Sharing what I have learned from what I have read: A blog by Joe Abittan
At the moment I am recovering from an ankle injury from a few weeks back. I was out for a run one morning and was not looking very closely at where I was going. There was a rock on the sidewalk that I did not see and I sprained my ankle when I stepped on … Continue reading Continual Effort
"The question to ask, when you feel pride, then, is this: What am I missing right now that a more humble person might see? What am I avoiding, or running from, with my bluster, franticness, and embellishments?" This quote comes from Ryan Holiday and his book Ego is the Enemy. In the quote, Holiday is … Continue reading Blind Spots From Pride
Ryan Holiday describes pride in his book Ego is the Enemy as a force that "takes a minor accomplishment and makes it feel like a major one." It is the piece of us that ascribes our success to some essential character of our selves and hyper-inflates that piece around us. It is the sense that … Continue reading Pride and Ego
One thing I have been working on recently is better seeing and understanding the opportunities around me in my life. Often times when I have made a decision to do something, my choice has felt as though it is final, as if there is no going back. In reality, most of our choices are never … Continue reading Most Trouble is Temporary
On a recent episode of the Ezra Klein Show podcast, Klein interviewed two journalists to talk about the central role that our work now plays in our lives. For many people, work is becoming increasingly important as a way to define oneself and as a way to give life meaning. I have seen reports and … Continue reading Work and Identity
"It can ruin your life only if it ruins your character." Ryan Holiday starts one of the chapters in his book Ego is the Enemy with the above quote from Marcus Aurelius. Holiday, in both Ego is the Enemy and his previous book The Obstacle is the Way, outlines principles of stoic philosophy and connects … Continue reading Maintaining Your Character
In 2017 I wrote a piece about an idea from Colin Wright in his book Come Back Frayed. In our lives, the primary yardstick we use to measure our success, Wright explains, is often a monetary yardstick. We look at our bank account, the funding levels of the organization we are a part of, and … Continue reading A Clear Picture of Success
I am constantly interested in discussions, arguments, and complaints about fairness. Dictionary.com defines fair as "free from bias, dishonesty, and injustice" but I think we all know "fair" to be more complex than that definition suggests. What I suspect we often mean when we say fair is equitable, which is a far more complex understanding … Continue reading The Ego and Fairness
Adam Smith lived from 1723 to 1790 and is best known for his economic principles and writing. A quote from him, on the nature of humanity, is included in Ryan Holiday's book Ego is the Enemy to open a chapter that immediately follows a page with some simple art and the words, "To whatever failure and … Continue reading A Failure to Connect During Bad Times
When I sat down to read Ryan Holiday's book Ego is the Enemy, I expected to hear about the importance of compassion and humility and to read anecdotes about why we should try to avoid self-aggrandizement, but I didn't expect to get a quick lesson in creativity. Holiday includes a short section in which he … Continue reading A Creative Skill