In my efforts to record the bits of wisdom I find in the day, I find myself more on the lookout for them. Looking for these lessons has led me to be more aware of what I’m doing in a given moment. I’m more attentive in taking in the things around me, be them a book, a TV show, or just the world around me.
Influences All Around
There hasn’t been another time in history when access to content was greater than it is now. With a few taps on a keyboard, platforms full of articles, books, movies, and videos are found. These platforms have a near infinite amount of content to consume, and, at times, we can be pressured to follow it all.
I’ve long been an avid consumer of many different types of content and some of it influenced me greatly, while others have been lost to my memory.
A few years ago, I remember seeing this post on social media that was headlined something like, “50 things my economics professor taught me.” It was this list of various things that this professor did, and one sticks with me for some reason. I’m paraphrasing, but it was something to the effect of “unpack your suitcase if you are staying at a place for two or more nights.” It was such a specific piece of advice that it stuck with me, and I actually do unpack my things in a hotel if I’ll be there a few days.
I read a lot of non-fiction, especially self-help and self-improvement books, and often I find there are some interesting ideas. Usually, I find one or two big ideas to pull from a given title.
Paying Closer Attention
While I’m reading a book or watching a video, part of my mind is focused on what I can take from this. What perspective or idea I can use from this piece of media to enhance my life. I think all experiences, lived or simulated in media, have lessons to offer, whether they be direct instructions for improving performance in a given area or a perspective to approach certain situations in.
Specific types of media offer somewhat straightforward lessons to be drawn, but not all are as clear cut. It’s easy to draw wisdom from a book on meditation or a documentary on philosophy, but fiction can still offer amazing insights.
My favorite example of this in my personal life was playing through the game Final Fantasy IX last year after a rough patch. The games themes around life, death, and purpose really shook me out of a depressive state.
I think nearly all media has something that we can gain from it, even if it’s what not to do.
Media can be a source of wisdom, but so can our lived experience. We don’t need a book to tell us not to touch a hot stove. Some conclusions we are able to come to on our own. Sometimes an outside source may influence the conclusion we come to, but that conclusion is something we draw on our own.
Time to Reflect
With all these lessons coming to mind, recording and reviewing them is the next step.
Walks have long been a wind down ritual of mine. Ending the day with an opportunity to let my mind wander to the places it wants to go helps me to settle down before trying to sleep. I’ve begun using nightly walks as a chance to look back on the day in more detail, trying to find anything I might have missed in the day or if there’s something I need to think deeper on.
One thing I think I need to make time for more often is reviewing the list itself. A friend of mine recently asked me what my lesson from the prior day was, and I blanked. I couldn’t think of what I had written down just one day ago. Of course, when I got home and checked, “duh, it was X.” I’m still doing weekly reviews every Sunday. That would be a good time to look back on the week and digest everything I’ve taken in.
Even this reflection can act as an opportunity to learn!
Trying Out Before Buying In 