Hey there,

Thanks for joining me! It's the Lunar New Year and I've had a great time celebrating, although things are certainly different now with Covid-19 restrictions in place. It's certainly harder (and less safe) to visit the same amount of people that you used to. You might also be interested to know that Singapore has one of the shortest Lunar New Year celebrations around - where some countries celebrate for 15 days, there are only 3 days of public holidays set aside for this festival before we get back to what we're doing.

Book Notes

Barking Up The Wrong Tree: I've followed Eric Barker on his blog for some time now, but never got around to reading his book. Now, I can say I've finally done it. Eric writes about self-improvement and what he calls the science of success in a very entertaining and nuanced way, so if you're considering getting his book, check out some of the notes and excerpts I've extracted.

Interesting Articles On The Web

Best Story Wins: "A truth that applies to many fields, which can frustrate some as much as it energizes others, is that the person who tells the most compelling story wins. Not who has the best idea, or the right answer. Just whoever tells a story that catches people’s attention and gets them to nod their heads."

All of us are storytellers at heart. We tell ourselves stories on a daily basis to give our lives meaning. It shouldn't be surprising then that it matters just as much the stories we tell others - it is the story that gets people to listen, believe, and act.

What Networks Whisper: This is not quite about the power of stories, but it's relevant. If stories are so powerful, then you should be careful what stories you listen to, especially since they can literally determine the course of your life. Choose your physical and digital environment carefully - if you live in LA and spend your time on Instagram, you're going to want fame and glamour; if you live in Boston and spend your time on Reddit, you're going to be more interested in knowledge than if you were somewhere else.

Your Big Break: Sometimes it never comes. What probably happens is that you catch a series of small breaks, and there's no better person to illustrate this than Seth Godin, who has not missed a single blog post (he writes daily!) for the past 10 years. It's only February but I think all of us could use the inspiration to keep going in what promises to still be a challenging year.

This Week’s Sponsor

This newsletter is sponsored by Noom, the world's leading behavior change company. By combining the power of artificial intelligence, mobile tech, and psychology with the empathy of over 1,000 personal coaches, Noom helps people live healthier lives by changing their long-term habits. Check them out if you have a long term goal that you always wanted to achieve, but never got around to.