Not Overthinking Disappointment, Seriousness and Sincerity
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Dec 6, 2020 Ali shares a disappointing moment from his week. They discuss Alan Watts' framing of life as a game. Taimur shares lessons from therapy sessions. Elaborate description of a problematic meme. Topics include disappointment, seriousness, sincerity, therapy, and problematic memes.
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Poll Sparked A Gut Disappointment About My Book
- Ali posted a YouTube poll asking if listeners would buy his hypothetical productivity book and felt an immediate gut disappointment at the bell-curve responses.
- After calculating pre-order thresholds and consulting his editor he realized 11% pre-order interest could already mean bestseller-level sales.
System 1 Caused The Quick Disappointment
- Ali distinguishes System 1 (gut) and System 2 (deliberative) thinking during emotional reactions to metrics.
- His 20-minute initial disappointment was a System 1 reaction corrected by later System 2 number-crunching and perspective.
Play Sincerely Not Seriously To Avoid Meltdowns
- Alan Watts' distinction helped Ali reframe his reaction: play the game sincerely, not seriously, to avoid losing inner tranquility.
- Recognising he was taking the book 'too seriously' made the disappointment melt away and let system 2 re-evaluate the numbers calmly.