkeman
- Die with Zero Bill Perkins
- Beginning of Infinity David Deutsch
- Comfort Crisis Michael Easter
- Tribe Sebastian Junger
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck Mark Manson
- The Life you Can Save
- Sapiens Yuval Noah Harari
- The Courage to be Disliked
- Man’s Search for Meaning
- War of Art Steven Pressfield
- Waking Up Sam Harris
Material possessions and experiences don’t satisfy. Always craving the next thing (dukkha concept from Buddhism, “suffering”). Stoic philosophy helps a lot here. It’s not about not feeling emotion, it’s about recognizing what you can control, taking the next most correct action, and not worrying about what is outside your control.
Negative visualization is a powerful technique. Imagine if you didn’t have the things you already have. How much would you crave them? Imagine your life without:
- Health
- The ability to walk
- The ability to urinate without pain
- Your children
- Your spouse
- Your parents
- Your friends
- Your home
- Your car
- Your phone
If you didn’t have these things, how much would you crave them? How much do you appreciate them day to day?
Ask yourself two questions
- For what or who are you willing to die for?
- Why are you alive?
Some things that provide purpose and meaning for most people. Commitment to:
- Family, spouse, loved ones, friends
- Vocation: a calling or work that satisfies (farming, flying, fishing)
- Community
- Philosophy or faith: religion is a cheat code for finding purpose and meaning. Stoicism