I'd love to hear from you! Which of your own life inputs have you improved recently, and what impact did those changes have? Which inputs could use a bit more of your attention?
Thank you, Maddie! You've done such a great job trawling through books and articles for our benefit. You present it all so clearly and with all the panache of a well-made Kouign-Amann. Maybe you're the input we need?
Jeffrey, your comment makes me want to purchase a filing cabinet for the sole purpose of printing out your kind words and filing them in a "Kindest Compliments Ever" folder to revisit regularly. This means everything to me! 🥹
Exactly the input I needed to affirm so much of what is present in my experience today. Thank you Maddie!
Have you been living in my head this week your eloquent writing and sourced material brings this alive thank you for giving me more to dive deep on ! ❤️
Chrystal, my heart swelled reading this! It makes me wildly happy knowing that this essay addressed topics you were *already* mulling over. Perhaps not wildly surprising, though, given how often I find inspiration in our coffee-date conversations! 🤗☕️
I work from home and I’ve started making cozy additions to my home office. Humidifier, essential oils, shopping for a pretty throw rug currently. Might even throw some paint on the walls and add some plants! It has REALLY made a difference to my mood when I go in there.
I'm picturing your home office right now—with a big smile. In the past, I found it easy to back-burner this space when it came to home improvement projects...a mistake, because every upgrade has a tenfold return in the good-work-vibes department, right?
Fingers crossed as you search for that perfect throw rug!
I have never heard of a Kouign-Amann but after that description, I need one. Now.
To answer your question, I am trying to get better at optimizing my reading inputs. So, better books, less news, and newsletters where I actually learn something. Such as yours!
What a wonderful thing to say, Chris—thank you so much! The feeling, as you know, is quite mutual. 🤗
You need to get on the kouign-amann train, stat (and report back once you do). I had one this weekend and am still delighting in the memory, two days later!
Great post; I restacked it with a brief note. The life input I’ve improved has been my new career as a freelance writer and mental health guide. Another big one is walking in a local park more frequently and stopping to admire and photograph the birds and other animals.
Thank you so much for sharing, Wendi! Your walks sound blissful—and I'm so happy that you made an aligned career transition. Work takes up so much of our time and life energy; making that particular input better has a *huge* impact!
It's the whole, "You are what you eat," in a way. We are what we ingest -- literally, visually, aurally, tactilely, interpersonally. We have to like our surroundings -- people, things, situations included -- to be at our best. But, I'm like you, Maddie. I'm about 2 miles from the canals and ocean, but I'm not about to drive there to exercise when I have these wonderful inclines just a few blocks from my door. Would the view of the ocean and canals make me happy? Sure. But saving myself the hassel of driving and parking and driving back and parking makes me happier. We have to enjoy our time here on the planet, as messy and painful and complicated as it might be. When I got my rowing machine, I spent a little more and got a base model WaterRower because I find them pretty, and I would have to look at it every day (what else are bonuses for, right?). There's not a corner of my teeny tiny little place that doesn't have something that makes me smile (and that does not mean I'm winning any interior design contests), but it took me time to understand the importance of that. It's the little things that bring us the greatest pleasure. It's friendships and connections and meanings and knowing how to satisfy ourselves...and from there, we can give joy and pleasure to others. Wonderfully wise piece, my friend. Be super proud of this one. xo
Not only do I love hearing your reflections on what "better inputs" look like in your life, I so appreciate your point about choosing *not* to make that 2-mile drive to the canals/ocean. It illustrates that a better input for me (achieved by finding the activation energy to make the trip) can absolutely be a worse input for you (because you hate dealing with the attendant stressors of the trip). That's why choosing better inputs is a matter of introspection, not imitation!
Imitation never works. As Oscar put it: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” We need to find our own greatness whenever we can. xo
I only recently discovered it. That idiom never sat well with me (I didn't like being copied, especially when the copycat would try to claim it as their own), so finding out the other half made much more sense. Mr. Wilde's sword was always double-edged. xo
OMG the running change hit so close to home--I literally made the decision this weekend to drive the 6 minutes to golden gate park (which is an absolutely stunning spot to run), which I somehow can never talk myself into?!
Aghhh WHY is it so hard to remember that making the tiniest effort usually produces amazing results?! (When you figure out the answer, please let the rest of us know.)
Aja's the best! It makes me so happy to hear that a) this essay was useful to you, and b) I'm not the only one who's been mulling over this topic recently. Thank you for leaving this lovely note, Celeste!
Beautifully written and, as always, you do so much great research for US! That photo is gorgeous and I lol’d at the Kouigan-Amman! I’m always trying to ‘subtract’ what I don’t need/want in favor of having space to ‘input’ — no matter what the thing is!
I absolutely love this - the idea of focusing on better inputs is almost stoic in that you focus on what you can control over what you can't.
Personally I've found this to be a really important relationship I've developed with food, and unknowingly this approach has really helped me with my diet.
Thanks for making this insightful Stoic connection, Zan—you're totally right! And I love hearing how you've applied this concept in your own life. This entire piece could've been composed of food examples!
I really love that you defined some better inputs as the ones that are simple and unsexy! I'm laughing at this as I type from the discomfort of a post-run foam roll, knowing I will feel less stiff tomorrow if I am disciplined about it now (and it hurts!) The line about *less* inputs is striking in print as well. Side note: your opening photo is also SO pretty!
You're a more disciplined runner than me...I'm the *worst* at remembering to foam-roll! But you're so right—it's a way better input than simply crashing on the couch post-workout.
And: thanks so much for the kind words about the photo, truly. I had fun using a close-up filter on that one 🤗
okay, well, post script to that story: my second eldest sister brought (read: got in her car and drove) the foam roller out to me with the suggestion to stretch instead of complain to her about sore calves. 😂 Does sisterly advice and nudging count as a double input?! Left to my own devices, cool downs are not my strong suit either!
OMG, so much older-sibling energy in this story...pretty sure I do the exact same kind of thing with my little brother! The best inputs are *absolutely* the ones that someone older and wiser has gently harassed you to adopt 😅
Maddie! I love your Wednesday’s at Bad Wolf. Glad you had them. :)
And I, too, relate to needing to force myself to choose the better input of a running trail just bc it requires a drive.
Hmmm, I’m working on food inputs at the moment. I’ve long thought of myself as a healthy eater. I eat mostly veggies and fruit, beans and grains. But I’ve realized recently, after encountering some joint pain issues probably relates to hormone shifts, that my diet is way lower in protein than I’d have guessed. So, making some shifts. Fingers crossed! I’ll keep you posted.
I'm so glad to hear that this one resonated...and yes, fingers crossed on the joint-pain front, Holly! A very useful reminder that better inputs change with time (i.e., age)—a truth that I can very much relate to 😂
FWIW, If you ever want to chat about protein powder, I'm your girl. A very random interest that developed out of my lifting hobby!
I’m aiming for the lesser inputs is better (for me at this point in my life.) As a naturally curious person this can be difficult. However, the state of my nervous system is such that less is best at this point.
And I must say I am now having visions of those chocolate chip cookies you describe. The good kind. Although I’m not sure just one would suffice when it comes to good homemade chocolate chip cookies. 🍪 😁 perhaps more inputs when it comes to cookies.
Hard agree re: making choices informed by your nervous system! And yes, I must revise that "only one" homemade chocolate-chip cookie sentence to indicate that, if they're straight out of the oven, all bets are off. 😜
I'd love to hear from you! Which of your own life inputs have you improved recently, and what impact did those changes have? Which inputs could use a bit more of your attention?
Thank you, Maddie! You've done such a great job trawling through books and articles for our benefit. You present it all so clearly and with all the panache of a well-made Kouign-Amann. Maybe you're the input we need?
Jeffrey, your comment makes me want to purchase a filing cabinet for the sole purpose of printing out your kind words and filing them in a "Kindest Compliments Ever" folder to revisit regularly. This means everything to me! 🥹
Maddie, you're welcome. I smiled when I read this - I love your idea of getting a filing cabinet for compliments.
I feel like we could all benefit from one!
Exactly the input I needed to affirm so much of what is present in my experience today. Thank you Maddie!
Have you been living in my head this week your eloquent writing and sourced material brings this alive thank you for giving me more to dive deep on ! ❤️
Chrystal, my heart swelled reading this! It makes me wildly happy knowing that this essay addressed topics you were *already* mulling over. Perhaps not wildly surprising, though, given how often I find inspiration in our coffee-date conversations! 🤗☕️
I work from home and I’ve started making cozy additions to my home office. Humidifier, essential oils, shopping for a pretty throw rug currently. Might even throw some paint on the walls and add some plants! It has REALLY made a difference to my mood when I go in there.
I'm picturing your home office right now—with a big smile. In the past, I found it easy to back-burner this space when it came to home improvement projects...a mistake, because every upgrade has a tenfold return in the good-work-vibes department, right?
Fingers crossed as you search for that perfect throw rug!
I was the same way! Put it on the back burner and then I was like, wait a minute, what am I doing?! I’m in this room a lot! lol
Thank you, Maddie. ❤️
It took me 4+ years of working from home to realize that getting a bigger monitor would improve my life considerably, so: I feel you on this! 😅
I have never heard of a Kouign-Amann but after that description, I need one. Now.
To answer your question, I am trying to get better at optimizing my reading inputs. So, better books, less news, and newsletters where I actually learn something. Such as yours!
What a wonderful thing to say, Chris—thank you so much! The feeling, as you know, is quite mutual. 🤗
You need to get on the kouign-amann train, stat (and report back once you do). I had one this weekend and am still delighting in the memory, two days later!
Great post; I restacked it with a brief note. The life input I’ve improved has been my new career as a freelance writer and mental health guide. Another big one is walking in a local park more frequently and stopping to admire and photograph the birds and other animals.
Thank you so much for sharing, Wendi! Your walks sound blissful—and I'm so happy that you made an aligned career transition. Work takes up so much of our time and life energy; making that particular input better has a *huge* impact!
It's the whole, "You are what you eat," in a way. We are what we ingest -- literally, visually, aurally, tactilely, interpersonally. We have to like our surroundings -- people, things, situations included -- to be at our best. But, I'm like you, Maddie. I'm about 2 miles from the canals and ocean, but I'm not about to drive there to exercise when I have these wonderful inclines just a few blocks from my door. Would the view of the ocean and canals make me happy? Sure. But saving myself the hassel of driving and parking and driving back and parking makes me happier. We have to enjoy our time here on the planet, as messy and painful and complicated as it might be. When I got my rowing machine, I spent a little more and got a base model WaterRower because I find them pretty, and I would have to look at it every day (what else are bonuses for, right?). There's not a corner of my teeny tiny little place that doesn't have something that makes me smile (and that does not mean I'm winning any interior design contests), but it took me time to understand the importance of that. It's the little things that bring us the greatest pleasure. It's friendships and connections and meanings and knowing how to satisfy ourselves...and from there, we can give joy and pleasure to others. Wonderfully wise piece, my friend. Be super proud of this one. xo
Not only do I love hearing your reflections on what "better inputs" look like in your life, I so appreciate your point about choosing *not* to make that 2-mile drive to the canals/ocean. It illustrates that a better input for me (achieved by finding the activation energy to make the trip) can absolutely be a worse input for you (because you hate dealing with the attendant stressors of the trip). That's why choosing better inputs is a matter of introspection, not imitation!
Imitation never works. As Oscar put it: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” We need to find our own greatness whenever we can. xo
It's wild (pun intended) that before now, I'd never heard the second half of that famous quote! Wise words, indeed.
I only recently discovered it. That idiom never sat well with me (I didn't like being copied, especially when the copycat would try to claim it as their own), so finding out the other half made much more sense. Mr. Wilde's sword was always double-edged. xo
It sure was!
I'm a huge fan of choosing better inputs...in theory - it's so much harder to do in practice! You've given me a lot to think about here - thank you 👏
You're so right, it's a thousand times harder in practice—which is probably why I wrote an entire essay to serve as a periodic reminder to myself!
I'm so happy it resonated with you too, Amelia 🤗
OMG the running change hit so close to home--I literally made the decision this weekend to drive the 6 minutes to golden gate park (which is an absolutely stunning spot to run), which I somehow can never talk myself into?!
Aghhh WHY is it so hard to remember that making the tiniest effort usually produces amazing results?! (When you figure out the answer, please let the rest of us know.)
I was already musing on inputs, so this article (linked by Aja Frost) was incredibly helpful. Will return to reread in the next few days!
Aja's the best! It makes me so happy to hear that a) this essay was useful to you, and b) I'm not the only one who's been mulling over this topic recently. Thank you for leaving this lovely note, Celeste!
Beautifully written and, as always, you do so much great research for US! That photo is gorgeous and I lol’d at the Kouigan-Amman! I’m always trying to ‘subtract’ what I don’t need/want in favor of having space to ‘input’ — no matter what the thing is!
Thank you so much 🥰 And re: subtraction: you are a wiser woman than I am!
P.S., speaking of very important research: I've identified some of the best kouign-amann in the greater Seattle area for whenever you travel here.
✈️ 😂
I absolutely love this - the idea of focusing on better inputs is almost stoic in that you focus on what you can control over what you can't.
Personally I've found this to be a really important relationship I've developed with food, and unknowingly this approach has really helped me with my diet.
Thanks for sharing, Maddie!
Thanks for making this insightful Stoic connection, Zan—you're totally right! And I love hearing how you've applied this concept in your own life. This entire piece could've been composed of food examples!
I really love that you defined some better inputs as the ones that are simple and unsexy! I'm laughing at this as I type from the discomfort of a post-run foam roll, knowing I will feel less stiff tomorrow if I am disciplined about it now (and it hurts!) The line about *less* inputs is striking in print as well. Side note: your opening photo is also SO pretty!
You're a more disciplined runner than me...I'm the *worst* at remembering to foam-roll! But you're so right—it's a way better input than simply crashing on the couch post-workout.
And: thanks so much for the kind words about the photo, truly. I had fun using a close-up filter on that one 🤗
okay, well, post script to that story: my second eldest sister brought (read: got in her car and drove) the foam roller out to me with the suggestion to stretch instead of complain to her about sore calves. 😂 Does sisterly advice and nudging count as a double input?! Left to my own devices, cool downs are not my strong suit either!
OMG, so much older-sibling energy in this story...pretty sure I do the exact same kind of thing with my little brother! The best inputs are *absolutely* the ones that someone older and wiser has gently harassed you to adopt 😅
Maddie! I love your Wednesday’s at Bad Wolf. Glad you had them. :)
And I, too, relate to needing to force myself to choose the better input of a running trail just bc it requires a drive.
Hmmm, I’m working on food inputs at the moment. I’ve long thought of myself as a healthy eater. I eat mostly veggies and fruit, beans and grains. But I’ve realized recently, after encountering some joint pain issues probably relates to hormone shifts, that my diet is way lower in protein than I’d have guessed. So, making some shifts. Fingers crossed! I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for another terrific post!
I'm so glad to hear that this one resonated...and yes, fingers crossed on the joint-pain front, Holly! A very useful reminder that better inputs change with time (i.e., age)—a truth that I can very much relate to 😂
FWIW, If you ever want to chat about protein powder, I'm your girl. A very random interest that developed out of my lifting hobby!
Also, I want a lifting hobby. ;)
Ummm, I might just hit you up by email! Thanks :)
Please do!! We can dish on the whole lifting-hobby part, too... 👀
I’m aiming for the lesser inputs is better (for me at this point in my life.) As a naturally curious person this can be difficult. However, the state of my nervous system is such that less is best at this point.
And I must say I am now having visions of those chocolate chip cookies you describe. The good kind. Although I’m not sure just one would suffice when it comes to good homemade chocolate chip cookies. 🍪 😁 perhaps more inputs when it comes to cookies.
Hard agree re: making choices informed by your nervous system! And yes, I must revise that "only one" homemade chocolate-chip cookie sentence to indicate that, if they're straight out of the oven, all bets are off. 😜