#051 – Cocktails & Optimism

Quote, Podcast, Interesting Phenomenon, Inspiring Short Story, Tweet.

Author

Dimitri Gremos
February 28, 2024

Sending 5 interesting ideas to your inbox every Thursday morning to ignite your curiosity and drive your growth.

read online on my website 

read time 3 minutes 

#051 at a Glance:

  • Quote that will get you thinking: The most invisible form of wasted time.

  • Podcast you should listen to: The marketing genius behind Steven Bartlett.

  • Interesting Phenomenon: The Cocktail Party Effect.

  • Inspiring Short Story: The importance of optimism.

  • Tweet I liked: Being stuck in the middle.

Quote that will get you thinking:

“The most invisible form of wasted time is doing a good job on an unimportant task.”

James Clear

Podcast you should listen to:

Creator Playbooks: Grace Andrews

Grace Andrews is the Marketing Director for The Diary Of A CEO and Steven Bartlett.

This podcast was a breath of fresh air.

It’s quite rare to get such an unfiltered glimpse into the marketing principles from someone pulling the strings behind one of the most slick media operations on the web.

Here are some of my favourite takeaways from the chat:

  • When applying for any role, go above and beyond. Send a 2-minute introductory video, compile case studies, connect with the hiring manager on LinkedIn, message other people in the team, etc.

  • Connect with emotion first, provide the product/service/solution second.

  • Your social media channels are a place to sell people on your brand and idea, not products.

  • Don’t publish your “what”, publish your “why”.

Listen or Watch on Spotify here. Listen on Apple Podcasts here. Watch on YouTube here.

[Podcast Length: 1 hour 7 minutes]

Interesting Phenomenon:

The Cocktail Party Effect 

I actually posted this on my Instagram a while ago but I’ve been thinking about it a lot this week and wanted to share it with you:

The Cocktail Party Effect refers to the remarkable human ability to focus one’s auditory attention on a specific sound source whilst filtering out background noise.

For example, if you’re in a restaurant having a conversation over dinner, you are able to block out noise from other people and focus almost entirely on the conversation you’re having.

But here’s where it gets interesting:

There is a network of neurons called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) located in the brain stem that acts as a filter for incoming sensory information. It helps us to determine which stimuli are prioritised for conscious awareness.

This RAS essentially explains why we are so responsive to hearing people say our name and other things we are highly familiar with such as the name of our favourite sports team, the name of the suburb we live in, etc.

So, to continue with my original example, if you were sitting at a restaurant and then in the background heard someone refer to the name of your favourite sports team, your RAS would kick in and you would distill that information from the noisy environment as something you are now consciously aware of.

So what does this mean for each of us in a practical sense?

Put simply, it means that each of us has a predisposition to focus on things that are important to us.

They are so entrenched in our thoughts that the slightest trigger or mention of them forces us to become instantly engaged.

I think that this phenomenon applies tremendously to finding new opportunities as an aspiring individual.

The truth is, we are more likely to be aware of new opportunities if we have consciously engaged our minds and RAS to find them.

Something to think about…

Inspiring Short Story:

The Importance of Optimism

I was reading The Philosophy of an Explorer by Erling Kagge the other night (thanks Alina!) and came across this powerful story I wanted to share:

Embedded in Zen wisdom is the story of the great warrior, Nobunaga.

Nobunaga attacked an enemy force which outnumbered him ten to one.

His odds weren’t looking good, but Nobunaga turned to the spiritual world for help.

He stopped at a Shinto sanctuary and told his troops that, after praying, “I will toss a coin. If heads come up, we will win; if tails, we will lose. Destiny holds us in her hand.”

He prayed silently, then tossed the coin.

It came up heads, and his soldiers, inspired by the omen, crushed the enemy.

“No one can change the hand of destiny,” remarked his attendant sagaciously after the battle was won.

“Indeed not,” said Nobunaga, showing him the coin he had tossed.

It was double-headed.

Magical things happen when we combine faith with optimism and confidence…

Tweet I liked:

Thanks for reading! Grateful for your support.

Stay hungry, stay humble, stay curious. ⚡

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