A&B #49

Hey everyone,

If you're a fan of Elon Musk or Walter Isaacson, you're in luck. This week Elon

that Walter Isaacson will be writing a biography about his life. How cool is that!

If you're unfamiliar with Walter Isaacson, he's an incredible writer and has written books on the lives of many successful individuals such as:

• Steve Jobs

• Albert Einstein

• Benjamin Franklin

• Leonardo Da Vinci

Here's another cool thing I learned this past week–the Library of Alexandria was the largest library of the ancient world. On its doors was the

: "The place of the cure of the soul." 

And that is the way you should look at your library. View each book as a cure for a problem you're having or may face in the future.

Alright, let's dive into this week's newsletter.

📚 Book Lessons:

This week's book is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.Randy was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Before he passed away, he gave one last lecture (today it has over 20 million views) about achieving your dreams, overcoming obstacles, and making the most out of life.Here are 3 lessons from it:1) Life Is About How You Play Your CardsRandy Pausch had a great life–he was happily married, loved his job, and had three wonderful kids. But when he found out he had terminal cancer (ten tumors in his liver), he didn't curse the world or yell about how unfair it was.Instead, he decided to focus on what he could control and change.He knew that every second he spent being angry at the world would be one less second he could spend being happy with his wife and kids. So, he decided to play his cards to the best of his abilities.He moved his family to Virginia so that his wife could be closer to her family and they could help with raising the kids once he passed away. He recorded countless videos so that his children could get to better know their father once they got older. He did everything possible to make the best out of the situation he was in, and that is something we should all strive to do. "We cannot change the cards we are health, just how we play the hand," wrote Pausch.2)  Write More Thank You NotesOne piece of advice Randy would give his students was to write more thank you letters. Why? Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do. It doesn't require a lot of effort, but it makes a huge difference. Here's Randy's advice in his own words: "If you are a B+ student, your handwritten thank-you note will raise you at least a half-grade in the eyes of a future boss or admissions officer...And because handwritten notes have gotten so rare, they will remember you." Randy goes on to tell a story of a student who applied to get into an academic program but almost didn't get into the program. The committee was leaning towards putting her application in the "no" pile but before they did, Randy noticed she had written a thank-you note and showed it to one of the admission officers. The student ended up getting accepted into the program, earning a master's degree and went to work at Disney.All because she had written a thank-you note.3) It Never Hurts To Ask   When Randy took his family to Disney World, his son Dylan had an urge to sit with the driver of the monorail train. "Too bad they don't let regular people sit up there," Randy's father responded. Randy, on the other hand, had a different attitude. He went up to the Disney attendant and asked if it was possible to sit in the front of the train. "Certainly, sir" the attendant responded.Another great story Randy shares was when he was in his 20s and wanted to meet Fred Brooks Jr., one of the most highly regarded computer scientists in the world. Randy emailed him asking that if he drove to North Carolina to see him if it would be possible to chat for 30 minutes. Fred ended up giving Randy 90 minutes and would become his lifelong mentor. "Sometimes, all you have to do is ask, and it can lead to all your dreams coming true," wrote Pausch.

✅ Actionable Advice:

1) Make the best out of the cards you're dealt.

• Instead of yelling at the world for the situation you're in, observe what's in your control and focus your energy on making the best with what you have. 

2) Write more thank-you notes.

• If you're applying to an academic program or job, write them a thank-you note.

• It only takes a few minutes but will have a hugely positive impact on your application. 

3) It never hurts to ask.

• If you want something in life, just ask. The worst possible scenario is that they say no. The best possible scenario is that your dreams come true. That's a pretty great deal if you ask me.

🎧  Podcast Update:

This week I released my podcast with Nate Dallas, the author of You're Too Good To Feel This Bad.Watch it here.

📖  Reading Lesson:Here are 5 reading tips from bestselling author Greg McKeown.

⭐️  Weekly Quote:If you want to learn, read.If you want to remember, teach.(source)

🙏  Support:This week's sponsor is Podcast Notes.They have summaries on 1,000+ podcasts and 100+ exclusive member-only articles, such as their Guide to Reading More & Becoming A Better Reader. If you love podcasts and want to save yourself hundreds of hours of listening time, sign up for their membership.Use code "BOOKS" to save 10% on your subscription here.

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next Sunday!Read on,Alex W.