Hi Everyone,

Happy Friday! Thanks for spending part of it reading The Lake Street Journal.

The Need to Read

I found (or maybe refound) an article this week from Paul Graham about the most convincing argument for reading.

Last week I shared a piece from Ryan Holiday with a bunch of reasons for why reading makes your life richer. If you liked that, I think you'll also appreciate this.

The basic line of argument in Graham's essay goes like this. Reading—physically reading, not listening to audio books—teaches you how to write. Writing is one of the best ways to generate new ideas and to solve problems.

"There is a kind of thinking," says Graham, "that can only be done by writing."

So if you don't read, you won't be good at writing. If you aren't good at writing, you won't be as good at solving problems and generating new ideas. That sounds like a pretty huge disadvantage in just about every discipline.

There you have it. As if you needed another argument convincing you to read.

What to do when you feel overwhelmed

I came across this short article via Peter Kang's newsletter.

It's an email Shaan Puri wrote to a friend who was overwhelmed with family, health, and work issues. He shares four pieces of simple advice that you can apply to help you through a hard time:

• Remember, this too shall pass.

• You can choose to react or respond. Reacting is the easy road. It doesn't make anything better. Responding is facing the problem head on and taking the first step toward fixing it.

• Do the things you can do and let go of everything else.

• Go for a run. Or do any type of intense physical activity. It's a great way to flip your state of mind.

Puri elaborates on each point in the article. I think it's a useful reminder for everyone. We've all been there. We could all use the advice.

Andrew Huberman on Rogan

I always love hearing Huberman as a guest on podcasts. I've learned a ton from him. He's actually the main reason I drink almost no alcohol (if you haven't listened to his episode on alcohol, you have to check it out).

He's making the rounds again since he just published his book, Protocols. I haven't ordered it yet, but I'm sure it'll be a good reference to have on the shelf. I imagine Amazon will drop it off on my doorstep before the end of the year.

Anyway, nothing groundbreaking here, but it was a good conversation if you're looking for something to listen to this weekend on a car ride or a long run.

Workout of the Week

I'm sure everyone reading this newsletter has heard this song before. But c'mon, who doesn't love a little Fleetwood Mac?

Quote of the Week

"The prize goes to he who does not lose his head or open his mouth too soon." - Rich Cohen

Have a question or a comment? Respond to this email.

Talk soon,

Joe