“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”
– Jack London
Did you know that forks, first used for eating around the 11th century, were considered sacrilege by the church? The high and mighty “argued God had created humans with fingers so they could touch and eat God’s food.” Boy… I wonder what they thought of Early Bronze Age Caucasus’ communal beer-drinking straws…
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– Mike & Alec
Showing Up
What do you do when it’s time to work on something you care about… but you’re not “feeling it”?
Showing up is a prerequisite to success.
If you don’t show up, there is no possibility of success.
Not feeling inspired or motivated?
James Clear writes, “Stop waiting for motivation or creative inspiration to strike you and set a schedule for your habits. This is the difference between professionals and amateurs. Professionals set a schedule and stick to it. Amateurs wait until they feel inspired or motivated.”
Sometimes you will “feel it”. Sometimes you won’t.
That’s normal.
And it doesn’t matter.
What matters is showing up regardless of how you feel — even if you fear that the thing you’re doing will never have an impact.
Here’s some advice from J.K. Rowling…
Happy Habits
Jordan Peterson once said, “These little things that are right in front of us, they’re not little.”
He was talking about the way your spouse greets you when you get home, the 10-second interaction you have with your child when dropping them off at school, or the way you treat the barista when picking up your coffee.
In singularity, those things seem little.
But 10 seconds, 20 seconds, a minute or two… every day for the rest of your life…
That’s a lot.
The little things are the big things.
And here are 10 little habits that, over time, can make you a lot happier…
- Drink coffee 90 minutes after waking up. According to Andrew Huberman, this will help you avoid the afternoon caffeine crash.
- Journal when you don’t know the source of your negative feelings. We all feel sad or anxious sometimes without knowing why we feel that way. Our feelings might be more clear than our thoughts. It helpful, during those times, to write out our feelings and thoughts in a journal.
- Sign up for therapy. Everyone could benefit from talking to a therapist every now and again. It’s easy than ever to find a counselor on platforms like BetterHelp.
- Start every day with movement. We’re animals… just sophisticated ones. And like any other animal, we need physical movement to think clearly and stay healthy. Start every day with a walk or 30 minutes of exercise.
- Spend time with friends every week. Make a point to spend time every week with your friends. It can sometimes be hard to get the motivation to go out… but you’ll pretty much always be glad you did.
- Work toward something you love and don’t be in a hurry. Working on something you’re passionate about (without feeling like you’re in a rush) creates a lot of personal fulfillment. Just dedicate a bit of time every week to it. Maybe writing a book, building a business, or starting a podcast.
- Read before bed. Reading before bed is a great way to relax, increase your vocabulary, and learn something new.
- Skip breakfast. Intermittent fasting (the easiest version of which is simply not eating until noon every day) can help you maintain a healthy weight and have more energy.
- Stop worrying about money spent on things that matter to you. It’s easy to worry about money. But one time when we shouldn’t worry about money is when we’re spending it on something that matters to us.
- Never make a major decision in the valley. We all go through hard times. Don’t make major decisions when the sun ain’t shining.
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Five Questions
We love these five questions from Ryan Holiday…
Image of The Week
This Week’s Riddle
Here’s this week’s riddle — the answer is at the bottom of the email!
This belongs to you, but everyone else uses it.
This Week’s Journaling Prompt
Take some time to think through the following journaling prompt.
When is a time you didn’t show up like you should have? Why is it important to show up in the future, even when you don’t feel like it?
This Week’s Challenge
Think of the thing that you’re working on which you are passionate about. Then write down at least three reasons why THAT THING is important to you. The next time you are considering not showing up, remember what you wrote down.
Riddle Answer: Your name.