Recommended resources for personal growth

Home Recommended resources for personal growth

Before trying to educate anyone on anything, I realized I wasn’t educated myself and knew nothing about myself, other people or the world in general. School and university hadn’t really taught me that much.

Luckily, that realization happened 10+ years ago and I had plenty of time to start over and learn, which was a joyful and fulfilling process. If you ever feel like you don’t know enough, it’s never too late. Here are some of the many personal growth resources I stumbled upon.

If there are any downsides, I’ll mention them as it’s important to be unbiased even about the sources you really like. But if listed, the upsides are really worth it!

General highly valuable educational resources:

Wikipedia – Whenever I need to get to know the basics of any topic, I don’t Google it, I open directly Wikipedia. It’s a perfect blend of being scientific while readable and neutrality as a core principle makes me a huge fan. 

Downsides: Some topics nowadays are so full of misinformation, including published by official sources and media, that a non-industry expert cannot make much good of the existing sources. For example I would never trust Wikipedia to learn SEO. Also something niche and super complicated like a tiny branch of math or physics that 10 people in the world actually understand, may (naturally) contain errors. But for a balanced overview on any general or scientific subject it’s amazing. Rule of thumb – the longer the article, the more editors have worked on it and the more you can trust it.

 

TED – I’ve seen virtually all talks and they almost never disappoint. Quality and inspiration by amazing speakers. Many talks have changed my views on life significantly. Also don’t miss the TED-Ed educational animations.

Downsides: An important caveat – keep in mind that when celebrities like Al Gore and Elon Musk give talks they inevitably promote their business agenda and you should keep this in mind and always look for different points of view too. This applies to a very small number of talks and most are balanced and an overall delight to watch.

Some talks about social justice topics go a bit too far (not as ideas, but as presentation, which will result in social division), as part of the problem described here.

Also not really a downside but some talks are now quite old and if related to technology progress or current events, they may be outdated, it’s inevitable.

 

Wait But Why – This blog is by far my favorite one and a major inspiration for the creation of I Grow Younger and Spectern. Very well researched long form content in a light and fun form with the best humor and illustrations ever. Its ultimate masterpiece is The story of us.

Downsides: I don’t feel some of the articles about Elon Musk have aged well, too much praise at times where criticism was also needed. This is a tiny issue for something as good as this blog, just felt I had to mention it.

 

Khan Academy – An entirely free educational platform with 14000+ video lessons and 100000+ interactive exercises of very high quality. Covers math and science best but also has most other subjects from kindergarden to university level. Translated in many languages. I have taken the cryptography unit of computer science and was blown away with the ease complex concepts were explained with clever animations so that I could get them without any background in the field and achieve speedy growth of my understanding.

Downsides: Haven’t found any so far.

 

Seth Godin – The most condensed wisdom I’ve ever seen anywhere. Simple correct things that just need to be said so their importance is stuck in our brains. Like this one.

Downsides: Haven’t found any so far.

 

Philosophy Tube – Scientifically and at the same time theatrically presented talks about society. Amazing quality and nuance. An entertaining way to get to know the basics of philosophy.

Downsides: Haven’t found any so far.

 

Adam Something – A fast growing Youtube channel of insane quality. Geopolitics, Economics, Social sciences and Urban planning. Some real bullshit busting targeted at Elon Musk, Putin/propaganda, Viktor Orban/populism and extreme US right wingers. Pure gold.

Downsides: Doesn’t really invest a lot in production but as the content is so good it doesn’t really matter.

 

Not Just Bikes – Every aspect of urban planning from bike lanes and traffic signs to municipal financial planning. A lot of analysis both on the awful car dependent sprawl in the US and Canada and the lively walkable neighborhoods of Europe. Got me to really believe the importance or where we live as a factor for the humans we come to be and the society we form.

Downsides: Doesn’t really invest a lot in production but as the content is so good it doesn’t really matter.

 

Money and Macro – The best channel to understand economics, run by a Dutch university professor. Really dives deep into the complicated subjects of interest rates, central banks, inflation, etc. I started with the far more popular Economics Explained channel which is fine for newbies but I suspect it has errors when it dives into complex matter because it’s not run by a professional economist. After watching Money and Macro, it suddenly seemed a bit shallow.

Downsides: Haven’t found any so far.

 

Robert Reich – Inequality Media – The Youtube channel of the nonprofit by the former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and Director Jacob Kornbluth, launched following the success of their documentary film, Inequality For All. Videos on both current economic problems and potential solutions from the viewpoint of an economist with 50 years of experience. All based on a lot of data. I love the simplicity with which the 77-year-old and very kind-hearted Robert presents his case against inequality-perpetuating policies like tax loopholes for the rich. I see him as a more data-focused Bernie Sanders, holding less anger and blame for individuals. Reich points his criticism to the system itself, which seems to be the healthy, less divisive approach the USA needs.

Downsides: Not as much of a downside, but it’s strongly US focused, many US socioeconomic problems (such as lack of paid maternity leave) would sound bizarre to people from other developed countries.

 

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – The most educational comedy show. Never has learning about any topic have been so much fun. Highly recommended! Also as a US show there is some US focus (naturally) but not as much as other US shows.

Downsides: Haven’t found any so far. Some people in the US may find the political viewpoints too left-leaning but I’m fine with this as in Europe these are widely accepted viewpoints.

 

Mark Manson – Life advice that doesn’t suck – The author of The New York Times bestsellers The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck and Everything Is Fucked: A Book About Hope has a Youtube channel with fundamental understandable advice about personal growth. I just love the honest approach on this one. No tolerance for bullshit!

Downsides: Only if you have a problem with F-bombs 🙂

 

Ryan Chapman – Thoughts on history and philosophy. Amazing nuanced videos about the evolution of ideologies like Marxism, Socialism, Liberalism, Nationalism.

Downsides: Haven’t found any so far.

 

The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins – It’s always a joy to listen to the renowned evolutionary biologist and best-selling author. I really admire the honest, scientific, yet empathetic approach on any topic from religion to animal rights. I have a feeling that we’ll appreciate Richard’s views even more after he’s gone (even thought he looks great at 82!), much like the great Christopher Hitchens. 

Downsides: There is a single biased video about the Israel – Palestine conflict you should avoid. Mostly thanks to Richard’s Jewish guest but Dawkins goes along too (still he admits he is not very knowledgeable in this topic and I’m sure it’s not deliberate).

 

Marketing Monster – A tiny young Youtube channel of disproportionally high quality. Deep insights into the psychology of marketing and persuasion.

Downsides: Channel is so small and underrated that there is almost no feedback in the comments.

 

Science and technology resources:

Kurzgesagt – Educational videos with birds animations. You have to see them to actually believe me how cute they are 🙂 Very well researched, neutral and scientific while understandable to anyone. Like a fun video version of Wikipedia.

Downsides: Haven’t found any so far.

 

Veritasium – The most popular science channel on Youtube. Highly entertaining and educational, the videos really make you stick to the screen. Covers many important topics and this is why it’s a great place to start of you don’t know where to start with educational Youtube channels.

Downsides: Some sponsored videos are not balanced enough and at least one video had truth twisted a bit to fit a more sensational narrative. After all Youtube is business. That said, 90% or more of the videos are flawless to me, great value.

 

Sabine Hossenfelder – Physics and technology beyond the BS. I love this channel for the density of information served and the realism and multiple points of view on complex topics, all with a nice pinch of humor.

Downsides: Haven’t found any so far.

 

Just Have a Think – Sustainability, Energy and Climate change Youtube channel, analyzing new trends and innovations. While the creator is not a scientist, he does his best at research and neutrality. The comment section is full of industry experts and there is much insight there too.

Downsides: Haven’t found any so far.

 

In its own special category:

As I’m against purity and I do value chaos, here is one chaotic, flawed, but still valuable Youtube channel which I’ll describe in detail so you see how even questionable sources may help if they are well-intended, consistent (so you can separate the gold from the flaws more easily in time) and of course, have true value in the form of new ideas to you. Use at your own risk 🙂

WhatifAltHist – Videos about history, culture and geopolitics. A guy summarizing incredible amounts of information per video, often with fascinating maps and graphs. Be sure not everything here is true and given the amount of data, ideas and claims, it would be impossible for a single person or even a small team to fact-check all this. From all the sources listed on this page, I trust this one the least. Some right leaning bias is clear in all political videos, for example Trump is not endorsed, but his bullshit is not properly debunked either. There are also some anti-woke rants I cannot endorse. Oh, and sources are often non-existent or questionable.

But… I still include it because despite all the downsides, this channel has some amazing qualities:

  • For me it’s not so much a channel about what to think, but about how to practice free thinking, starting from first principles.
  • Just like I Grow Younger tries, WhatifAltHist talks only about very important topics, tries to simplify things to the basics and is not influenced by what viewers would think (no bubble). I’ve learned history in school for 8 years without a single graph of the living standard of the average peasant through the years. Doesn’t the quality of life of 80% of people though all of history matter… or just kings and battles do? Here you will find all-important facts about the history of society you’ve never heard of. Just drawing your attention to the most important things, even if some perspectives are flawed, is very important.
  • Just like I Grow Younger tries, WhatifAltHist segments topics well until they can be properly analyzed.
  • All the dark qualities of human kind are being realistically portrayed here, nothing is sugarcoated. As they should be.
  • The sheer scale and density of information presented (even if not completely accurate) is a lot of data points for building up your intuition about culture and the psychological and economical driving forces of any society.
  • I like the intuition of the author about psychology. While some facts in the videos may be incorrect, the vibe of how certain people feel always seems to hit the right note.
  • I am politically to the left (not extremely as you can see in my critique of the Social Justice Movement) but I haven’t really heard good opposing views based on a deeper understanding of economy, culture and psychology. WhatifAltHist has some good ones, coming from history. Constructive criticism is something we miss in the current age.
  • The author is independent, does not promote any political agenda and I believe he’s well meaning.

While I recognize that being drowned in unverified, often biased information just for the sake of busting your bubble and expanding your mindset is not everyone’s cup of tea, it has unquestionable value. Just keep your critical thinking on – as you always should.

 

Honorable mentions of quality but specialized Youtube channels that may not give you the world’s wisdom but are fun or very educational in their niche:

Steve Mould – Similar to Veritasium but more specialized into physics/mechanics, more talking and less production efforts and without the downsides. Steve looks weird at first and has an strange sense of humor but he’ll quickly grow on you.

Minute Physics – Great explanations of concepts in physics. Cats are always involved. If something falls into a black hole, it’s bound to be a cat.

Physics Girl – Concepts in physics and astronomy. Cutest scientist on the planet 🙂 Often explains the concept to her clueless editor in the video itself 🙂

Electroboom – Electricity and bullshit busting by a funny Iranian guy who gets angry and/or electroshocked every 5 seconds in a 10 min video. Priceless!

Stand-Up Math – Funny take on mathematics, mostly practical applications like card tricks, probabilities in games and an occasional psychics problem. 

Lindybeige – History and bullshit busting from a funny British guy. Amazing if you want to know how medieval people lived and such.

Historia Civilis – Ancient history with animations. Surprisingly addictive. Similar to the popular Kings and Generals but better in my opinion.

Domain of Science – Maps big fields (eg. Mathematics) into maps of subfields.

Lesics – Mechanics and engineering animations showing how stuff works.

NileRed – I was never into chemistry but this channel is awesome.

Mr Slav – Educational “Top Something” videos with dark Lithuanian humor.

Perun – Coverage of the military industrial complex and the war in Ukraine.

Scott Manley – Everything about space exploration, rockets and launches.

Common Sense Sceptic – A very deep dive into Elon Musk’s dark side. The one that made me think.

PBS Space Time – Cosmology and quantum physics at a level higher than I can understand.

Half as Interesting – Short ultra packed sarcastic educational videos about facts you’ll never need 🙂

Scenic Relaxation – Beautiful drone videos from all over the world in 4K. Cities, Nature, Animals. All with great (often local) music. 

 

And here are some of the individual personal growth resources that became an inspiration for I Grow Younger:

 

General/Inspirational:

 

Psychology and Personal growth:

 

Education and Career path:

 

Creativity:

 

Society:

 

Science and Technology:

 

Nature, Sustainability and Food:

 

Health:

 

Arts:

 

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