Seven Point Sunday #3 – April 9, 2021

by | Apr 9, 2021

 
I talk to strangers.
 
Every so often, I video chat live with strangers on Instagram. It’s a roulette, opportunity, and hoot! I never know who I’ll speak with and what about. Last Wednesday, I met Bladimir, a writer in Venezuela who is exploring the virtues of being multifaceted; conversed with Paul Adams in Illinois about his peaceful album; and jammed with Amandeep in India who plays the guitar and ukulele. Bernardo Monk in Argentina (who isn’t a stranger) even dropped into chat.
 
These days we aren’t meeting many strangers. It’s been a while since I made a new friend at a coffee shop or talked to someone in an elevator (yes, I wrote a piece on that very topic). But it doesn’t have to be that way.
 
Do we NOT know each other? If so, would you like to video chat? DM me on Instagram.
 
-Kabir
 
 
 
 
Sunday Seven
 
 
 
 
💼 Portfolio Career
As Europe deals with another pandemic surge and poor vaccine distribution, there’s another challenge on the horizon. Angela Merkel, the de facto leader of the continent, will leave her post this fall. I examine who will replace her and ultimately who may speak for a united Europe in MarketWatch.
 
 
 
 
 
 
⚡ Productivity
Got Zoom fatigue? A Stanford researcher published a whitepaper on virtual meeting effects and mitigations:
  • Effect: A high amount of close-up eye contact can create anxiety.
  • Solution: Don’t use full screen mode. Make people smaller.
  • Effect: Videos create more taxing cognitive work.
  • Solution: Turn some of your meetings into audio only.

💰 Money
Have you re-financed your mortgage? There are still 13 million Americans who are eligible to refinance. This is an obvious way to save some cash every month. Even though rates are increasing, they’re still low on a historical basis. Don’t miss the boathouse.

📚 Books
Want to get more done? Make a list. Check out the classic Listful Thinking by Paula Rizzo, an Emmy award winning TV producer. What do Madonna, Martha Stewart, John Lennon, Ellen DeGeneres, Ben Franklin, Ronald Reagan, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, and Johnny Cash have in common? Each is (or was) a list maker. In this book, Rizzo walks through how to make a list and drive tasks towards execution.

 

🎵 Music

Heart Awakening is the new soothing, peaceful guitar single (from an EP with the same name) from Shambhu, who is an acclaimed artist. Shambhu’s performance on my Quarantine Concert Series was one of my favorites. I like listening to his music as I write and walk in ovals outside. His music puts me in a serene state of mind, and it may help you find tranquility.

 

📽️ Film

Crip Camp (Netflix) is an eye opening documentary about a group of teenagers who went on to build the disability rights movement. The film is Executive Produced by President Obama and Michelle Obama. It’s nominated for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary. Here’s my interview with directors Nicole Newnham & Jim Lebrecht.

 

📷 Photo

 
 
 
What’s your favorite point?
Tweet @kabirsehgal using #7PS so I can find your thoughts

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