Each and every Friday — I outline a few of the articles and/or books that I have read over the last week or two that are worth taking a look at.
The War of Art By Steven Pressfield
A succinct, engaging, and practical guide forsucceeding in any creative sphere, The War ofArt is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the soul.
What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do?
Why is there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the roadblocks of any creative endeavor—be it starting up a dreambusiness venture, writing a novel, or painting a masterpiece?
Bestselling novelist Steven Pressfield identifies the enemy thatevery one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer thisinternal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.
The War of Art emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectivelyshows how to reach the highest level of creative discipline.
Think of it as tough love . . . for yourself.
Go here to get a copy of this great book: https://a.co/d/ekv2BzC
5 Ways To Reduce Your Stress Levels
Stress is a part of life, and eliminating it is a fool’s errand. If you ever succeeded in eliminating all of stress, your life would be boring and you’d have removed yourself from anything meaningful.
That said … too much stress can be toxic. It can negatively affect our sleep, our health, our relationships, our happiness. If your stress levels are high on a regular basis, it’s like having a smoking habit — it will take its toll over time.
So how do we reduce stress levels to something manageable? I’m going to share some of the most important ways to shift stress in your life. They might not be new to you, but I strongly encourage you to view them as life-savers, and commit to putting them into practice.
- Relaxed State of Being: In each moment, we can be constricted and tight, or relaxed and open. Which are you right now? Can you breathe deeper and allow yourself to relax and open? This state of relaxed being is always available to us, but we have to recognize when we’re in a constricted state, and take responsibility for bringing ourselves to the open state. It’s a practice, and the more you consciously put yourself into this state, the easier it becomes. Can you walk around more of the day in openness and this relaxed state of being?
- Breathing Practice: When you’re stressed and feeling in a constricted state … take a moment to breathe deeper into your belly. When we’re constricted and stressed, our breathing is shallow (we’re in a fight-or-flight state). So breathing helps move your nervous system into a more relaxed state, as if you’re not in any danger (and you’re not, even if it feels like it a lot of the time). Practice this 5 times a day (or more) and you’ll see a huge difference in your stress levels.
Go here to finish reading: https://zenhabits.net/stressful/
Want A SOUND Mind?
If we don’t control our mind our mind will control us.
In an effort to become a healthier human that has more joy and peace I’ve done a lot of work to have a sound mind.
As I’ve discussed before… I’ve struggled a lot in the past with anxiety. And as far as I can tell so do the majority of people out there (especially entrepreneurs).
Note: I survey my clients and 100% state they have anxiety.
Peace trumps everything!
Below are some steps to consider in releasing anxiety.
Anxiety comes from the internal stories that are going on inside (mostly subconscious)… a thought that we don’t have clarity around.
Anxiety is an indicator something needs to be addressed.
The problem comes when we don’t get to the root of our anxious thoughts (cause it’s scary), suppress the feelings it produces and stay anxious.
Go here to finish reading: https://chrisaevans.beehiiv.com/p/want-sound-mind
12 Ideas You Can Steal to Make the Next 6 Months a Period of Enormous Growth
Transformation starts out as a spark.
New ideas are those creative sparks that can lead you where you want to go. Always be open to ideas and looking for new ones.
Here are a few kickass ideas to try (that I’ve spent 100+ hours sourcing):
Chase nostalgia
There are so many paths in life.
There are millions of different combinations of decisions you can make. That’s why I use nostalgia as a way to refine decisions. I ask myself, “Will this decision create nostalgia?”
It’s a great mental model.
The challenge is some of the best nostalgic moments can be unpredictable. Like how the most boring activities can lead to memories that last a lifetime.
So the point is to intentionally have experiences. And to say yes to random events with random people you might normally say no to.
When your life is almost over you won’t remember how much money you made or all the stupid job titles you held. You’ll remember nostalgia. Optimize for it.
Be unreasonable enough to ask for more than you deserve
This is a cheat code to the Matrix world we live in.
Learn to ask for stuff that’s not included because everything in life is negotiable and open to interpretation.
Go here to finish reading: https://medium.com/mind-cafe/12-ideas-you-can-steal-to-make-the-next-6-months-a-period-of-enormous-growth-18925c94bd0c
Hope you enjoy these articles and books. Have a great rest of your Friday an amazing weekend.