Category: Living Well

Copiers

Published on August 9, 2023

When you’re scared to share out of fear that what you know will get copied or taken… it means you don’t have a sufficient personal growth / learning system in place.

The formulas are simple:

When learning/growth < what’s shared ➜ Fear of getting copied / ideas taken
When learning/growth > what’s shared ➜ Joy in having people copy and use your ideas
When learning/growth = what’s shared ➜ Mixed feelings towards different copying / idea-using situations

Lesson: Always disproportionately prioritize time for learning and personal growth over what you have time to share and you’ll never fear getting copied or having ideas taken—in fact, it’ll only bring you increasing joy to see people act from your influence.

And to those who maliciously copy and steal your ideas in an attempt to selfishly make personal gains—report them and take the appropriate actions, but remember, ideas superficially understood quickly crumble under even the slightest stress test.

Authenticity and an internal understanding of what’s shared are what stand strong against the relentless tests of time. Believe it.

Intentional Slowness

Published on August 8, 2023

Here’s an idea: Wake up earlier—not so you can get more done—but so you can move slower throughout your day.

…Move slower from bed to shower; from one exercise to the next; while eating; while driving; while walking; when speaking with people; when arriving back home and reacquainting with family; while cooking dinner; while reading; while writing; while watching the sun go down.

We’ve been brainwashed to believe that rushing is the key to productivity.

…It’s not.

If anything, rushing is the thief of presence. It steals away from us our connection to the present moment and has us constantly refreshing our awareness of what needs to happen next, next, next. So much so that there’s no awareness left for where we are—physically or mentally—throughout the day.

And so our day slips away. Time and again.

…And how much time does rushing ever really save us anyway?

I’ve rushed to work and I’ve casually commuted and the difference—at max—has only ever been 1-3 minutes. I’ve rushed to get tasks done versus got them done with full presence and have often lost more time than gained in silly mistakes and errors. I’ve scarfed down food and I’ve sat and enjoyed a meal—and maybe 15 minutes were accounted for.

…But is time gained from rushing really time gained?

My argument is that what’s “gained” from rushing is lost in presence. And the loss in presence is the far greater loss in comparison. Which is why, for those used to rushing, sprinkling 30-60 additional minutes throughout the day for intentional slowness could result in a pretty significant and noteworthy gain.

Pure Harmony

Published on August 7, 2023

While food shopping, I saw a can of meat branded as “Pure Harmony.”

Branding like this really ticks me off because pure harmony is the exact opposite of what’s in that can.

As consumers, it’s important to be aware of the impact of our purchase decisions. Whatever we buy increases demand. And so long as there’s a demand, so, too, will there be a continued supply.

Mind you, Pure Harmony, in this instance, is for dog food and I’m not advocating you turn your dog vegan (mine’s not).

I am, however, encouraging you to be mindful of the decisions you make for yourself and your family—modern day marketing can by tricky! Happy cows, dancing chickens, brands names like Pure Harmony, etc… I didn’t make the connection between my food shopping choices and the world at large until I was in my mid-20’s.

Making simple changes like switching dairy milk to a nondairy substitute, or practicing “Meatless Mondays,” or cutting out red meat altogether can have a disproportionately significant impact. One that’s beneficial for the animals, the environment, and your health.

And if nothing else, think of the real step towards harmony you take when the food you eat doesn’t cost an animal their life…

But, I digress.

P.s. If you have any questions about eating less meat or dairy, send a reply to this email.

A Step Back From Complicated

Published on August 3, 2023

When I first started writing daily, I felt a strong inclination to share pictures with each post.

I knew that images grab attention and might hook along more readers.

I also knew that images can add a level of communication for the visually inclined learners that words alone might not provide.

But, what I also knew was finding the right image added steps to my daily process… it took time to thoroughly search, download, reformat, resize, upload, caption, add metadata, etc.

…Sometimes, this process even took me longer than writing the words themselves!

Which is why, in spite of the obvious benefits of having images associated with my writing, I decided against using them.

It’s important to remember that when you set out to do something, you don’t have to do it in the absolute best way you know how. Sometimes (oftentimes), it’s best to just keep it simple and cut out anything and everything that doesn’t have to do with the core of the work itself.

A single step back from complicated is worth a dozen steps forward (or more) in simplicity.

Future Proofing Habits

Published on July 30, 2023

What’s the one daily habit you know you should build into your lifestyle more than any other? (e.g. Exercise)

Good. Now, answer me this:

What’s the smallest viable version of that daily habit (i.e. What can you do, that will require the least effort, that will still count as a completion of that task)? (e.g. jog around the block once).

Okay. Finish by reflecting on this:

What’s an even smaller viable version of that daily habit that you can do when you’re sick or injured? (e.g. walk around the block once or do a light stretching session for 10-20 minutes).

The goal with daily habits is to keep them daily. Not just because of the benefits of the task you’re doing, but because of the momentum that comes from the streak. Which means one of your top priorities needs to be no zero days.

And if you have the above questions answered, you’ll be ready for the days when you’re most likely to break your streak.

By planning for the days when you’re tired/ busy/ or lazy (which will likely be most of your future days lol), and by planning for the days when you’re sick or injured (which will account for a good handful for sure), you’re essentially future proofing your daily task.

…Because if there’s anything I’ve learned about the future it’s that it’s going to be way harder than we think. And the good part is, if we plan for it to be that way, the only surprise will be when it’s not.

P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

No Hesitation

Published on July 25, 2023

When teaching self-defense, the goal is to get students to eventually perform with no hesitation.

Seconds matter in self-defense and any time spent hesitating, remembering, or doing mental negotiations could make a life-changing difference.

I’ve been thinking about this lately and how it applies to everyday life, too.

Using self-defense skills against physical attacks should (hopefully) be a rare, if ever type of ordeal. Using self-defense skills against everyday lifestyle attacks is an all-of-the-time type of ordeal—and thus, could prove to be invaluable to consider.

What are everyday lifestyle attacks? I’m talking about things like:

Whether you should workout or skip.
Whether you should eat the donut or intermittently fast.
Whether you should wake up after the first alarm or snooze.
Whether you should go to bed early or watch one more episode.
Whether you should spend more time on social media or spend more time reading books.

In the midst of these mental negotiations are valuable seconds that tick away faster than we ever realize. I just recently spent 1 hour in this hesitation state deliberating between go to bed early or watch one more episode. And this is just the tip of the iceberg for what accounts for time wasted in hesitation for both me and countless others.

The mantra I’ve been practicing, when I catch myself in this mental negotiations space is: no hesitation. And, like in martial arts, I try to discipline myself to start doing the desired action ASAP without any second thoughts.

Going, I’ve learned, is one of the best means for stopping. And the longer we stay stopped, the harder it is to go. Going quicker… is an excellent strategy to consider.

Big Steps Made Small

Published on July 24, 2023

This past weekend I went out to lunch with a co-worker and an elderly women.

At one point in the conversation, the elderly women mentioned how at one point in her life she played piano. She said she loved it but was never able to perform at a recital. She would get too nervous and overwhelmed and would back down—sometimes at the last minute.

The thought that immediately occurred to me was… maybe it was because it was too big of a jump. Maybe if there were smaller, more incremental steps that went from private 1-on-1 lessons to big audience in an auditorium—like family recitals or small party with friends recitals or piano student classroom recitals—she wouldn’t have had such a hard time…

She nodded and seemed to agree with the idea.

When we’re confronted with a situation that makes us nervous or feel overwhelmed, it isn’t a sign that we’re not meant to do that thing or that we aren’t good enough per se. Oftentimes it’s just a sign that we’re taking too big of a step too quick—and all we need to do is take a step back and find (or create) the incremental steps that’ll make that big step feel far more manageable.

Just as we take the steps up onto the stage for a piano recital and don’t try to climb atop the stage in one fell swoop—so, too, must we follow this wisdom with the “piano recitals” of our lives themselves.

P.s. Thanks to those who caught my “waive” that should’ve been “wave” typo from a few days ago. It was a silly mistake… Or was it a sign?