Do YOU actually want that?

In this week's newsletter, I cover:

Mimetic Desire
My favourite things this week
I Wish I Read These Sooner

The Quiet Whisper | Issue 23

I was reading an issue of one of my favourite newsletters, Sunday Snippets by Ali Abdaal, and was introduced to an idea that I was not really aware of. It's called mimetic desire.

According to Luke Burgis "Mimetic desire means that we make many of our choices according to the desires of others".

We desire things purely because someone else does.

I see this every day with my kids.

For example, there might be a sad and lonely toy that sits unplayed with for months. Then one day my son picks it up and starts playing with it. Immediately my youngest daughter realises that she wants that same toy and leaps up, demanding he gives it to her for her to play with.

Sigh.

I did not know that this had a name.

I also did not know, or at least was not completely aware how much I do this myself.

All the time!

For example, I might be scrolling through YouTube and I may see another person whose videos I enjoy watching and all of a sudden I want to make YouTube videos.

This may seem innocuous and unimportant but if you are like me and you tend to take action on whims no matter how small then you may find yourself surrounded by a lot of projects and not a lot of time.

This is what has happened to me on numerous occasions.

Looking back I can see that this mimetic desire has meant that I have lost sight of what I actually want and what I actually enjoy.

I feel someone else's excitement and want to act on it. Leaving my own, seemingly quiet desires, by the wayside.

The only way I have found to combat this is to carve out some quiet time and write in my journal.

🎧 I’m Listening To

1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins. This has to be one of my all-time favourite songs so when it gets shuffled into a playlist I am listening to I end up putting the track on loop and gazingly lovingly out of the nearest window. You can blame these guys for instilling in me a passion for making music. Damn, you Billy Corgan!

📖 I’m Reading

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb (affiliate link). This book was recommended to me by a friend of my wife's cousin on a plane to Poland. We discussed our shared interest in the fantasy genre and he recommended this (and the series) as some of the best fantasy fiction he has read. So far I am engrossed in this new world and I suspect it is only going to get more exciting!

📺 I’m Re-Playing

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I was drawn to this game the moment I saw stills from it. I had never played the game before but it reminded me of one of my favourite all-time games, Fable. Much like the book I am currently reading, this game completely draws me into its universe. I also thoroughly enjoy foraging in games like this 🤣

🌟 I Wish I Read These Earlier

I really do enjoy reading but don't seem to prioritise it. As a result, it takes me a while to read a single book. But, over the years I have managed to get through quite a few really great books. In this post, I share the three books that I wished I had read when I started out.