Sloww Sunday 022: Self-Transformation, How Innovation Works, Top Essays

Sloww Sunday Newsletter 022 (July 12, 2020) — Self-Transformation, How Innovation Works, Top Essays to Read, & More

Hi friends,

Sloww Sunday is a newsletter for slowing down to awaken the art of living.

In a modern world of information overload, it’s timeless wisdom for living well.

Note: Apologies for the lack of email the last couple weeks. It’s been a bit rough here lately. We said goodbye to our 19-year-old dachshund Kitty (yes, Kitty the dog). Kitty was a constant—we’d often joke that she would live forever. I shared a photo and some thoughts here.

1. Sloww Stuff

🆕 Public Posts:

The Art of Living for All: “A Calendar of Wisdom” by Leo Tolstoy (Book Summary) — This is a big one! After saving 15,000+ words from the book, I cut that in half by organizing my favorite 250 quotes into roughly 25 themes. This is one I’ll revisit again and again.

15 Deep Insights about Death to Understand the Meaning of Life & Live Fully Alive — 75+ profound quotes organized into 15 deep insights.

🔒 Premium Posts:

How to Live a Wise Life with “A Calendar of Wisdom” by Leo Tolstoy (+ Infographic) — I went even deeper for Premium Members and distilled the free book summary into a more concise 5,000 words (+ visual). Not all books need a Premium companion post, but this one is so comprehensive that it does.

Stream of Consciousness: Is Death the Best Invention of Life? — I had some aha moments about death—and therefore life—while compiling this post. I hope you are able to use these insights to truly live today.

2. Video I’m Watching

📺 The Psychology of Self-Transformation
(10 mins | Academy of Ideas on YouTube)

This short video packs a punch. It features insights from Jung, Maslow, Emerson and more on how to live a more fulfilling life.

“If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.” — Abraham Maslow

3. Podcast I’m Enjoying

🎧 How Innovation Works — Matt Ridley on Naval Podcast
(30 mins | Transcript | YouTube | Apple | Spotify)

Fascinating conversation with two fascinating humans. Do you know the difference between invention and innovation? How about if innovation is an evolutionary process or an invention process?

“Innovation is the child of freedom and the parent of prosperity.” — Matt Ridley

4. Resource I’m Reviewing

📖 150+ Essays to Read
(Notion)

Patrick O’Shaughnessy tweeted his three most influential essays which prompted hundreds to share their own. Will Haynes organized them all into this awesome list that even includes links to each essay.

It seems like you’re going to start seeing more of this type of curation. Sam McRoberts and I actually did the same thing for 100 movies and 60 TV shows to question the nature of reality. Again, all based on a tweet. Make a copy of the spreadsheet and track your own watchlist!

5. Quote I’m Contemplating

“Since everything is but an illusion,
Perfect in being what it is,
Having nothing to do with good or bad,
Acceptance or rejection,
One might as well burst out laughing!”

— Longchenpa

Sharing: If you enjoyed this issue of Sloww Sunday, please share socially or send it to a few friends to spread the word!

Support: If you’re interested in supporting Sloww, there are a few financial and non-financial methods other than the Premium Membership. See ways to support.

Feedback: It’s always appreciated! Please send me an email or reach out socially.

Also, please let me know if you come across anything interesting that’s on the same wavelength as Sloww. I may be able to include it in an upcoming newsletter.

Have a lighthearted week!

Go with the Sloww,

Kyle Kowalski
Founder, Sloww