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Honey, I forgot the presents!
Ross Stevenson
December 19th, 2023
Today’s Thoughts ☠️
Hey there 👋,
We’re on the home stretch, friend.
As most of the world is about to enter a mutually agreed upon time of food and drink comatose states. I thought we’d keep today’s edition light for the mind.
Light, but still useful.
If, like me, you leave the old present shopping to the last minute. This is one for you.
I openly admit I’m one of those people who attempts to buy presents that I feel will help the recipient improve in life in some way. So, yes, I’m not that popular with my family when I turn up with copies of Tim Ferriss books and not chocolate!
Today, I’m sharing ideas for non-obvious gifts for your loved ones or even yourself. It’s fine to buy yourself presents at Christmas, right?
Get your tea 🍵 or beverage of choice ready. We've got lots to discuss!
In today’s chat👇
Est reading time: 7 mins
THE BIG THOUGHT
7 Non-Obvious Gifts That Can Change Lives
Ok. Let’s get into it.
These are in no particular order:
1/ Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
This book is essential for every human.
Do you know why? Because each one of us does write. It’s the one thing we do every day and share. Writing has so much power.
A personal favourite of mine as Ann’s words reshaped how I write today.
2/ Out of Our Minds by Sir Ken Robinson
If you’re not familiar with Sir Ken, let me school you.
Sir Ken Robinson was a renowned educator and author, famous for his innovative views on creativity in education.
His influential work includes the best-selling book "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything" and his famous 2006 TED Talk "Do Schools Kill Creativity" (a must-watch).
He was known for advocating creative learning and criticising standardised education systems. His contributions significantly impacted educational policies worldwide.
The book "Out of Our Minds: The Power of Being Creative"(the one we’re talking about now) was hailed for its insightful analysis of creativity in the Western culture and education systems.
3/ The Algebra of Happiness by Prof Scott Galloway
I stumbled across the work of Professor Scott Galloway through a colleague’s recommendation.
Prof G (as he goes by) may not be everyone’s cup of tea but as someone who is mere years away from turning 40, this particular book spoke to me about the reality of this crazy life we live.
In particular, why we need to take away the BS filter that education and society often put in front of us about the reality of living.
4/ Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
I’m pretty sure this was the book that changed it all for me, and I know so many others too.
This is kind of an introvert’s guide to getting your work noticed. It’s simple and practical but incredibly powerful. It’s a short read that’s useful for those in the business of life.
5/ Be Useful: 7 Tools For Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger
A recent practical discovery.
I tend to stay away from the self-help style books from ultra-famous people. However, I find something fascinating about Arnold.
Now at 76 years old with 3 huge career chapters as an Athlete, Film Star and Politician. Arnold is one of the rare people who has been there, done it and has the experience to share.
I partook in the audio version for the extra Arnold experience, you can grab your format of choice here.
6/ Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
Before we could ask ChatGPT to synthesise tools and advice from the world’s high performers, we used books (and Google).
This book does pretty much what it says on the tin.
From tech billionaires to doctors to gymnasts, this a collection of knowledge from hundreds of our planet's high-performing humans. Some you might know and I’m sure many you will not.
7/ A notebook ✍️
A classic tool for any creative human.
Despite all the fancy note-taking apps out there, I always come back to pen and paper.
That might surprise many of you who know me as a digital native. It’s like I always say, we need the right tool for the job. For my thoughts, ideas and other ramblings, the notebook is where it’s at.
I can track all my best work and the thoughts I share back to a notebook.
Btw, any notebook will do. You don’t need any of that fancy leatherbound back stuff.
Final thoughts
You’ll note these are books, a few reasons for this
Words matter. Use them wisely.
I’m trying to cut down on screen time
They’re all under 20 pounds/dollars/euros
A famous fictional wizard from a film I don’t like once said:
“Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it”.
I hope the words from these books might have that effect on you and your loved ones.
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🥋 THE DOJO
It’s Time To Become AI Confident in L&D for 2024
A recent Boston Consulting Group and Harvard report discovered people working with AI:
Completed 12.2% more tasks
25.1% faster task completion
Over 40% higher quality work
If you want to work smarter and future-proof your skills in 2024, I’ve got just the thing for you.
Learn how to leverage the power of ChatGPT for L&D with my Crash Course.
I like to say the Crash Course is much more than a course.
That’s because you get:
Monthly course updates
Free monthly course newsletter with actionable tips and tools
Access to the private L&D ChatGPT community with over 80 students
It’s a continuous learning experience, not a one-time event.
→ Pick up my self-paced ChatGPT crash course and spend a few hours with me to become AI confident ahead of 2024.
SMART THOUGHTS
Content that will make you smarter.
🤔 How to use curious questions for better L&D experiences
I loved seeing this post from fellow L&D pro, Amanda Nguyen hit my feed.
A useful set of questions to add to your performance consulting toolkit with a thoughtful step-by-step user guide.
💡 What do companies expect workforces to know about Generative AI
I find this article comical in some ways.
Organisations are advertising roles asking for Gen AI know-how and skills. Yet, very few are investing in upskilling programmes to educate, inform and inspire their workforces.
Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy?
Learn more about the continuing skill shift with AI we’ll experience in 2024
🔥 7,000 employees use unapproved AI tools at work every day
This shouldn’t be a surprise.
As I’ve shared before, you can ignore generative AI all you want. But, it’s not going to stop people from using it.
This is another article in the long line of stories which I continue to use to support my case of widespread education on Generative AI at work. It’s easy to do as well. Get my starter guide on that here.
How I can help you👇
1/ My L&D toolkit stack with 20 zero-cost tools.
2/ Work smarter with AI in HR and L&D in my ChatGPT Crash Course.
3/ Work with me on your projects and L&D challenges.
Please share your thoughts with me on these pieces or anything I share on LinkedIn or hit 'reply'. Chat to you soon.
📌 My Favourite Tools
✂️ Descript: This tool has revolutionised the speed and quality of creating all the videos I share with you. Its new AI features make me look smarter than I am.
📼 Pictory: A useful and creative text-to-video partner.
🦾 ElevenLabs: I use this to create AI voiceovers and translate my content into any language in minutes. Check out my Spanish here. Great pricing options too.
🤖 ChatGPT: No surprise here, right? I do pay the $20 a month for Plus, and IMO, it’s worth every penny.
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