Hey friends,

This week’s issue is going to be a little different. I’m in the middle of final exams week for college so instead of the one thought that I usually start the newsletter with, all 5 sections are going to be pieces curated by me this week. Next week will be back to normal. Make sure to subscribe here if you haven’t done so already:

In this week’s issue we will cover:

• The Power of One Annual Word by Yath Prem

• Visualize Value by Jack Butcher

• The Profile by Polina Marinova

• Anti-Libraries

• A quote from Maya Angelou

Choosing an Annual Theme

Illustration by Yath Prem

I loved this post from my friend Yath on choosing an Annual Word to form a theme for the upcoming year. He argues that it provides clarity on what to achieve throughout the year as well as fosters discipline.

For me, my 2021 theme will be to Produce. I feel as though over the last few years I've spent too much time consuming content whether it be podcasts, YouTube videos, or TV shows. In the New Year, I want to ramp down on consumption and focus more on producing content that I can grow from.

Visualizing Value

One of the best social media accounts I've discovered this year is Jack Butcher at Visualize Value. I've used some of their graphics in the past in this newsletter. They do a great job distilling important ideas and sayings into impactful and simple visuals.

Here are 3 of my favorite visuals:

The Profile - Noah Galloway

If you subscribe to one newsletter, you should subscribe to Polina Marinova's The Profile. The newsletter dissects the most interesting people in business, entertainment, tech, sports, and more and provides you with actionable lessons from everyone.

I loved this piece on Noah Galloway - a former US Army Officer and current motivational speaker and extreme sports enthusiast. His story is an amazing one - from enlisting in the military the day after 9-11, to losing limbs in Afghanistan, to battling depression and addiction issues, to getting his life together and competing in ultra marathons. Lots of actionable advice here from a great story!

How to View a Library

I came across this excellent snippet from Sonia Baschez on Twitter about the best way to view your library. This is a similar concept to the anti-library popularized by Nassim Taleb. And it also makes me feel better about stockpiling books in my own library.

Quote of the Week

That’s all for this week. As always let me know any feedback you might have - always happy to talk if I could do better! If you enjoyed this edition, consider sharing it with a friend and if it’s your first time reading I hope you’ll consider subscribing. Until next week - stay safe!