Non-Negotiables: Unlocking Progress

I'm always fascinated by the latest conversations, in any space, but having spent the majority of my professional career in wellness, this newfound obsession with healthspan, longevity and biohacking is rather intriguing.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that health and vitality didn't play an imperative role in the past.. it just wasn't as ubiquitous as it is now - or maybe it's merely my present relation to the space. Anywho, what I've observed are countless biohackers simply trading one addiction for another.. rather than optimizing towards a natural state.

*Insert wellness 'girly' claiming she's "vegan for health reasons" only to rip lines on the weekend.*

Our bodies know how to thrive, and if an optimal state is created, they will. Our stressors (mental and environment) remove us from such... and then abstract remedies are 'bandaided' as superficial ways to treat underlying issues.

Too much of anything becomes a negative.. the latest in wellness science included.

I.e. My previous belief was that I 'needed to earn the right to rest' which lead to injury and unaligned burnout. The belief adopted from Lachie Stuart is that I 'need to earn the right to work hard,' presupposing rest as the priority.  

Great in theory.. yet my Striving vs. Grace debacle persists.

“Every life form seems to strive to its maximum except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all or you can choose to be less. Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do?”

– Jim Rohn

What I've found has less to do with said dichotomy, and more to do with personal non-negotiables.. a list of values that lead to performance, productivity and progress - a recipe for outworking boredom and self-doubt. 

Sahil Bloom has a great quote, too. "There's no such thing as a loser who wakes up at 5a and goes to the gym."

This has less to do with the '5a Gym Bro' mentality, and more to do with the fact it's practically impossible to feel shitty about yourself if you do the verb instead of trying to be the noun. Which is my first non-negotiable.

There is something that happens psychologically when I'm up and at 'em before the sun. Call it ego, or what not, but it works for me as there is a noticeable difference in my mood, productivity and overall wellbeing on days that I don't.

What I'm really striving for is a sense of progress, as I believe we all are.

Take this non-negotiable for example... to earn this right, I must be asleep by 10p at the latest otherwise these early morning are unsustainable – which opposes my second non-negotiable, sustainable consistency.

It's a reverse-engineered approach, and is how I'm thinking about cultivating momentum.

Everything that you say 'yes' to means you're saying 'no' to something else... seeing as the outcome of my life is the result of a long series of trade-offs, this ups the ante. Now the tradeoff is not me vs. the moment, but me vs. who I'm capable of becoming... and if the goal is rooted in purpose the answer is quite simple.

Similar to training for a race, you prepare so that come race day, the 'hay is in the barn.'
I promise you.. if you consciously train for life, everything changes.

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Inputs Only Podcast:

Ben Lakoff is a an investor, entrepreneur and crypto fund manager... once upon a time, the fittest man in Thailand.

In this episode, expect to learn strategic steps to take when fund raising, how to build genuine relationships with investors, why the financial industry will soon be entirely on the blockchain and more. Including my favorite, how being a digital nomad inspired Ben to look at DeFi differently.

How To Raise Money In Any Market - Ben Lakoff | E17

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Quote On My Mind:

“The real value in setting goals is not in their achievement. The acquisition of the things you want is strictly secondary. The major reason for setting goals is to compel you to become the person it takes to achieve them.”

- Shane Parrish 

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In Case You Missed It:

In last weeks edition, I wrote about — A Kind Gesture That Sabotages Relationships

Control is a topic that has been at the forefront of my mind recently.
Resurfacing after stumbling upon a podcast with Shane Parrish and Brent Beshore.

What I discovered was unexpected... and made me question why I do this.