Dec 12, 2020 - Better Human
New Format - Results of our Austin Mastermind - I started using Roam
Fellow Human,
I have a new format this week that I’m really enjoying writing.
Hope you enjoy it…
-Colin
“Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own”
-Bruce Lee
Something I Improved This Week
I’ve been selling a bunch of stuff on eBay in an effort to simplify my life.
I’ve become obsessed with standardizing and simplifying my life. I want just enough and not an ounce more.
I’m working on applying this principle to all the stuff in my life—standardizing my pans, cooking knives, clothes, socks, shirts, plates, cups, etc.
I’ve done this with my sock drawer and it has been HUGE for my personal satisfaction and—kid you not—happiness. Every time I go to my sock drawer and see 40 pairs of ONE SOCK, I get a dopamine hit. It feels good. It feels like I have “solved” my sock “problem.”
I recently standardized my cooking knives and made $500 in the process selling extra knives I never use. I’m now doing this with my extra pots and pans.
On the selling side, I’m thoroughly amazed by how fast things sell.
I sold two cheap squat racks I had in 2019 that followed me to my new property in the country. Now that we have a legit Rogue Fitness squat rig, these old racks have been sitting in the corner of my gym collecting dust. So Allison listed those on Marketplace and they each sold in a couple of days for almost as much money as I spent on them! (I got $100 for each and I spent maybe $125-$150 respectively.)
Something I Enjoyed This Week
I was first introduced to this app by a friend that raved about it. But I wasn’t ready to take on a new app so I ignored it
But recently I’ve been thinking about how many books I’ve read over the years, most of which I can’t count, remember, or recall. I’ve been reading and writing for years and I should have a comprehensive knowledge archive to show for it.
But I don’t.
I’ve now committed to using Roam. What’s great about Roam is how it gets better within time as you make new connections. I think this is going to be the secret to getting me to stick to it whereas using other apps, like Notion, tends to fade over time.
It’s also AMAZING as a personal CRM, which is one of the use-cases I’m most excited about for building my network in Austin.
Here’s a good article by a friend that summarizes it: Roam Research: Why I Love It and How I Use It - Nat Eliason
Something I've Been Thinking About
Building Better Humans by getting good people together consistently
We did a mastermind at my buddy Logan Sneed’s place in Austin with 10 awesome humans.
We’ve done a few of these in the past in an unorganized way, but this was the first time I decided to structure it and turn it into a recurring thing. We now have a shared spreadsheet of everyone that came with all their details so everyone can connect online and all that. We will soon have a slack channel for the same reason.
How we did it?
To conserve time, we decided to do two volunteer hot seats and two Q/As.
The hot seat went like this: One person sits in the middle and gives the group ONE big problem or struggle they are facing. The group then asks questions and offers feedback, advice, and ideas. This lasts for about 20 mins. (A timer is a must.)
Next, we did the Q/A which was centered around asking one person questions related to their expertise. This gives the speaker an opportunity to sharpen his or her speaking skills in a low-pressure environment. This was fun and insightful for both sides.
We are now going to do these once a month. Who knows what other cool things we can do as we build the tribe.
What’s so amazing about this format is how simple, yet powerful, it is.
All you have to do is get a small group of growth-minded people into a room and give them an ounce of direction and you get magic. Literally.
I took the reins as the de facto “leader,” which means I coordinate the time, format, and constraints to ensure it runs smoothly and on-time.
I’m excited about the prospect of seeing what amazing things will come out of getting awesome humans together on a consistent basis.
I highly encourage you to start one of these in your area if it interests you in the least.
If there’s any advice I can offer, reply to this email or send me an email anytime: ismynamecolin@gmail.com
Something Worth Watching
Episode 51 - Scott Talks with Naval Ravikant, No Politics
I haven’t watched this yet, but anything by Naval immediately hits my Pending Read/Watch list.
Something Worth Knowing
First Principles
My personal goal in life is to adhere to first principles as much as possible.
Read this great intro to first principles by Farnam Street:
This approach was used by the philosopher Aristotle and is used now by Elon Musk and Charlie Munger. It allows them to cut through the fog of shoddy reasoning and inadequate analogies to see opportunities that others miss.
A Big Idea
Kaizen
A Japanese concept roughly translated to “continuous improvement.”
Think about compound growth a second which shows us that the big results in life come from sticking with something over the long run.
Mastery, investing, personal development, even relationships, come to their highest fruition and provide the greatest fruits over years.
If you make small improvements over time, they will compound to bring extraordinary results.
This concept is so powerful that Einstein said:
“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”
How to implement: Focus on small improvements and ruthlessly attack the basics rather than getting dragged into complexity and distraction.
Podcasts
We are sterilizing our culture... Who else did that? (take a guess)
Vegan to Carnivore! Interview with Bella, the Steak and Butter Gal
YouTube
Product Feature
I’m taking 2-4 of these a day and they are DEFINITELY helping me with allergy season.
Resouces
Free Skillshare Course 100 slots available: 📷 How To Start a YouTube Channel With Your Phone... Today... Now... And Why You Should!
The app I use to buy gold and silver bullion and keep it stored in vaults outside of the US: One Gold
Crowd Cow: One of my monthly beef suppliers - $25 off using this link
My new book is only $2.99 in the Kindle shop: 50 Tips For Real Food
Free Skillshare Course 50 links available: 🧠 The Productive Mind: How To Think About And Build Your Productivity Routine LINK
Who am I again? I’m a CEO - Entrepreneur - Father - Podcaster - Thinker - YouTuber - Writer - Obsessed with building better humans. Bio page
Thank you for reading… it means a lot to me…
If you enjoyed this issue, would you mind sharing it with someone you think will enjoy it as well? <3