Curiosity Chronicle

Sahil Bloom
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Delivering curiosity-inducing content every single week. This is the audio version of my newsletter. Sign up at the bottom of the page!

  1. 16 hr ago

    The Zipper Test: How to Stop Fooling Yourself

    My son just turned four. One of the things I love most about the age is the unbridled curiosity with which he explores the world. He's deep in the classic "why" phase, taking me down explanatory rabbit holes that go long past my point of comfort. But one of the most interesting prompts he asked recently was this one: "Tell me all about zippers." On any given day, zipper is replaced by some basic thing that we interact with. It might be tell me all about our car, or trees, or cooking pans, or the microwave. I have a rule that I always engage with him on these little curiosity quests, even if they come at a bad time. In doing so, I've realized something: I know very little about how the most basic things around me actually work. I start confidently, but my ability to answer "tell me all about [X]" generally ends after a few seconds. I quickly reach the outer bounds of my understanding and am forced, hat in hand, to consult with the internet to go deeper. As it turns out, there's real science behind this... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place.Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed.Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.

    6 min

  2. 2 days ago

    7 Lies I Finally Stopped Telling Myself

    A few years ago, as part of the research for my ​first book​, I asked a group of centenarians for the advice they'd most like to give to their younger selves. One of them offered this piece of wisdom: "The most damning lie you can tell is the lie you tell to yourself."Those lies dilute your attention, pull you toward distractions, and cut into your confidence. They give you an easy out when the truth requires more painful accountability. Those lies keep you from running at full power. Self-protection that becomes self-rejection. In the years since that conversation, I've often found myself reflecting on the comment as a thought experiment for my own life: What are the lies I'm telling myself right now? Through identifying those lies, I've slowly learned to stopped telling them. Here are 7 lies I finally stopped telling myself... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place.Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed.Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.

    9 min

  3. 19 Jun

    The Helsinki Bus Station Theory

    In 2004, a Finnish-American photographer named Arno Minkkinen gave the commencement speech at the New England School of Photography. In the speech, he offered a powerful thought experiment: Imagine for a moment that you find yourself at the large bus station in the center of Helsinki. There are two dozen platforms at the station, each with several different bus lines departing from them bound for a wide array of destinations outside the city. Each of the different bus lines departing from a given platform follows the same route for a few miles to get out of the city. Minkkinen likened this experience to the early years of a career: You pick your platform, which sets your general direction, and then select a bus line to hop on from the platform... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place.Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed.Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.

    7 min

  4. 17 Jun

    The 2 Types of Knowledge: Real vs. Surface

    In 1918, German theoretical physicist Max Planck won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of energy quanta. After winning the prize, he went on a tour, giving lectures at universities and institutions around the country on his findings. There’s an apocryphal story from that tour that I first came across while reading the transcript of Charlie Munger’s 2007 commencement speech at USC Law School. Max Planck’s chauffeur, after having heard Planck practice and deliver the talk so many times, had the entire thing memorized. He jokingly asked Planck if he could deliver it at the final lecture. Surprisingly, the physicist agreed... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place.Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed.Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.

    7 min

  5. 12 Jun

    Winner's Game vs. Loser's Game

    "No unforced errors." At a recent speaking event, I was asked by an audience member to share one piece of advice I wish I could tell my younger self. Specifically, they asked for the non-obvious advice I've found most difficult to internalize and live by, despite knowing its importance. My response: No unforced errors. Three words. And I've spent years learning why they're so hard to live by... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place.Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed.Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.

    5 min

  6. 10 Jun

    The 4 Types of Professional Time

    Most people end the day exhausted but can't point to a single thing they meaningfully moved forward. The problem isn't how much you're working -- it's the type of work filling your hours. In this piece, I break down a simple framework that fundamentally changed how I work: The Four Types of Professional Time... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place.Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed.Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.

    11 min

  7. 5 Jun

    The Goal Gradient Hypothesis

    105.5. That's how many laps you have to run around the first lane of a regulation outdoor track to cover the 26.2 miles of a marathon. And, when I arrived at my local high school track last Friday at 4:45am, that was exactly what I planned to do. I wish I had a thoughtful answer to the obvious "um, why?" this opener no doubt sparks in your mind. The truth is that every now and then, I like to remind myself that I've still got that edge—that "dog" inside me. That I can take on something intimidating and get it done. Plus, I talk a lot about discipline, grit, and consistency around here. But my rule is that you can’t talk about it if you’re not going to be about it. If there's one thing you can always trust with me, it's this: If I say something, I’ve got receipts to prove that I live by it. So, there I was, standing alone on the track, in the pre-dawn darkness, with 105.5 laps to go... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place.Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed.Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.

    8 min

  8. 3 Jun

    The ABC Goal System

    "Just be consistent." By now, you've undoubtedly heard this advice countless times. So much so that it may even induce an eye roll or sigh. Yes, it’s true, consistency is the difference maker. The common thread behind every major success story. Everyone tells you to be consistent, but no one ever tells you how to be consistent. And let’s be honest, it’s (much) easier said than done. Life gets chaotic. Motivation fades. Discipline wavers. Consistency breaks. I've personally spent thousands of hours wrestling with this exact problem—and I've developed my own ultra-simple approach that works: I call it my ABC Goal System… ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place.Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed.Lemon - The Al agent that turns your voice instructions into finished tasks.

    7 min
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About

Delivering curiosity-inducing content every single week. This is the audio version of my newsletter. Sign up at the bottom of the page!

Information

  • Creator
    Sahil Bloom
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    451
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sahil Bloom
  • Show Website
    Curiosity Chronicle

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