Happy fall season! This missive gathers four pieces on loosening our grip: the body's clench, our old stories about money, the urge to optimize everything, and the quieter ache of work that no longer asks enough of us. May it offer a little spaciousness in your week, and may it ripple out :)
How to Unclench
Nervous system teacher Jonny Miller offers a free field guide (with audio) to the strange, trainable skill of unclenching. Why we brace against our own feelings, how to run simple 'unclenching loops,' and the traps along the way, from stoicism to over-efforting. A lovely companion to our past explorations of the nervous system at work.
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What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Money?
Reboot's Jerry Colonna traces a lifelong pattern back to a tin of lemon drops in his grandparents' pantry. His invitation: when we talk about money, we're often talking about safety, freedom, worth, and belonging. And those old associations can quietly run our working lives until we look at them.
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Life as a Problem, or a Mystery?
A corporate lawyer turned philosopher recounts his own optimization spree (atomic habits, Wim Hof, homemade sauerkraut) and names a quiet drift from 'the good life' to 'the solved life.' Writing in Psyche, he turns to Gabriel Marcel for the antidote: some of life is a mystery to be open to rather than a problem to fix.
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Rustout, Not Burnout
Burnout is about too much. Greater Good Science Center shares research on its quieter cousin, rustout: capable, conscientious people whose talents go underused and whose work no longer offers enough meaning or challenge. Worth reading for yourself, and for the reliable folks around you who keep meeting every target 'with their eyes closed.'
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