#81 Everyone knows something you don't

Hi friends,

I usually avoid reading user comments online, e.g. under news articles, to prevent bias in my perceptions and distraction.

However, whilst boarding flight EK001 from Dubai to London this week, I sipped a karak chai and browsed the comments on a YouTube video about a bodybuilding training regime and one about building a financial plan I’d watched previously. These high-quality videos offered significant educational value, but the comments revealed common themes:

• Fitness: This person has exceptional genetics and is likely on steroids, so this training plan is not helpful for the average person

• Finance: The numerical examples given are those for top earners, so this financial plan is not helpful for the average person

The human need for understanding

These often negative comments highlighted a fundamental human desire: to be understood. People want to feel heard and supported in their individual circumstances.

This desire is rooted in our social nature and is the third level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, right after physiological and safety needs.

There’s a lesson for all of us who seek to inspire and educate others.

Learning from others

My bigger reflection is that we can learn from anyone and everyone if we’re open-minded and willing to adapt their teachings to our own lives.

For example, pausing the financial plan video to work through the content using one’s own representative numbers could significantly enhance its value. It would require work, but learning requires effort to maximise its value; otherwise, it’s just educational entertainment.

This cognitive effort transforms passive consumption into active learning, making us more adaptable and informed decision-makers. (See #44, the vital role of action)

Implementation idea

When learning, always seek practical applications, even if they're not immediately obvious. Ask yourself:

1. What was the key learning?

2. How can I implement this learning into my life?

Everyone knows something about the world that you don’t.

— AJ

On my bedside table:

📚 Fiction: Normal People by Sally Rooney

🎙️Podcast: Huberman Lab - How to find your true purpose & create your best life, Dr James Hollis

💬 Quote: “We must always remember that possessions have no inherent value. They become what we make them. If they increase our capacity to give, they become something good. If they increase our focus on ourselves and become standards by which we measure other people, they become something bad.” —Kent Nerburn

🎙️Listen to me narrate this edition:

Spotify | Apple 

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