She searches for meaning “across literature, science, art, philosophy, and the various other tentacles of human thought.” The source content is timeless, but her insights are new, modern, and fresh.

Maria is the epitome of combinatorial creativity. Focus on Combinatorial Creativity in Work and Life One of her top learnings is to “build pockets of stillness into your life.” I think she would be a fan of downshifting, becoming unbusy, and slow living.Ģ.“I think the fullest people, the people most whole and most alive, are always those unafraid and unashamed of the soul.”.Maria says she’s interested in “perfecting the human spirit.”.“I frequently worry that being productive is the surest way to lull ourselves into a trance of passivity and busyness the greatest distraction from living, as we coast through our lives day after day, showing up for our obligations but being absent from our selves, mistaking the doing for the being.”.It all starts with the first quote below: This is by far my #1 all-time life lesson from Maria Popova: choosing conscious awareness. Choose Being over Doing, Presence over Productivity Essential Life-Learnings from 14 Years of Brain PickingsĪs an avid reader of Brain Pickings / The Marginalian, here’s my own list from everything I’ve learned from her:ġ.13 Life-Learnings from 13 Years of Brain Pickings.

10 Learnings from 10 Years of Brain Pickings.

9 Learnings from 9 Years of Brain Pickings.

7 Things I Learned in 7 Years of Reading, Writing, and Living.

Maria has recapped her top life lessons a few different times throughout the history of Brain Pickings: “Among our most universal human longings is to affect the world with our actions somehow, to leave an imprint with our existence.” - Maria Popovaģ Top Life Lessons from Maria Popova of “Brain Pickings” (now “The Marginalian”) Popova came to America from Bulgaria to get a liberal arts education with the “promise of being taught how to live.” She admits the education didn’t live up to the hype-eventually she would take learning into her own hands as an autodidact.

She’s spent so much time diving into historical content that she says, “Most of my friends are dead people.” They are the types of people you want to ask, “What are the 3 secrets to living a good life?” If anyone could know the magic formula, it would be someone like Maria. I’m continually fascinated by people like Maria who have consumed, curated, and created countless things. 🔒 Premium members have access to my ultimate deep dive: Maria Popova Synthesis: How to be a World-Class Synthesizer like “Brain Pickings” / “The Marginalian” (+ Infographic)

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