Hi friend,
Yes, I did go viral again on LinkedIn this week with a million something views.
But this post isn’t about that because while I’m grateful for it, it no longer defines or validates me. It’s a number, and being attached to numbers is never a good idea.
I’m writing this on Saturday morning after I finished the last call with my Summit 21 people.
In fact, I even woke up to someone enrolling in Summit 21 even though I haven’t started marketing it as it’s way ahead in June yet we only have 12 spots left. I’m overwhelmed and grateful.
Today, I’m going to talk about something else.
Temptation.
That’s always the easier path.
It’s always right there, in front of you. Waiting for you to touch it.
It happens when you choose Netflix instead of getting work done.
It happens when you choose to stay in the comfortable tasks of your job instead of learning the uncomfortable.
It happens when you choose to skip the gym, again.
I know it sounds harsh, but I think this is the root cause of disruption.
Think of me, I’m self-employed. This essentially means I can waste away my afternoon watching Netflix instead of doing anything else. And I have so many times. Especially while starting off.
But slowly, I tried to become more mindful about how I spend my time.
And I’m still not an expert at it, but I’m getting better.
How to save yourself
By getting closer to your inner truth.
The truth is, there’s no universal truth.
You’re not meant to do things just because it’s expected out of you. We praise rags-to-riches stories and success stories where people take an offbeat path in life, yet nobody encourages you to do so.
Find what means a lot for YOU, and stay aligned with them.
Why do you need to
2 years ago this time, I was an influencer on Instagram.
That meant a lot of time gone in making pictures pretty, and scrolling to look at others living their best life.
Didn’t feel happy today? Upload a picture and get likes for dopamine to be released.
As Naval Ravikant says,
“The modern devil is cheap dopamine.”
Right now, it’s easier than it’s EVER been in the history of mankind to succumb yourself to cheap dopamine because it’s never been this easy to access it.
The feel-good hormones that required actual work are now a few taps away.
If you want to live a life that’s worth living, step away from temptations.
How?
To step away, you have to recognise it.
To recognise it, you have to be aware.
To be aware, stop getting hyperstimulated.
Stop chasing to always seek something interesting. Instead, find joy in the daily boring. If happiness came from big events instead of the daily joys of life, it’d be so difficult to be happy.
Why do you want to make it so difficult for yourself?
Reflection for the week
Recognise your temptations.
Step away.
It won’t be easy. Sometimes, you’ll give in. And every time, it’ll be easier to succumb to it.
But slowly, choose to step away.
Because nothing great has even been accomplished by giving into petty temptations.
This newsletter content wasn’t planned. I think I’m overly caffeinated right now as I had to wake up early for the call. And coffee made me come up with this, LOL.
Also, here are a few articles I published this week:
I’d love to know how you handle temptations. Either now, or a week later once you’re done reflecting.
Let me know how it goes.
Until next week.
Love,
N
If you’re looking to side hustle, check out my free side hustlers checklist here.
To avoid temptation, I ask for God's help. I don't do the Lord's prayer much as I don't practice any religion but I pray. Also while praying, I think the situation through. I'm trying to lose weight so I walk by the ice cream at the market and I keep walking. I just know I can't have ice cream, sweet cereals, cookies, tortilla chips, etc. in the house. After I'm done shopping, I thank God I have bags of good food. I know God works for some people but not others.