The Nudge

Imagine reading a book whose impact shifts the entire trajectory of your life within a twelve-month period.  That’s what happened to me on a random weekday when my hand grabbed Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek from the airport bookshelf.  Normally the docket for a long flight consisted of a fun fiction spy novel or newly acquired history piece.  A movie might win over both previous options if the flight closed a long workweek.  This flight, however, seemed to last for only a moment as my mind raced in directions I’d never anticipated. 

Hindsight may not always be 20/20, but it can provide a slap in the face when combined with new observations in the present.  A new quality filter or mental model acts like a bolt of lightning to our interpretation of the past, and our approach to the future.  The energetic power ripples through our mind and creates a vigor for life that’s hard to describe.  Tim’s book contains interesting tactical concepts, but what drew me in was his approach to life models.  His book broke my own model on what life “had” to look like.

Tim’s thought process felt natural to read but was foreign to me.  I did not think this way, and immediately questioned “why not?”  His approach to problem solving came from angles I’d never considered on my own.  They were concise and useful.  Practical is an understatement.  Yet, I’d never initiated this thought pattern on my own up to that day.  My curiosity expanded in a moment. 

I was no stranger to service in complex environments with successful results.  My curiosity, however, remained confined to a small space of professional specific inquiries.  This focus on professional development went so far as to reduce an interest in childhood hobbies.  This book broke the self-imposed bonds on my mind in the same way the Grinch’s heart grew on Christmas morning following his nighttime raid on Whoville.  The world immediately seemed more interesting.  The book improved my curiosity and provided tools to maintain momentum. 

I walked off the plane and had a craving to learn unlike anything I’d experienced before.  The feeling of freedom to explore was exhilarating.  Thankfully this new feeling did not carry with it a sense of regret for my previous approach to life’s interests.  The focus was on moving forward with a fresh approach and a mind full of questions.  

The search for answers brought a new form of joy and appreciation to life.  Once we lift the veil of linear mediocrity the world reaches new levels of exponential beauty.  Suddenly a mundane process seems interesting to understand in detail.  A critical aspect to this transformation involves a willingness to remain humble, and the courage to ask questions.  Admitting a lack of understanding seems weak on the surface, but the reality of this admission proves otherwise.  Overconfidence and arrogance stifle curiosity and learning.

Maybe this book experience doesn’t resonate, or maybe it does.  In either case, the opportunity exists for us to ask questions.  Sometimes we need a little nudge in the right direction to get started.  This book led me to Tim’s podcast, which provided an interview with Naval Ravikant, who mentioned Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and before I knew it I was fly fishing.  Fly fishing is unrelated to the others direct influence, but indicative of where random paths of exploration takes us.  The list goes on, and the branches expand rapidly.  Each new concept or idea proved worthy of exploration.  Randomness provided the nudge and with it I learned curiosity.