Jordan Peterson: "If you can't fix your room, you can't fix your life" "Why should you even bother improving yourself? The answer is something like: so you don't suffer anymore stupidly than you have to. And maybe so others don't have to either. It's not some casual self-help doctrine. If you don't organize yourself properly, you'll pay for it. In a big way. And so will the people around you." Peterson continues: "You can say, 'Well, I don't care about that.' But that's actually not true, you do care about it. Because if you're in pain, you will care about it. It's very rare that you can find someone in excruciating pain who would say, 'Well, it would be no better if I was out of this.' Pain brings the idea that it would be better if it didn't exist along with it. It's incontrovertible." On how to start: "Look around for something that bothers you and see if you can fix it. You can do this in a room. Sit in your bedroom and think: 'If I wanted to spend ten minutes making this room better, what would I have to do?' You have to ask yourself that, it's a genuine question. And things will pop out. There's a stack of papers bugging you. Some rubbish behind your computer monitor you haven't attended to for six months. Cables tangled up." He explains why this matters: "If you were coming to see me for psychotherapy, the easiest thing would be to get you to organize your room. You think, is that psychotherapy? It depends on how you conceive the limits of your being. Start where you can start. If something announces itself as in need of repair that you could repair, fix it. Fix a hundred things like that, your life will be a lot different." On fixing what you repeat every day: "People tend to think of their daily routines as trivial. You get up, brush your teeth, have breakfast. Those probably constitute 50% of your life. People think, they're mundane, I don't need to pay attention to them. No, that's exactly wrong. The things you do every day are the most important things you do. Hands down. Just do the arithmetic." On staying within your competence: "Sometimes you don't know how to fix something. Imagine you're walking down the street and there's a guy who's alcoholic and schizophrenic and has been homeless for ten years. That's a problem. It would be good if you could fix it, but you haven't got a clue. You walk around that and go find something you could fix. Just because something announces itself as in need of repair doesn't mean it's you, right then and there, who should repair it. You have to have some humility. You don't walk up to a helicopter that isn't working and just start tinkering away." Peterson shares the key insight: "As soon as you give your mind a genuine aim, it'll reconfigure the world in keeping with that aim. That's actually how you see to begin with. You've all seen the video where you watch basketballs being tossed back and forth, and while you're doing that, a gorilla walks into the middle of the video and you don't see it. If you thought about that experiment for five years, that would be about the right amount of time to spend thinking about it." He explains what it reveals: "What it shows you is that you see what you aim at. If you can get one thing through your head, that would be a good one. You see what you aim at. One inference you might draw from that is: be careful what you aim at. What you aim at determines the way the world manifests itself to you. So if the world is manifesting itself in a very negative way, one thing to ask is: are you aiming at the right thing?"

I'm 55. I wasted 25 years learning this the hard way. But I'll teach you in 5 minutes. If you're soft, stop reading now. Here are 25 uncomfortable truths I wish I knew earlier:

4 simple ways to burn belly fat try these 👇👇👇

If I could study just one thinker for life and money: It’d be Naval Ravikant. He recently laid it all out in one of his clearest interviews yet. Here are 7 lessons that made me rethink wealth & happiness: 🧵

In the age of AI, Thoreau as relevant as ever. "Where is this division of labor to end? and what object does it finally serve? No doubt another may also think for me; but it is not therefore desirable that he should do so to the exclusion of my thinking for myself." —Thoreau

3 Moves, 5 Minutes a Day – Save Your Joints, End the Pain

🌟 Day 1 at the Global AI Summit in Kigali, Rwanda! 🌍 What an inspiring start to the summit as we came together with global voices and leaders in AI to forge strategic partnerships for Africa’s AI future! Yesterday was all about collaboration to innovate and empower—laying the groundwork to transform Africa into a global hub for AI excellence. 🤝 Forging Partnerships in AI Skilling for All By partnering with organizations, governments, and industry leaders to scale our AI training programs, we’re creating inclusive learning opportunities that ensure men, women and underserved groups are at the forefront of Africa’s AI revolution. 💼 Creating AI-Centric Jobs & Reducing Unemployment AI isn’t just the future—it’s the key to unlocking Africa’s economic potential. Through strategic collaborations, we’re working to build AI-driven job opportunities that actively reduce the unemployment gap, fostering innovation and sustainable growth across the continent. The energy in Kigali is electric, and this is just the beginning! Together, we’re shaping an AI-powered Africa that is equitable, dynamic, and future-ready. 🔖Get ready for what Day 2 has to offer as we conclude the Summit! #GAISAfrica2025 #AI4Uganda #OticFoundation 📸 Courtesy

Let that sink in!

a reminder

A scientific star is rising! Yajna Ramphal graduated with MSc in Bioinformatics & CompBio. She published 15 papers, including Natures & Science, in addition to 1st author publication! We are proud of graduating top women data & bioinformatics scientists! Priceless...

"Where has your mind been focused recently? Are you primarily thinking about your past, your present, or your future? How does focusing on a different timeframe change your thoughts?" -@JamesClear

In January, I turned 38. I'll probably die in about 17,824 days (ChatGPT's best guess). Here's a list of 38 things I've learned over the last 13,952 days of my life so far: 1. If you're nice to someone, they'll probably be nice back.
 2. Criticizing someone's ideas will only cause them to double down.
 3. Find out what someone loves to talk about, then ask them questions about it. They will light up.
 4. People generally do what they're incentivized to do.
 5. If someone seems upset, repeat back what they just said. They will usually calm down.
 6. Don't let people you dislike give you gifts or do favors for you. You'll feel like you owe them something and end up inadvertently helping them.
 7. Everyone is too busy thinking about themselves to notice the pimple on your nose.
 8. Every time you say something out loud, your brain pounds it in a little further. Be careful what you say.
 9. If someone gossips with you, they're probably gossiping about you with others.
 10. Everyone other than your closest friends and family subconsciously want to see you fall in the mud. It's not intentional, it's human nature: the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.
 11. Don't tell, storytell.
 12. You will want the things your ten closest friends want. Choose friends accordingly.
 13. The things with the greatest mental payoff are generally the same things that would have made a hunter gatherer happy: exercise, being in nature, laughing with friends, sex and companionship, eating delicious food, focusing on a task, watching your kids play.
 14. Humility always wins over extravagance. Don't count your poker chips at the table.
 15. Nobody wants to hear about how bad your day is going.
 16. Be nice to people on your way up. You might meet them again on your way down.
 17. Half of having friends is just being reliable. Say "yes" at least 70% of the time. Be on time. Respond to texts and calls.
 18. Leave some money on the table. You don't need the last dollar.
 19. Want to get invited to cool parties and dinners? Host them.
 20. Beware of people who are rude to waiters and service staff.
 21. Email people you admire. Sometimes they'll respond and good things will happen.
 22. The best way to avoid mistakes is to read about the mistakes of others.
 23. Planning is usually just guessing.
 24. Bad sleep, bad life.
 25. Never expect people to change. They rarely do.
 26. Alcohol and drugs are like an elastic band. The harder you pull it up, the harder it will whip back down the other way and hurt you.
 27. Think of psychopaths and narcissists like poisonous spiders. You don't want them anywhere near you, especially not in your bedroom.
 28. Take off your sunglasses when you meet people.
 29. Always default to picking up the bill, especially if you can afford it.
 30. Whales only get harpooned when they surface. If you don't want to get harpooned, stay quiet.
 31. Ideas are like tiny embers. They require immediate oxygen to turn into a fire. Take action.
 32. Don't judge old people for having views you disagree with. In a few decades, your liberal views will seem conservative, and that will be you.
 33. Going back thousands of years, every generation thinks the next generation is weak and the world is doomed. Keep that in mind when you read the news.
 34. When a child is upset, get down to their level, validate their feelings, and touch their face with the palm of your hand. Works with adults too.
 35. When writing emails, less is always more. Most people don't read past the first sentence. If worried about appearing too brusque, use a smiley face :-)
 36. Every personal strength is shadowed by a corresponding weakness. In yourself and others. Accept and work with this.
 37. There's no such thing as problems, only people problems.
 38. The days are long, but the years are short. Especially with kids.

In 1974, Steve Jobs came to India in search for enlightenment. 7 months later, he returned with a philosophy that would later build Apple into a $1 trillion empire. Here’s the philosophy: 🧵

"What project are you still working on that has already peaked? Is it time to let it go and begin climbing the next mountain?" -@JamesClear

"There is no need to fear any problem you are working on. If you are working on it, then you are influencing the outcome. It's the problems you don't address that should concern you." -@JamesClear

Jewish woman chased by men and youth armed with clubs during the Lviv pogroms, 1941, Ukraine

I am pleased to announce the establishment of an African Bioinformatics Institute thanks to funding from Wellcome Trust and CZI. We seek stakeholder input to shape the ABI to meet the needs of the bioinformatics and user communities. Join us for engagement sessions to contribute.