💎 Friday Gems #37 (A New Day, Best Book Covers, A Letter To Your Mind)
Finish every day and be done with it.
Insights are nothing without action.
I was reminded of this important fact recently. We can go from insight to insight all day long but never apply them to make our lives better. Once we do take action, we can learn from the new knowledge we gain and turn the knowledge into wisdom and experience. The wisdom we gain can help us change the course of our lives and for others in a positive direction.
But it all starts with taking action!
So today, I am adding a “Take Action” section at the end of each gem as a suggestion and opportunity for us to take action on the insight found in the gem.
Let me know if you do apply it and how it goes for you. I would love to know.
Wishing you the best.
On to this week’s gems!
💎 Write it on your heart
Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day,
and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded
with fret and anxiety.Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities,
no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can,
tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely,
with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with
your old nonsense.This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment
on the yesterdays.by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Discovered through the wonderful newsletter Poetic Outlaws with its aim “to elevate the modern soul out of the sludge of the status quo.”
Each day is a fresh new beginning. The new day brings energy and optimism for new possibilities. As the sun slowly rises to bring light into our day, we are rejuvenated with the drive to make the best of whatever we face. Yes, there were mistakes made the day before, and perhaps we got off track, but today is a brand new day, and we will make the best of it.
Action Tip: Think of one thing, big or small, you need to do today and commit to doing it the best you can. Give it all you have: your focus, your attention, and your commitment to seeing it through in the best way you possibly can.
For example, if you have a meeting today, commit to being fully present. Don’t check your emails or your phone.
Be 100% present. Engage all your senses,
Notice. Listen.
Be present.
Small steps like this can help us take back our attention and make the best of each day. 🌅
Source: Poetic Outlaws
💎 The 139 Best Book Covers of 2023
I judge a book by its cover.
It’s a weakness, but I love seeing the beautifully designed covers that catch my eye and make me want to pick up a book. Whether it’s in the books store or online, the cover is the first impression of the book and what hooks me. Yes, the topic is important as well so there has to be a match there for me to purchase it.
For the last eight years, Emily Temple, Literary Hub’s managing editor, has published a list of best book covers of the year. For 2023, Emily invited 47 designers to share their favorite book covers and why they loved those covers.
Here are a few of my favorite covers:
I can see why this cover came in first. Depicting the first sight of a baby in a nursery, along with the words dripping down, is ingenious.
The watercooler is the quintessential gathering place for office talk, and the black water, along with the placement of the s in The Employees, is ominous.
As you scan the cover from the top, the cover looks nice with the beautiful lettering of the title until you get to the bottom and a creature awaits, staring right back at you with its shiny red eyes.
This cover is one of my favorites because I just love eyes. I love how the various gazes rush towards the green eyes.
Check out the rest of the list and share your favorite book cover in the comments.
Source: LitHub
...and if you’re interested in just how book covers are designed, here is a quick walkthrough of the process by Marianne Issa El-Khoury from Penguin Books.
💎 A Letter To Your Mind
I have a theory that it all begins with the mind for us. All good and bad, happiness and sorrow, freedom and imprisonment all begin within our minds.
We have the power to create our reality, but our minds are a result of millions of years of survival programming. Our minds work to protect us in the present from the dangers our ancestors faced in the distant past.
I loved readingZan Tafakari’s A Letter To Your Mind, in which Zan parts ways with his mind to start a new journey that is unencumbered by the limits of the mind.
Here’s an excerpt:
Although sometimes you created bad thoughts and feelings,
I know that all you were trying to do was protect me.But now I have one final journey for you,
And we might not even reach the destination in this lifetime.I want your help in taking me somewhere,
Somewhere infinite and eternal:
The purest essence of my Self.
This is a parting we all need to make at one point in our lives if we are to reach our potential.
But the parting is not a thanks for getting me this far, and now I don’t need you. This parting is a grateful gesture to keep the connection with the mind and to allow it to soar to new heights while we go on our new journey and reach new heights together.
Action Tip: Take a moment to think about how your mind may be holding you back through the stories, biases, and negative thinking and how you could part ways amicably.
Source: Insight Axis
💎 A gem of a quote
“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.”
Henri Bergson
💎 Little Big Gems
For all the good AI supposedly brings, there is a dark side.
Practicing gratitude is a powerful way to improve not just your mental health but also your physical health.
Learn how the world works through 100 Little Ideas
💜 I’m thankful that you read this far.
Have a fantastic weekend!
Rizwan
This is a great set of gems - and thank you for the mention!