Exploring All Possibilities - Issue #0

Welcome to Exploring All Possibilities - a newsletter for the creative soul in all of us.

This newsletter was originally called Greater Than Yesterday but I changed it because it sounded too much like a YouTube Channel with a similar name, Better Than Yesterday, which is actually pretty good.

Let me know what you think of the new name and please forward this email to a friend, colleague, or family member who may find it useful or interesting.

Anyway, on to this week’s topic…Books!

Books, books, and more books

No matter what you think of when you hear the word “book,” you can feel the sense of wonder and mystery it brings. Flashbacks to your favorite book as a kid, or the desire to quit work early to finish the new novel you started last week. Do you know that feeling?

Books can do many things:

They’re meant to be read.

They’re meant to be collected.

They can make you smile, laugh, or cry.

They can evoke your inner most fears.

They can tell you a story.

Books are so powerful, they have been banned in the past, and continue to be banned in the 21st Century.

What’s more important than all of these facts? Books can bestow you with new information, knowledge, and inspiration.

No matter all the things books can be, they are essential to our culture.

The evolution of books has a long history, but their purpose remains the same. To enlighten and inspire.

I can’t remember when I first fell in love with books but they remain an important aspect of my life.

In fact, books were so important to my wife and I, we included some of our favorite books as gifts for our wedding guests back in 2006. We set them out on the dinner tables at our reception, next to a beautiful flower arrangement. We also hand-made bookmarks for our guests with quotes by our favorite authors.

Books are also an important aspect of how I learn on a daily basis and a key source of inspiration for my writing. Books help sharpen my current skills, provide inspiration for learning new knowledge, and helping me stay on top of the ever-changing technological landscape.

I classify books into two main categories - active and passive.

An active book is one (or many) that you’re currently reading, borrowing, loaning to a friend, buying or gifting to others, carrying, holding, flipping through, or actively experiencing.

A passive book, although not top-of-mind, is always present somewhere in your mind. A passive book takes up physical space in the universe and holds a dear place in your brain. You can think of it and know exactly where it is.

Whether they’re on your coffee table, nightstand, or bookshelf - you feel the comfort knowing your passive books are close by.

To learn more about my term for passive books, check out this video on Tsundoku, or as some call it, the anti-library.

Books create lasting bonds - active books at work

Your love for books should be shared, and your active books make great topics to break the ice in that Monday morning meeting. “Is anyone reading any good books at the moment? I just finished Book X and will be starting Book Y tomorrow.”

Active books can also be used to inspire a new idea, help with a project, surface ways to problem-solve at work, or spark a conversation at a social gathering.

Sharing what you read with your friends and co-workers tells them you’re an active learner with a growth mindset and it’s a great way to feed your creativity and stay positive.

Books can also help combat forms of depression and stress. There are several health benefits from reading books.

Books are also a great way to form bonds with your co-workers through book clubs and book borrowing/loaning. Book suggestions from your colleagues can turn you on to new and interesting topics and help you discover things you may have never discovered on your own.

Books can reveal hobbies or interests of your co-workers that may have overlaps or similarities to some of your own. Maybe you both like cooking, fishing, hiking, knitting, or gaming? You could go from just co-workers to best buds in a matter of days with the right connection.

Fiction, non-fiction, or a bit of both?

I typically read more non-fiction than fiction which allows me to read several books simultaneously without getting lost. This interweaving of book consumption allows one idea to generate new ideas in another.

I find so many connections in the books I read. And these overlap with similar ideas and topics when reading news articles, essays, blogs, and social media posts. These connections continue when watching movies and TV shows, or when listening to podcasts or having everyday conversations.

What are you currently reading? Do you think I’d enjoy it too?

Here are some of the books I’m reading (or listening to) right now.

Digital Writer’s Handbook : How To Nurture Your Creative Passion and Make Money With Your Writing Online by Raymond M.E. Aguirre.

Beyond Biocentrism: Rethinking Time, Space, Consciousness, and the Illusion of Death by Robert Lanza, M.D. with Bob Berman

The Alter Ego Effect: Defeat the Enemy, Unlock Your Heroic Self, and Start Kicking Ass by Todd Herman

Practical UI - User Interface Design Book by Adam Dannaway

Source Magic: The Origin of Art, Science, and Culture by Carl Abrahamsson

Until next time. Read on.

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If you have a topic you want me to cover in an upcoming newsletter, please send me a DM on Twitter or email me at [email protected]. Thanks!