The Curse of Ambition
Usury. Routines. Generosity.
NEW WORK
Let me tell you a story dating back to the 1630s. It sits at the heart of those pesky feelings of guilt that accompany your procrastination.
ONE IDEA
Usury: the action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest.In the middle ages, the rule regarding usury was simple: you couldn’t charge interest on a loan to anyone in your tribe. Strangers, on the other hand, paid interest.
With money circulating freely within the tribe, the tribe grows prosperous more quickly. I give you money to buy seeds, your farm flourishes, and now we both have money to give to someone else to invest. The faster the money circulates, the better the tribe does. The alternative is a tribe of hoarders, with most people struggling to find enough resources to improve productivity.
We don’t give people money to buy seeds anymore, but we do lend them our time, attention and insights. Are you being sufficiently generous?
WORTH YOUR ATTENTION
I came across this image and loved it. The daily routines of some of history’s greatest minds made me realise that it doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you’re doing the work required to get to where you want to go.
QUESTION I’M ASKING MYSELF
How can I perform one act of generosity today?
That’s all for this week. If you’d like to support me, hit that share button below or jump on the Patreon train.
p.s. The Internet Diet experiment is still ongoing.