Sunday Links: Pedro Pascal, water carving stones, and McConaughey's speech

Share only the best you have

Hi there!

After my first email this week I’ve realized that writing twice a month is not an option as I have much more to share. That’s how the idea of “Sunday Links” came to mind.

Every week I look through dozens of links, watch 5-7 videos and listen to various public speeches and podcasts. I choose them very thoroughly and share only the best of what I consume. So I thought, “Why not share with you, too?”

However, sharing links itself is of little value. For every link I share, I will provide a valuable note and a deep reflection on the question that link addresses. I will deconstruct ideas, concepts, tenets and approaches to help you sort them out and benefit from them.

Scroll down and see what I’ve brought you today!

Findings I’ve enjoyed this week

Pedro Pascal at “Talk Easy” with Sam Fragoso. Today Pedro Pascal is a well-known successful actor. But I was shocked to learn he didn’t have any significant projects until 37, when he casted for his role of Oberyn Martell in “Game of Thrones”. That role was his big break. But till then he spent years polishing his acting skills for a way smaller audience.

On this podcast Pedro talks about his childhood, his family and Chile, he reflects on his first jobs on screen, values things and people that kept him afloat. It’s an encouraging talk of two good men.

— What is your truth?
— Be good to yourself and be good to people. Having a good relationship is more important to me than everything that’s been going on for the last five years.

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How water carves stones over time. An old Latin proverb says, “Gutta cavat lapidem non vi” which literally means, “A drop carves a stone not by force”. Well, it’s true. A short video on Twitter shows water drops chiseling stones over 15, 25 and 50 years. It’s a great example of how building habits and achieving goals works in life.

“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision” © James Clear, an excerpt from “Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results”

We quit trying because we don’t see a desired outcome. But the truth is that it can’t be seen on a short distance. We have to focus on the process instead. Just like water chiseling those rocks, carve them drop by drop.

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Matthew McConaughey’s speech at White House. Until last year, in my mind, Matthew McConaughey had only the image of a great actor, but never seemed to be an opinion leader or an exciting public speaker. The pandemic and then a sudden Texas winter storm in 2021 showed he is both! His recent speech at White House proved it once again.

I wish this speech never happened, but it did. Even though I’m not that much in the know of American news and current of events, the news about mass shooting in Uvalde, TX found its way to me.

I see three reasons what makes this speech powerful and worth listening to:

1. Well structured and addressed to specific people. Matthew points that the goal of this speech is to “make a real change” and to urge politicians of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, to sit down together and '“have a real conversation” about gun problem in the US. His speech is not an invitation. It’s a toll of the bell that tolls for those who are now in power. He literally asks them, “If not us, if not you, then who?”

2. Based on real people’s stories. As I recall, this is the first time a public person has gone on the air and talked about something so shocking and devastating. But not only did he talk about it, he brought real people's stories to light and shared them to the public. Politicians often omit this part which makes their speeches sound more like routine reports. McConaughey showed that life consists of hard and unpleasant events, too, and that’s what makes his speech so true and emotional.

3. Matthew’s attachment to his hometown and people who live there. Mass shootings in the US happened many times before, but this time “something was different”. Probably, because no one expected this to happen in Uvalde, a small and calm Texas city. Or, maybe, because this time the victims were little kids that had no chance to protect themselves. Listening to Matthew’s speech you can feel his anger and fierce need to find an explanation for the loss of those innocent lives. If it weren’t for his fame and status, his kids could have been the ones killed in that school. He doesn’t say it in his message, but he understands it.

Afterword

Hope you’ve found this email thought-provoking. If you have, share it with your friends and people who may like it. I’ll appreciate your support and feedback.

Take care!
Evgeny

Tyumen, 26 June 2022

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