The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all.
The Weekly High 5
Dear Friends, I hope I find you well.
In this new Friday instalment of ‘The Weekly High Five’ I will be sharing five exciting things I felt are worth sharing from what I’m reading, new experiences, book updates and recommendations, quotes, et cetera et cetera.
The protocol remains the same: No spamming. 😆
1️⃣Apparently, success is not only hard work or individual effort suggests Malcolm Gladwell.
In his book, Outliers, he says of success that, “…we’ve been far too focused on the individual—on describing the characteristics and habits and personality traits of those who get furthest ahead in the world. And that’s the problem because in order to understand outliers I think you have to look around them— at their culture and community and family and generation. We’ve been looking at tall trees, and I think we should have been looking at the forest.”
This has been my read for the last two weeks and I can assure you, it is worth a fortune.
My takeaway from the whole book was that in order to be successful, one may need to work hard however, it is important not to judge ourselves with the lives of others because many successful people, outliers, were just lucky or born in the right place at the right time. Circumstances, to a greater extent matter.
2️⃣Do you believe in the existence of Aliens?
If you’re from Zimbabwe and a huge Winky D fan you would know about the 1994 UFO sightings in Ariel a school in Ruwa.
Tell me what you think. I would love to hear your response to this reality.
3️⃣ “This is water” is a phenomenal speech by David Foster Wallace given at the Kenyon Commencement ceremony in 2005.
The phrase "This is water" is a metaphor for the idea that we are constantly immersed in our thoughts, desires, and perspectives, much like fish are surrounded by water. It's easy to overlook the mental constructs that shape our reality, but acknowledging and being mindful of them can lead to greater empathy and understanding for others.
Simply put, our perspectives matter as do our thoughts.
Ps: This speech will definitely change your perspective on life.
4️⃣Still on the topic of success, have you ever thought about minimalism, particularly in the context of Africans or African Americans?
This documentary got me questioning some of the things I tell myself I need but don’t necessarily do. In #BlackAF, Kenya Barris makes an interesting argument about why black, rich people eventually buy luxurious things in the name of validation, something ingrained in the culture.
While the documentary makes a great case for living within our means, I found some ideas not practical like the idea of tiny houses. I’m yet to read the book though.
Also, why is the other guy walking on the street barefooted? I get minimalism but there are cheap shoes at the dollar store. 😂
Great documentary overall. ⭐⭐⭐
5️⃣Quote of the week
I found it appropriate to quote
who I have come to appreciate as an inspiration as I embark on this journey of writing my first book and building an audience. If you haven’t read Show Your Work, it’s time you get your hands on it.