The AM5 - Nov 14, 2020
The happiness equation you've been sold is a lie. How to build your "perfect day."
Fellow human,
“I think the most common mistake for humanity is believing you're going to be made happy because of some external circumstance. I know that's not original. That's not new. It's fundamental Buddhist wisdom—I'm not taking credit for it. I think I really just recognize it on a fundamental level, including in myself.”
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness
This is why the work you do and how you spend your time matters so much.
The most successful people in the world have a purpose—and they have a boatload of money as a byproduct of their mission.
Their work brings them into the flow state, which is defined by being in the supreme now.
This is why the research around flow and happiness is so profound and intertwined.
Our suffering comes from our minds being hyperactive and focused on the past or future.
In a flow state, you are focused on the task at hand. This removes suffering.
I've long thought about having a lot of money. After getting some, I've shifted my focus away from getting more money and into how I want to spend my time.
I want each day to include the following:
Family
Work - purpose-driven work I enjoy that makes a difference
Reading - learning - thinking
Exercise
Sunlight
Real food (or fasting, no food)
A walk in nature
Enough sleep so that tomorrow I feel my best
Some relaxing time - entertainment/game
Some writing
Mastery - improving my skills related to my goals (podcasting, YouTube, writing, speaking)
Relationships - Investing time with people that matter to me
If I had a billion dollars tomorrow, I'd spend my time on the list above.
So why do I need to give up the next ten years of my life grinding away to eke out more dollars that will have mostly ZERO effect on the list above?
Yet this is most people do: they give up years of their life because they believe that more money, fame, or power will make them happy and bring them purpose.
It's amazing how little money you need to live an amazing life.
It’s also amazing how money doesn’t change you or the things you care about. Trust me, I’ve gotten some and while it’s nice, you quickly return to whatever your default state was before getting it.
The Internet has brought lifestyle design to the masses, yet few take advantage of it today and instead become debt slaves addicted to stuff that monopolizes their time and mental state.
I want people to free themselves from the prison they have created.
Small changes can have big impacts.
Maybe you stop eating out so much and instead use that money to pay off your high-interest credit cards.
Maybe you quit your job because it’s not with the mental and physical cost.
Maybe you don’t upgrade to the new iPhone since yours works just fine.
Maybe you stop scrolling mindlessly on social media and open the Kindle app and read some philosophy.
Maybe you take a walk instead of binge-watching another show.
Maybe you save more of your money instead of spending it.
Maybe you stop caring about what your friends or neighbors are doing.
-Colin Stuckert
Books
The Almank of Naval Ravikant - get the free PDF here. (I’m leaving this in every newsletter because it’s so important. Get this book and read it!)
50 Real Food Tips by Colin Stuckert - $2.99 limited time offer before it goes up to $9.99 - Simple strategies you can implement today to help you eat more Real Food.
Quote
To build a fulfilling life, remove the shallow, mundane, and toxic.
The news, social media and negative people are chipping away at your sanity, happiness, and focus.
You become what you consume. You are what you eat. You are your thoughts. You are the average of the people you spend your time with.
If you don't choose your environment, it will choose you.
Podcasts
YouTube
Interesting Reads
Wild Foods Product Feature
Just launched. Loving it. Bacopa, Lion’s mane, Ginkgo biloba, Lemon balm, Rhodiola, Rosemary, Saffron, and Black pepper extract
Favorite Supplier
Alderspring Ranch - Use Link here.
A regenerative, fully organic grass-fed beef operation run by a single family.
We’ve had Glen on the podcast here.
These are great people regenerating over 70 square miles and producing some of the world’s healthiest food. This is what a sustainable Earth-friendly food model looks like. We need to support producers like this as much as possible.