Untethered Man, rainy Wednesday morning in Sofia, Bulgaria drinking flat white, 3-min read.
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Life improvement and ‘weird hacks‘ don’t often go together.
But I wanted to grab your attention.
And it’s working, young apprentice!
But small things really can go a long way, shall we say.
Here’s what I mean:
Imagine your life was a dream.
The weird thing is that it actually is a dream, according to science.
We think our minds work like cameras, taking in our surroundings and dealing with the pains and stresses that life throws us.
But this isn’t how it works. Our minds are more like projectors. We project our reality from our mind, through our thoughts on the cinema screen of awareness.
Knowing this, we realise we create everything. Just like a dream.
Now, where was that need to take everything so seriously?
Instead of opening up new avenues, make the current ones funner.
A trap I’d often fall into was this:
”I’m not loving this new project. I’ll drop this and start a new one, because that shiny shit over there is juicy and novel and interesting! Yes, that’s more me!'“
But what happens? I just end up with nine different unfinished projects and no success.
How to succeed? Make the most of your current avenues. Do this by infusing fun into what you already have. Do more with less through enjoyment. Enjoyment is a choice.
Trying less leads to more success.
Note, there’s a difference between ‘trying‘ and accumulated effort. I am a big proponent of accumulated effort.
The more you do, the more feedback you will get, and the more success you will see.
Do more. Be prolific. Work hard. Learn to love the hustle, yes.
But stop trying. Most of us are scared of uncertainty.
As such, we overcompensate by overthinking as we take action. We think we need to have the ‘right mindset‘ to succeed, for example. But this just weighs us down.
I once shared this idea on Twitter, and Andrew Tate took it the wrong way, failing to see the nuance and thinking I’d given up on life. Rather ironic, given I agree with a lot of what he has to say.
No, very much the opposite happens when you stop ‘trying:’
You turn into a productivity maniac.
You become more confident.
You get into flow.
Stop trying, let go of the need to know it all, or do anything in particular, lean in, and just DO.
Relax into your ‘not knowing.‘
Your inner guidance system has your back.
Develop ninja mastery at not giving a f*ck when you’re alone.
Being calm and collected in public is one thing. But how about staying calm in the theatre of your mind when you’re alone. It’s easy to let the mind wander when no one is watching.
It’s easy to grumble and complain to yourself quietly.
But it’s these moments that train your mind to be okay with complaining. That invites more misfortune.
If you can give fewer f*cks when you’re alone, you will give far fewer f*cks when you’re around others.
Slow down your physical movements.
Most of us rush around like clothed chimps on crack, then wonder why life is going so fast, and we’re always stressed.
News flash, dick face: you’re making it harder for yourself because you’re trying to get through it faster. You talk faster, move twitchy, run through your projects - heck, even breathe faster.
Speedy movements even decrease your perceived status - both to others and to yourself.
Be the lion. Assume the crown.
Slow down. Drop your shoulders. Slow your breathing.
Now things become easy because life isn’t moving at you at 100mph. You have time. to. process.
That is an unfair advantage barely anyone in this caffeine-addled world gets.
See you on the other side.
Alex
P.S. if you enjoyed this, make sure you join over 50 Untethered Man members who get access to special bonuses, a free book on mental resilience, and locked posts:
Love the bit about life being a dream, I'm definitely going to explore the science behind that one!
On the days that I remember to slow down, I feel much calmer. And get more done, just calmly going from one task to another. It's quite relaxing.
Love your graphics!