Since I just finished reading Between Two Kingdoms 📚, I’m now watching American Symphony 📺. Both feature Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste.

It’s ironic—every time I share what I think is fatherly wisdom with one of my kids, I soon stumble upon a quote from someone far more accomplished that echoes the same thought. I end up sharing their words—not to validate my own, but because sometimes another voice resonates more than a parent’s.

A quote from Peak Performance written by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness. The quote asserts that growth only happens when people step outside their comfort zone.

📚 Currently reading: Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad

I was reading the chapter on community building in The Second Mountain by David Brooks and then the following quote shows up in my Readwise daily review. It’s not intuitive to correlate these books but the idea of collective wisdom and the value of community over individualism is highlighted here.

A quote from the book Piranesi by Susannah Clarke.

I read this Dear James: I Hate My Post-college Life article in The Atlantic today, which ties into a chapter from David Brooks’ The Second Mountain I read last night. Both highlight the challenges young people face—particularly around navigating their newfound “freedom”.

The power of habit.

Pull quote from a book titled, “The Common Rule” by Justin Whitmel Earley.

Our church is currently going through a sermon series on prayer. Coincidentally, my daily Readwise review included the following highlight today:

An excerpt on prayer from the book, “Run With the Horses” by Eugene Peterson.

Hidden Potential: Prologue

Although I just started reading the book Hidden Potential by Adam Grant 📚, I wanted to start summarizing the notes and key points I’ve captured as I’ve attempted to actively read through the content. My hope is that it will aid in my retention of the material as well as provide a reference for later. Especially since I’m reading this as part of the book club I belong to at work and we’ll be discussing it when we meet in a couple months.

Here’s a closer look at some of the key insights I noted in the prologue:

  1. Redefining Potential: Grant challenges the conventional notion of potential, asserting that it transcends initial capabilities. He asserts that everyone has hidden potential. The key is to unlock it. Grant referenced a landmark study where the lead psychologist concluded, “What any person in the world can learn, almost all persons can learn, if provided with appropriate… conditions of learning.“

  2. Aspiration over Ambition: The distinction between ambition and aspiration emerges as a focal point. Grant underscores the significance of aspiring to become a certain type of person rather than merely achieving specific goals, shifting the focus from short-term accomplishments to long-term personal growth.

  3. The Evolution of Character: Grant argues that character, far from being static, is a set of learned capacities that enable individuals to live by their principles. As the Nobel laureate economist James Heckman concluded, character skills “predict and produce success in life.“

  4. Scaffolding for Growth: The concept of scaffolding serves as a metaphorical framework for facilitating learning and development. Grant illustrates how providing initial support and gradually transferring responsibility to the learner fosters autonomy and self-directed growth, akin to the process of constructing a sturdy edifice.

  5. Collective Empowerment: Through the example of the Raging Rooks chess team, Grant illuminates the potency of collective intelligence. He advocates for a collaborative approach where individuals aim not to be the smartest in the room but to elevate the collective intelligence.

  6. Measuring True Potential: Grant redefines the yardstick for assessing potential, positing that true potential is not gauged solely by peak achievements but by the journey and growth undertaken to attain them. This perspective reframes success as a continuous process of self-improvement and resilience.

Although just the prologue, I’m already hooked by Grant’s use of data, research, and story to drive home his points. I’m really looking forward to the chapters ahead.

Currently reading: Hidden Potential by Adam Grant 📚 I’m only one chapter in so far but am already struck by the tension that exists between our natural human inclination to seek comfort and the reality that the best way to accelerate growth is to embrace, seek, and amplify discomfort.

I was just reading through an old book on my shelf and noticed I had to keep fussing with part of the dust jacket that was torn. I’m wondering what others do with torn dust jackets. Should I try to mend it with tape or just discard it altogether?