Feldman's Faves: January 17, 2022

GOOD MORNING BL5

I cannot F*)*ING believe we are doing the “remote thing” once again. I hope this pandemic tradition will soon be over for good but in the meanwhile I thought I would provide some free (and of course unsolicited) suggestions for your weekly reading and listening pleasure. Also, I hope you are all enjoying Wordle (as it has sadly become the highlight of my day these days….). And for those of you who are members of THE BILLS MAFIA, join me in feeling good about this past weekend.

WHY WE SLEEP By: Matthew Walker – Have you ever read a book that was so profound that it caused you to make an immediate and fundamental change to your life? Why We Sleep did this for me. As some of you may know, I tend not to spend too much time asleep and have spent the last 20 years being governed by the adage that “I will sleep when I am dead”, which I can tell you is truly idiotic. Reading this book, which explains in detail why we sleep, how we sleep and why sleep is so important, led me to reconsider my entire approach to life (this is unrelated to my other mid-life crisis…). A lack of sleep has a material impact on the physical and mental development of children, the risk of disease such as cardiac arrest and cancer and most scarily, on the potential for dementia as we age. Sleep is the NUMBER ONE source of preventative medicine that is available to all of us and something many of us (particularly in the legal world) take for granted. Following my reading of this book and going down a research rabbit-hole I have committed this year (as my only resolution) to prioritize getting a good night sleep every single night (we will see how that goes…and yes the irony of this early morning email is not lost on me - but note that this is not being sent at 4 am….). Here is an interesting perspective on this book from Gates’ Notes - https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Why-We-Sleep

TED Talks Daily - Why great leaders take humor seriously | Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas – This Ted Talk, which had gone viral, screams Goodmans to me. It is about how it is always important to take work seriously but never ourselves. More importantly, it shows how humour is an incredibly effective leadership tool, business development accelerator and culture enhancer. I love this concept and try my best to include humour in all aspects of my life (think my self-described title as KING OF THE DAD JOKES). Here is an excerpt from the PODCAST itself: “There's a mistaken belief in today's working world that leaders need to be serious all the time to be taken seriously. The research tells a different story. Based on the course they teach at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker and corporate strategist Naomi Bagdonas delve into the surprising power of humour: why it's a secret weapon to build bonds, power, creativity and resilience -- and how we can all have more of it”: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ted-talks-daily/id160904630?i=1000547796018

Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation.

And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.

Jon