Hi friends,
I’m having such a lovely week.
After Summit 21 ended, I feel so relaxed and at ease.
I feel the previous two were too back-to-back and had me super busy. Luckily, the next one is way ahead in June and is 1/3rd booked already so I’m not too worried.
That being said, I’m still a work-in-progress to rest more and work less. The thing about doing your own thing is, there’s just so much you can do that there’s FOMO in not doing so.
When I worked at my corporate job, it was easy to only what was assigned to me. Now, I know doing xyz will get in reward, so it’s compelling to do so.
It’s unhealthy, but it’s MUCH better than how it was a month or 6 months ago. Back then, it was anxiety-ridden. But that’s how we learn, right?
I like to keep it real in this newsletter so you know all that shines isn’t gold. :)
Today, I will share with you my best tweets but I’ll also share an article I urge you wholeheartedly to read.
It CAN and WILL help you a lot if implemented.
If you’ve read it this far, reply back with what are the three things you’re grateful for today.
Most Loved Tweets
Is there something you resonate with the most?
I’d love to know why.
Studying These 4 Concepts May Improve Your Quality of Life
(5min long read)
You have more control over your life than you think.
I won’t fluff you with self-help but will run you over four scientific concepts that can completely change your life if you study them and implement them.
Knowing things is never enough, doing is.
If it wasn’t for these four, I wouldn’t have side hustled let alone the power of side hustling letting me quit my job and now build a business.
That doesn’t need to be your intention, it’s just my story.
I wish more people knew about these concepts simply because of how much they can change your life and make you happier. They can make you wholesome and content.
1. Negative Belief Systems
As a kid, I was really low on self-esteem. I had these bunch of things I believed and they set the tone for my character. For instance,
I have to struggle for a decade to earn better
I’m incapable of doing better things
My boss dislikes me
My body stays fat no matter what
I can’t believe I considered this so ‘normal’, because reading it now feels so harsh.
What are they?
Negative belief systems are subconscious beliefs you hold about yourself and your life. This can be in the way of self-talk or assuming what you think to be true.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.” — Henry Ford
Why should you learn it?
I wouldn’t have earned 145% over my corporate job income last year if I stuck to belief #1.
If you think you can’t do something, and you believe in it with your whole heart, you won’t be able to.
Our childhood experiences root deep inside us and control our beliefs that control our lives.
Want to change your life? Dive deep into the subconscious.
2. Abundance Mindset
Let’s talk about two people, Ana and Andy. They both have the same amount of money as they say this:
Ana: “I’m so happy I have enough money to afford that.”
Andy: “This is so expensive. I’m always broke!”
They also have the same jobs.
Ana: “Let me help that person so we can both excel at this.”
Andy: “I can’t help others, I need to win this.”
Who do you think will be more successful in the future?
I didn’t say it; you did. But, who do you resonate with more?
Be honest.
2 years ago, I was Andy.
For me, my environment played a factor too. Being from the world’s second most populated country, there is always competition for everything. Don’t help others, study too hard, fight for a seat in college or at a job.
The internet taught me how to win, and how true winning is lifting others and how true wealth is time and not money.
What is it?
An abundance mindset is a perspective lens that teaches you that there’s truly enough for everybody. Operating from a mindset of abundance makes you more optimistic as well.
Why should you learn it?
Because trying to pull others down or put yourself down won’t help you.
When you mould your mindset in a way that there’s an abundance of opportunities and wealth, you behave in that way too. It helps you become kinder to others as you’re not always comparing your life to others and feeling inadequate.
Mindset, a book by Dr. Carol Dwek, has many studies that prove how an abundance mindset creates winners.
“It’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.”― Carol S. Dweck
3. Deep Work
This is also the title of a book by Cal Newport, that changed my internet consumption forever.
“Two Core Abilities for Thriving in the New Economy 1. The ability to quickly master hard things. 2. The ability to produce at an elite level, in terms of both quality and speed.” ― Cal Newport
It encouraged me to delete my Instagram account with over 11500 followers, become mindful of my digital footprint, and what I consume.
But overall, deep work is about hyperfocus to be more productive and do better work.
I have been working for 3–5 hours a day since I became self-employed. During this time, my phone is away from me with my notifications silenced and I focus only on the task.
It’s helped me create some kick-ass content and be away from constant dopamine hits.
What is it?
Shallow work is multi-tasking, when you’re trying to finish everything. Deep work is when you’re away from distractions and hyper-focused to finish one task at a time.
Plus, lead life with fewer dopamine hits from notifications.
As Naval Ravikant says,
‘The modern devil is cheap dopamine.”
Why should you learn it?
Practising deep work helped me:
Consume less meaningless content. Feed yourself good stuff to think and pump out great stuff.
Decrease digital stimulation, which led me to spend a lot of time with myself and become more self-aware.
Go all into work and finish it in brief bouts of time instead of spending all day working and procrastinating.
4. Flow
My friend Jessie and I hosted a Twitter Space with writer Tim Denning last week. He spoke about how flow states have helped him get closer to his purpose and achieve great things.
When we asked him what it meant for him to be in a flow state, he said it’s when 5 hours feel like 5 minutes.
Funnily, that's how I feel while writing too, which is why I’m able to practise deep work as opposed to my corporate job where I’d waste time scrolling.
Psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura wrote a book on this called Flow. As found on the Headspace blog,
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… the best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
What is it?
Think of the time as a kid how playtime flew by but study time never seemed to finish.
Csikszentmihalyi and Nakamura explain,
“There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback,” Csikszentmihalyi said in a 2004 TED Talk.
Why should you learn it?
According to Forbes, flow states help you:
Deepen your concentration
Pursue meaningful work
Find it as a happy place to work
Since work makes such a big part of your life, don’t flow states make work so much better?
______
You don’t have to binge on these concepts altogether and try to implement them. Life is a marathon and not a sprint, after all.
Read, absorb, and execute.
Sure, they changed my life. But science says that can change anybody who executes them. So, are you willing to take a step ahead towards living a better life?
I’ll see you next week.
Love,
N
This is so beautiful ❤️
Thanks N! Three things I’m grateful for today, in no particular order:
1. Reading this in the new Substack app!! I think it’s a game-changer
2. My daughter
3. The birds singing again (spring is near!)