Today is Tuesday, friends, and this is Apex Money. Today’s stories are all about paying attention. And I feel like I should preface the first piece by saying that while it’s about a Japanese word and how to use it, if you read the entire article you’ll see that it’s also about a philosophy of gratitude.
The meaning of “itadakimasu”. [Tofugu] — “The gratitude of itadakimasu reaches beyond the dinner table and into our everyday lives. Whatever you receive, be it a hat, a job, or a ride to the airport, receive it with appreciation. Because the heart of itadaku is a thankfulness for the things you’ve been given and a determination to make the most of what you have.”
The ancient technique that can improve your attention span. [Big Think] — “Attention is a scarce economic resource; you only have so much to give in your lifetime. When you focus on a person, tweet, daydream, or TV show, you are spending a moment of attention. You can never get it back, and you can’t provide it elsewhere. The same is true for any $10 bill that’s left your wallet. But like that ten-spot, attention is also a means of exchange. In exchange for yours, you may receive love, knowledge, entertainment, self-understanding, and much more.”
Give yourself the first hour. [Money and Meaning] — “Here’s my prescription to the attentional dis-ease we all suffer from in capitalism: Spend time outside the demands of everyone and everything else. Have one hour in the morning that is solely yours. Before you read the news, look at your phone, or read your email, just be no one/yourself. Before anyone else gets your attention, luxuriate in an hour of time before anyone else knows you exist. Delight in your own enoughness.”
Today’s video is a four-minute exploration of the perfect amount of clothes.
Warning: The host’s answer here is his answer for himself. (He says that, for him, the perfect amount of clothes is whatever will fit in one box.) It’s the larger discussion here that matters more than his specific answer. And, as with the three articles I shared before the video, the key point is that you find the perfect amount of clothes for you by — you guessed it — paying attention.
Okay, that’s it for Tuesday. Our friends from Plutus will be sharing links tomorrow. I’ll be back on Thursday to highlight more great stuff.