How I dodged my midlife crisis with 294 pink pencils. 😱✏️💓
Plus . . . stomping cynicism and asking better questions.
1. WHY NOT? 🎁 A better (and weirder) way to celebrate your birthday. 🔄
I don’t celebrate birthdays. I endure them.
But this year I decided to flip the script.
Instead of waiting to receive cards and gifts on my birthday, I gave other people presents — as an act of gratitude and a distraction from getting older.
I tell the story of this birthday flip-flop in a new Washington Post column. Read it here or by clicking the image below.
Discover more about the Washington Post Why Not? project:
Read about paying teachers six-figure salaries, banning left turns on busy streets, and shaking up our national holidays.
Contribute your own bold idea. Readers have already submitted thousands of them. Share yours by using this WaPo link or emailing me directly at whynot@danielpink.com.
2. PINK RECOMMENDS. Beating cynicism, making coffee & tricking your mind. ☕🧠😊
READ: Among the (many) things that bug me is the "cynical genius illusion,” the belief that people who are critical, negative, and cynical are somehow smarter and more perceptive. It’s not true, folks! And if you don’t believe me, listen to Stanford professor Jamil Zaki. His new book, Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness, makes a resolutely hard-headed case that we should replace unhealthy cynicism with healthy skepticism — and substitute knee-jerk pessimism with clear-eyed optimism. It’s a smart and inspiring read. (Amazon, BN.Com, Bookshop, Public library)
WATCH: Every industry, even the least glamorous, contains true professionals — people for whom the work is a craft and the job is a calling. Meet Arnaldo Hernandez Mundo, a barista handles the morning rush hour shift at an insanely busy Grand Central station coffee shop. This mini-documentary describes a day in his life. Think Jiro Dreams of Sushi . . . with caffeine.
TRY: Here’s a mind-bender involving the ghostly image below. Stare at the red dot on the woman’s nose for 30 seconds. Concentrate. Don’t look at anything else. When the 30 seconds are up, look at a blank white wall while blinking quickly.
(HT: Multiple Gilbert and Steve Stewart-Williams)
3. FINAL THOUGHTS. This 9-word question could transform your decision-making. 🤔❓
We conclude today’s newsletter with two super-short videos that I hope will be useful in your work and life.
The first, which runs 51 seconds, explains a simple question to ask yourself whenever you’re faced with a tough decision. Watch by clicking the image below.
The second reveals when to use questions and when to use statements in pitching your idea, your business, or yourself. Click the image below to watch the 48-second video.
Thanks for reading The Pink Report!