š” Writing | Wealth-Creation | Consistency | Kindness | Substack | Exercising...
Hey ;) How are you doing today?
Iām trying a new newsletter format where I introduce articles/videos/podcasts/tweets that I found interesting in 4 areas - Mind, Money, Relationships and Health.
This framework is based on a slightly modified version of what Naval Ravikant said about how all of our problems can be classified into four categories - happiness/peace of mind, money, relationships and physical health.
So let me know if you like it or not! You can hit the reply button, or send me a DM on Twitter :)
Mind
1. The Resonance of Writing by Salman Ansari [#Article]
A fantastic short essay on finding life-changing books. Salman says one of the most important factors in what makes a book resonates is timing.
āThe right book for the right person is not enough. It needs to be the right book, for the right person at the right time.ā ā Johny Uzan
2. The Benefits of Learning by Making Things by David Perell [#Tweet]
People over-estimate the benefits of learning by consuming things.
People under-estimate the benefits of learning by making things.
I find this very true. Iāve learned so much more by making things (e.g. writing, making videos) than consuming things (e.g. reading articles, listening to podcast).
If you want to learn faster, create your own content!
3. What Is Eudaimonia? by Neel Burton [#Article]
I came across the concept of Eudaimonia when I was learning Stoicism, and itās one of my favourite concepts.
[Eudaimonia]ā¦ is a much deeper, fuller, and richer concept than happiness, sometimes articulated in terms of flourishing or living a life that is worthwhile or fulfilling.
if we develop our thinking skills, if we guard against lies and self-deception, if we train and master our emotions, we will, over the years, make better and better choices, do more and more meaningful things, and derive ever-increasing satisfaction from all that we have become and all that we have done, and are yet able to do.
4. How David Perell improves his writing [#Tweet]
Writing is something Iād like to improve more. Perhaps I should hire a writing coach too?
Treat your craft like an athlete treats their sport.
Hereās how I improve my writing:
ā Work with a writing coach ~3x per month.
ā Read many books and very few articles.
ā Write for 90 minutes per day.
ā Mirror my favorite writers.
ā An editor reviews everything I publish.
5. How Consistency Can Drive Creative Output by Khe Hy [#Article]
Last week, I published a video about how to be consistent. And this article was one of my inspirations when making the video.
Khe talks about his motto ācompound small wins over the long-termā, which I love!
Weāve all felt the pull to be consistently heroic. The āsilver bulletā workout that will magically your fitness goals appear. The āsuper-habitā that will quell your anxiety. The ānext projectā that will deliver product-market fit to your startup.
Not only is this approach unsustainable, Stulberg adds that it ātakes a huge toll emotionally, physically, and cognitively.ā But what about the opposite, being heroic at consistency? This activates compounding, and over time āgood enough over and over again makes you great.ā
Money
1. 5-Step Recipes for Social Media Success by Matthew Kobach [#Tweet]
5-step recipe for social media success:
1) Define your niche
2) Rarely deviate from your niche
3) Consistently post about your niche
4) Make your content easy to consume
5) Your audience tells you what they want to see, not the other way around
I donāt agree with 2) rarely deviate from your niche. I think you shouldnāt be afraid to explore other areas and make content about them.
2. How to Finish Your Side Projects by Hugo Zapata [#Article]
Side projects (e.g. blog, Youtube, making an app) are important. Hugo shares his approach to tackle his side projects.
ā¦ thereās some actions and adjustments to your process that will increase the chance of winning the battle (shipping).
1. Preparing your environment (painless context switch)
2. Work in Small steps
3. Mental warm-up before each session.
4. Anticipate and expect interruptions.
5. Changing your physical location.
6. Writing down the ideas on your mind at the end of the session.
3. Importance of Twitter Profile Picture by Naval Ravikant [#Tweet]
āThe profile picture is the logo for your Twitter brand. Pick a unique picture thatās recognizable from a distance, and donāt change it. Itāll stand out in a pile of mentions and allow busy accounts to notice and remember you.ā - Naval Ravikant
4. Moving from Medium to Substack by Mat Sherman [#Tweet]
In this twitter thread, Mat shares the reasons why he deleted his Medium account and moved to Substack. I found it interesting because I was just considering the same move.
I deleted my @Medium account and have moved 100% of my old posts @SubstackInc, and all new posts will be hosted there as well. This was not an easy decision, as I have been writing on Medium since 2015 and had a presence + consistent traffic there. Hereās why I did it:
5. The ladders of wealth creation: a step-by-step roadmap to building wealth by Nathan Barry [#Article]
This essay is one of my all-time favourites!!
Nathan talks about a model he uses to think about wealth-creation. Itās a quite long essay, but worth reading multiple times!
We could outline the progression to mastering a musical instrument, so we should also be able to do the same with earning a living.
What lessons do you need to learn to go from odd jobs around the neighborhood to owning a real estate empire? From working as a freelancer to selling your own digital products? What about from working at Wendyās to owning a SaaS company earning over $1 million per month? That last one is my own path.
Thereās a reliable progression that anyone can take to earn more and build wealth. In fact, I like to think of it as a series of ladders side by side. Each one can climb to different heights in both the quality of business and potential earnings.
Relationships
1. Kindness Matters by Christine Porath [#Article]
Lots of crazy things are happening around the world. That also means kindness matters more than ever!
This article shows what you can do daily to show your kindness ;)
A seemingly small act of kindness ripples across communities, affecting people in our network with whom we may or may not interact directly.
A pat on the back, a fist bump, or a high five matters. It might just help you and your team win too.
Make the effort to acknowledge someone, say hello, high five them, or provide a caring gesture.
On World Kindness Day, what can you do to lift someone up? Take a moment to commit to an actāor two. You have no idea how much it might affect someone.
2. How to Disagree by Paul Graham [#Article]
I think how to disagree well is a skill that everyone should learn. This article was published in 2008, but seems increasingly relevant now.
ā¦though itās not anger thatās driving the increase in disagreement, thereās a danger that the increase in disagreement will make people angrier. Particularly online, where itās easy to say things youād never say face to face.
If weāre all going to be disagreeing more, we should be careful to do it well.
Health
1. Levels Health -A Truly Personalised Health and Wellness System [#App]
I found this health programme that lets you analyse your metabolic data in real-time. Iād love to try it, but seems only available in the US. Bummer!
2. How we got it wrong: Saturated fat and heart disease by Nonie De Long [#Article]
Not all types of fat are bad!
Recently, my doctor told me I had high cholesterol, hence I should avoid high fat food. But, this is one of the common myths about fat.
āThe fatās going down, the sugarās going up and weāre all getting sickā¦. Everyone thinks that the bad effects of sugar are because sugar has empty calories. What Iām saying is no, actually, there are lots of things that do have empty calories that are not necessarily poisonous.ā
3. How Exercise Shapes You, Far Beyond the Gym by Brad Stulberg [#Article]
Iām a fan of Brad Stulberg - the author of Peak Performance. In this article, he argues exercising regularly doesnāt only make you healthier, but also helps you learn how to embrace uncomfortable situations, which he says is a critical skills.
While the traditional benefits of vigorous exercise ā like prevention and treatment of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and osteoporosis ā are well known and often reported, the most powerful benefit might be the lesson that my coach imparted to me:
In a world where comfort is king, arduous physical activity provides a rare opportunity to practice suffering.
This week's video - Airr: my favourite podcast app
Airr - Best Podcast App | Highlight and Take Notes from Podcasts
Mind Garden
Also, check out my mind garden where I keep my notes on books, articles, videos and podcasts I consumed :)
I havenāt migrated all of my notes yet, but Iām adding new notes every day.
Also it helps me so much to create more content!
Link: https://gum.co/nTIej
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Iāll be very grateful ;)
Thank you!
Shu
My 4 months old doggo :)