This Week’s BIG Idea
Lately, I’ve been struggling to write the first section of my newsletter. While this frustrated me at first, I then realized that happens because I designed the life I’ve always wanted. Since I use these first few paragraphs to talk about what’s happening in my life, I can’t really share much at the moment. Most of my days are a combination of reflection, learning, doing deep work, exercising, and socializing. In other words, my life’s boring, but that’s by design and not by default. This doesn’t mean that my life is perfect, but I’ve been working toward specific goals and this meant that there’s not a lot I can share at the moment that I haven’t shared before. I fall into a routine that seems boring to an outsider, but I have a ton of fun engaging with it.
There’s room for improvement and I haven’t made progress when it comes to specific goals. I have trouble engaging with hobbies that used to be fun for much, such as playing games or watching anime. While I read dense and complex books regularly, I don’t have fun reading fiction books. I keep telling myself I want to learn a new language, but I haven’t found the best way to study Japanese.
While it would be easy to focus on the things I’m not making progress on, the reality is that there are other areas of my life where I’ve made a ton of progress. Ever since I got a Kindle more than two years ago, I’ve been reading on a daily basis. The first thing I do after waking up is meditating for ten minutes. I’ve been investing money for months now. Again, my life is far from perfect, but taking small steps does in fact lead to big results.
What I’m Working on
Ever since I started exercising at home, I’ve been meaning to get a yoga mat. As simple as it sounds, I think getting one might be one of the best purchases I have made this year. If this newsletter traveled through time and made its way to my fifteen-year-old self, he wouldn’t believe that he’d be excited about a yoga mat. What can I say, I’m a simple man.
What I’m Listening to
The Joe Rogan Experience #1769 – Jordan Peterson: I read Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life not that long ago (you can read my summary of the book here). Although I liked the book, it didn’t leave an impression. If there’s something I liked about 12 Rules for Life though is how articulate and eloquent the author is. So I looked up a bunch of Jordan Peterson podcast episodes and videos to get familiarized with some of his ideas.
What I’m Reading
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene: Last week, I started reading The Laws of Human Nature and I’m still making my way through this book. Although I’m reading the concise version, the book packs a lot of information. Since I’m trying to condense that in the form of a summary that makes sense, I haven’t finished the book yet.
What I’m Watching
10 Stoic Tips for Raising Great Kids: One book I want to read at some point is The Daily Dad. This is a journal-style book that has 366 reflections on being a great parent and it follows the same structure as The Daily Stoic. As a way of combining lessons from both books, Ryan Holiday shared a video with ten of the best Stoic tips for raising kids.
This Week’s Quote
The person you have to spend the most time listening to in your life is yourself. Try not to lose their respect.
Mark Manson
Here’s a link to my personal website where I share chapter-by-chapter summaries of non-fiction books.
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