Back on the horse #4
#4
I missed the April 1 deadline and fell off the wagon after only 3 newsletters. I won’t bore you with the excuses, but safe to say I’ve forgiven myself and am back on the horse.
I hope this finds you well wherever you are. And I hope you get something from this issue.
Mind yourselves > Niall
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BITE SIZED INSIGHT
“Someone told him he was a good hurler and he believed him” Pat Malone (former All-Ireland winning Galway hurler)
“It is even more damaging for a minister to say foolish things than to do them” Cardinal de Retz (former French churchman & Agitator)
"They laugh at me because I'm different; I laugh at them because they're all the same” often attributed to Kurt Cobain (though nobody is sure)
“Only the terminally subordinate act in a predictable manner” Robert Greene (author of The 48 Laws of Power)
READING
Books I finished up:
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
I might not agree with his politics but for anyone thinking about starting a company or who is open to looking at things from another angle it’s well worth a read.
Get Rich or Lie Tryin’ by Symeon Browne
I’ve always been curious about what actually drives online influencer culture. Symeon Browne looks in detail at the age of monetising the self, focusing on those who lose in this not so new system.
LISTENING
Now that #honesty is launched I’ve had the brain bandwidth to try and take in a couple of podcasts:
Balaji Srinivasan on The Network State
This is one of the most mind blowing podcasts I’ve ever heard. All’s I’ll say is do yourself a favor and plug in.
David Robson on The Psychological Power of Expectation
Really enjoyed this one about how the expectations we have and the profound effect they have on our lives. There’s none of the Instagram inspirational quote nonsense here. The story about how people with no gluten intolerance can have a gluten reaction after eating a meal with no gluten in it is, quite simply, wild!
The Tommy, Hector & Lorita podcast
Still very much enjoying the musings of these three. This one cracked me up.
WATCHING
The viewing stats, particularly for in North America are really high for this series – which I was kind of surprised by. But Netflix and F1 have a crafted a formula here that not only works as propaganda for the sport but is genuinely entertaining. Whether you’re a motor racing fan or not it doesn’t really matter. They way this show is edited and the way it sets up the narrative make for compelling viewing. The real stars of the show are the Team Principles who are full of character, namely the cool as ice Toto Wolff (Mercedes), the pragmatic Christian Horner (Red Bull) and the stand out one of the lot Guenther Steiner (Haas).
The Tommy Tiernan Show
Tommy Tiernan is taking up a lot of my content consumption in 2022, but I’m gonna go with it. His interview series on RTE is a fresh format where over the course of an evening he sits down with three guests. He doesn’t know who they are in advance so he has to respond in the moment to what’s coming at him – and given his profession he is exceptional at being present. Which makes for some great TV - like Colm Meaney one.
The Ukrainian capital has had a long and violent history that I never knew about. It has been reduced to ashes many times before and always re-emerged from the smoke and rubble to rise again. Mark Felton gives a whistle stop 8 minute historical tour.
How coachable are you?
I was chatting to a good friend of mine recently regaling him about a film scene I was doing. And how after the first few takes it was clear I wasn’t hitting the mark.
And despite the best efforts of the director, I wasn’t getting it done. Mainly due to a little nervous energy carrying through into the scene and doing that classic actor thing of doing too much.
So he goes:
Him: “And did you take on board what you were asked you to do?”
Me: “Yeah, it took a couple of takes but I got there”
Him: “So you’re coachable then”
Me: “I’m what?”
Him: “Coachable. You’re open.”
Me: “Yeah, I guess so”
Sometimes we just need to get out of our own way. And let others help clear the path.
MAKING
#honesty was a daily thought for 3 years. Now that it’s done and out there I can turn my attention to some other things. Principle among those are a new series of podcast interviews in planned for the summer, a couple of projects I’m trying to produce through Time Productions as well as some writing ideas I hope to flesh out in June.
CAN I HELP?
If you think I can help with something or have any feedback drop us a line on inneroscarwinner@gmail.com
Thanks for reading. I appreciate it.