Why Timeless & Timely?
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This is more than a single newsletter.
It’s a family of publications, all centered around the notion that great ideas and concepts are worth exploring and re-exploring.
In brief, this is:
A serious weekly newsletter about leadership and communication
Two fortnightly podcasts:
An interview show on leadership virtues
A 5-minute show telling a story about a historic person or event
A quirky weekly newsletter on fun with words and history
An ad hoc section on elements of classic style
An expression of many of the topics from my speaking and consulting practice.
Why does this matter?
This is where the past, as found in great literature, philosophy, and history, can give us pause.
“Real wisdom is not the knowledge of everything, but the knowledge of which things in life are necessary, which are less necessary, and which are completely unnecessary to know. Among the most necessary knowledge is the knowledge of how to live well, that is, how to produce the least possible evil and the greatest goodness in one’s life. At present, people study useless sciences, but forget to study this, the most important knowledge.” — Leo Tolstoy
And that’s the goal here. To extract the most important knowledge and apply it to today, so that leaders of all stripes can learn from others.
I tend to write about whatever inspires me. One week I may be inspired by something I saw outside on a walk; another, from a television show; and more often than not from a book or article that I was reading.
In The Paris Review, E.B. White captured my approach to writing this newsletter:
“A writer should concern himself with whatever absorbs his fancy, stirs his heart, and unlimbers his typewriter. I feel…a responsibility to society because of going into print: a writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true, not false; lively, not dull; accurate, not full of error. He should tend to lift people up, not lower them down. Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life, they inform and shape life.
The writer’s role is what it has always been: he is a custodian, a secretary…a writer must reflect and interpret his society, his world; he must also provide inspiration and guidance and challenge.”
Such is the hope here on Timeless & Timely.
How to think about this site
Look around, kick the tires. You can choose which of the following sections you subscribe to.
Main Newsletter
Timeless & Timely is an essay that arrives weekly, and every other week I include timeless and timely links and recommended books and podcasts to enhance the topic of the week.
Leadership Podcast
Timeless Leadership, now in its third season, explores the principles and virtues of successful and admirable authors, entrepreneurs, and executives.
Storytelling Podcast
On alternate weeks, I release the 5-minute podcast Story Time that goes behind the scenes and looks at the people and events you know, but from a different angle.
And Now, For Something Completely Different
On Saturdays, there’s a fun entry called Off the Clock, where we marvel at words or other quirky topics of history or popular culture. This is available only for paying subscribers.
Et Alia
And Classic Style covers things like fountain pens, manners, grooming, sartorialism, and food and drink, whenever the urge strikes me.
You have the option of subscribing to as many or as few of these sections as you prefer. Just check your account settings to select which are for you.
Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.
Oh, did I mention that I like Sherlock Holmes?