Yntro # 2 – Feel great every day | traits of evolution | japanese culture and ecuadorian biodiversity | learn about storytelling | writing as a way of learning | gathering the power of the sun

I have to admit that writing this second issue was not as easy as I thought. The first issue was full of interesting stuff and I didn’t want to lost momentum on providing you with great content. I hope you find some of this information useful.

On to Yntro!

Feel great every day

You can start your day in the right way by meditating, reading, learning a new skill, writing, exercising or even working on a creative project or side-business before work. Make some time to take care of yourself by avoiding the news, social media, email and anything related to other people’s priorities.

We are always busy and have a lot of stuff to do. But it is important to understand that each of us works differently. Doing some meditation can help us to understand that our mind works at our own speed. So don’t compare to others or to the standards of modern life. Not always fast means better, or slower means more detailed. Those are only different strategies to accomplish doing tasks. Take time to learn about yourself, and what works the best from you.

It is a good idea to start the day by doing a to-do list. But often we don’t outline the most important stuff that needs to get done. And end up with a vague to-do list that keeps getting bigger and bigger. At the end of the day, if we couldn’t accomplish all what we established, the productivity guilt arrives. Depending on of our job, if we were not productive for one day there aren’t huge repercussions, but so often the productivity guilt can make us feel like the world is ending. To overcome this, focus on what went right and all that you achieved that day. Small steps can lead us further.

Traits of Evolution

We can find traits of evolution in our body by taking a look of some vestigial structures, like the third molars that no longer fit in our mouths, the ability to move our ears (useful in mammals to locate the source of a noise), a distinct tendon in the forearm (that help primates to grip to branches), how goosebumps appear when it is cold (to help us keep warm) and in some cases even a small tail. All of them are proof of evolution in our bodies.

Japanese culture and Ecuadorian biodiversity

A good friend of mine launched her project UNDY(E)ING. It aims to create visibility towards the issues of loss of traditional crafts in Japan as well as the loss of biodiversity due to human activity in Ecuador. She created kimono design motifs using a freehand style of dyeing showcasing Ecuadorian fauna surrounded by traditional kimono motifs. It is worth watching!

Learn about storytelling

A came across with a unique animation video called “Ice cream“. If you are interested in storytelling, it has all key elements to tell a good story. Take a closer look of how the story is structured (introduction, conflict, climax and resolution). If you aren’t into that, you will enjoy it anyways.

Writing as a way of learning

It is simple, if you want to learn something (not just memorize it) write about it. Start writing about the stuff you learn in a blog, a diary, a tweet. Any format that allow you to rephrase ideas will help you understand things much better. If you can’t explain it simply you don’t understand it well enough, as Albert Einstein said.

Gathering the power of the sun

The Dyson sphere is a hypothetical mega structure to obtain the energy of a star. We will be able to gather the Sun’s energy by constructing a mirror network around its orbit to redirect the energy to our reactors. Because it is clean energy it will allow humankind to achieve big projects (terraforming, space travel). It will be an evolutionary step for us, and perhaps other civilizations may have done similar alternatives around their closer star.

Quick Fact

Most people think that Bob Marley recorded and sang the song, Don’t Worry; Be Happy. But Bob Marley died in 1981, roughly 7 years before Bobby McFerrin wrote the song in 1988. Everybody was confused due to a YouTube video featuring Bob Marley that was overdubbed with the Bobby McFerrin song in 2011.

Final thoughts

If you come across anything interesting this week, send it my way! I love finding new things to with share with members of this newsletter.

As always, if you’re enjoying Yntro, tell your friends about it (just send them here).

You can read the past issues of Yntro here

Have a great week!

Mauricio