https://levels.io/contact/ by Pieter Levels (the author of NomadList).
Just read it (and his other posts) and you will understand the whole philosophy behind Indie Hackers and why the traditional "jobs" are so broken.
Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
271–280 of 393 posts
Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
#272Earlier quoted context omitted.
I just rewatched that scene - he isn't saying anything meaningful. He's being rude, telling people how much money he makes and telling them to "just close".
He’s telling them the harsh truths of how the world works. He’s flaunting what they want in front of them and then showing them what they have to do in order to have it. It’s as controversial as the cracked piece in itself. And for some people in my circle - it’s a wake up call. You can’t expect to just get what he has by drifting through life aimlessly. You have to do what it takes. It’s a message to the kids who we…
I don't think that he's showing them what they have to do. Unless acting like he does in the scene is what they're supposed to be doing as salesmen? I don't know too much about sales so if the lesson was the all that the other salesmen need to be douchebags with their clients just like Baldwin's character was with them, then that lesson has gone completely over my head.
To me it looked like he's shaking them up a little. But the motivation from being shaken up doesn't last long especially if it isn't supplemented by actual skills. Let's say that one of these salesmen is really pumped up after this meeting - what happens the next time they're on a call with a client who isn't interested? What does that salesman know now that they didn't know pre-Baldwin-speech? What can they do differenty? Nothing as far as I can tell. And if the argument is that they all have the skills and it's all about the motivation, then that sounds very much like something from the soft generation that you're describing in your comment.
Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
#273Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've been using my instant pot and your meal sounds great but I am unfortunately hopeless at cooking. Can you let me know what you do with those ingredients? Do you dice the potatoes/peppers? Do you have to cook the beans/quinoa first? How long?
Hey, I'm not the parent poster, but anyway... You'll want to cut up the potatoes and peppers, but when you're cooking them like this, the size doesn't matter much, it's just what you prefer. I'd go a bit chunkier -- smaller will have all the flavors blend more, chunkier and you'll be able to taste the separate ingredients a bit better. Quinoa definitely does not need to be pre-cooked -- it cooks very quickly. If you'…
Great comment, thank you! Feels like cooking is a skill a lot like programming where you can be stuck in tutorial hell without ever actually learning anything. I'd like to get out of that and your about just trying things out and seeing how they taste helped me shift my mindset about it
Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
#274This still haunts me https://www.nashvail.me/blog/stop-learning . You got to build stuff too, not just learn. Still, you also have to figure out if you're a builder or a "learner". I like to figure stuff out, once I know the solution, my interest is minimal.
I took "looping" and "incapacity" to mean not taking a leap. Growth usually happens outside your comfort zone. Remove the safety net and ask, 'what's the worst that could happen?'
Yeah, "incapacity" is the wrong term, since more learning should never decrease your capacity to do something.
He's against the overlearning of a skill in a classroom, especially since you won't really learn how to do most things until you close the books and just go do it.
Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
#275Earlier quoted context omitted.
One more logic-focused on it is that control is a false concept in general. You can only choose what to control what you think about at best but outside factors are out of your control so you become a slave to those changing factors. So, effectively, attempting to control external factors makes the external factors control your thinking. Imagine leading an animal into a cage with food. To that animal, they are contro…
You can make aims in your life, and try to work towards goals and build willpower. You can aim to surround yourself with people that you believe will help you grow and be positive influences on you, for instance. Or you can aim avoid people that you think won't. You will still run into the whole gamut at the grocery store, however. Controlling your thoughts is another matter. Just try to stop thinking for an entire m…
Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice makes it quite clear that you can (and are expected to, eventually) change which thoughts arise in the first place.
Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
#276"How I found & fixed the root problem behind my depression and anxiety after 20+ years" by Kaj Sotala. It describes the concept of 'self-concept' and a, I guess, pseudo-treatment for addressing deep-set neurosis/anxiety caused by having one that is a little malformed. This post led (in a sort of roundabout way, hitting at a good time in my life and while I was already thinking in the direction of fixing this problem)…
Amazing stuff
Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
#277https://medium.com/personal-growth/travel-is-no-cure-for-the... When I have anxiety and unhappy moments in my life, I feel stuck. My natural inclination in these moments is to run. To get away, to be somewhere new, do something new, just get the eff away from wherever I am. I frequently felt that traveling and being a digital nomad would cure this problem and I would never feel that way, but the article above outline…
It does resonate with me. Having lived in Japan for a year I got a huge amount of benefit from it. I think the author dismisses too quickly the benefits of living and being exposed to a culture different from your own, as it acts as a new reference point for the rest of your life. If you've spent all your life in one country than living in another can really open up your mind in a genuine way. Not to mention learning…
Did you know any japanese before traveling there?
Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
#2787 years ago I had just aborted an internship, my foray into being an employed adult, because I found myself unable to deal with disagreements. Contrary to my naive hope that the confidence boost from being a Professional Software Developer(tm) would solve all my emotional problems I now knew that my limitations would follow me around anywhere I would go. But I had no idea how to change and was too stuck in my own anx…
> It dawned on me that my attempt at completely controlling my life had, in fact, caused me to lose control over it. Could you possibly unpack this for me a little bit? It strikes me as absolutely true for me, too, or at least sounds like it could be true, but I'm pulling at a thread I can't quite grasp.
Maybe you can also think about "Maximizers vs Satisficers" as in this article: https://www.psychologistworld.com/cognitive/maximizers-satis...
Trying to find "the best option" or trying to totally control the outcome is counter productive. You lose your options, you lose your time.
While being satisficer you accept some parts that might not be perfect and your life moves forward. You open more options as you are not stuck on picking exactly the right washing machine and you open time and headspace for other avenues.
Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
#2797 years ago I had just aborted an internship, my foray into being an employed adult, because I found myself unable to deal with disagreements. Contrary to my naive hope that the confidence boost from being a Professional Software Developer(tm) would solve all my emotional problems I now knew that my limitations would follow me around anywhere I would go. But I had no idea how to change and was too stuck in my own anx…
Reminds me of stoicism. If it's outside your control, don't bother too much. Face your challenges and do the best you can, being a better you.
It is very beautiful and interesting to me that Stoics and Buddhists arrived at very similar conclusions despite being thousands of miles apart and having little to no contact.
Re: Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?
#280Maybe tone the superlatives down. I am not sure there are "life-changing" blog posts. Maybe a post that is either illuminating to a new way of thinking or point you in another direction. To be clear - I support the idea of sharing insightful information especially as everyone takes different paths of life. I do however loathe the over the top language. This day and age everything is "life-changing", "epic", "GOAT" -…
Mr Money Mustache was a life changing blog for me. I don't think that's a hyperbole. I saved way more money after internalizing that blog's message than I would have otherwise.
It made me aware of, then helped me get off, the “hedonic treadmill”. Saving more to invest is one part of being able to retire early; needing less to be happy right now and later is even more important.