Weekly Wisdom for Self Growth — 6/28/20–7/4/20

Hey everyone,

This is my top 5 weekly nuggets of wisdom I learned throughout the week. There were many to choose from but I think these have the potential to affect the most lives in a positive way.

This is something I want to start doing every week, so please hold me accountable.

1 — “What if…” — Ed Mylett

It’s a question I ask myself to shift my perspective and to help me stay locked into the present moment. Depending on what the task is, the question is “what if this was the last time?”.

So if the task was speaking with someone, my question would be “what if this was the last time I was speaking with this person?”. Once you start doing this you’ll realize you’ll be asking yourself a barrage of other questions such as “Would I act any different?”, “how would I act different?”, “am I really giving this person my full attention?”

It’s a simple question with a profound effect.

It’s a good reminder that our life can be taken from us at any moment, therefore it’d be arrogant to take things for granted.

Lock yourself in the present and embrace every moment that goes by. I think this is one of simple gems to a good life.

2 — Seekers, Assumptions, and Sailboats — Sadhguru

According to this legendary yogi and author, lots of people are being too quick to judge. They assume they know, which prevents them from learning and growing. People are choosing to believe in something first (and being fixed on it), instead of being a seeker first. And he gives a powerfully vivid analogy.

Choosing to believe first (judging, assuming, etc.) before being a seeker (person who is curious to learn and grow), is like tying your sailboat to the pier and then trying to row. With much effort, you’ll probably be able to move the sailboat a bit, but you won’t really go anywhere.

This is powerful on another level because as default, human beings are natural seekers. And like the sailboat, even if we don’t tie the boat to anything, the boat will end up moving on its own.

Therefore there are times when we need to simply accept what the universe is giving us and follow it’s guide, instead of fighting things that may be outside our control.

3 — Models of Reality and Systems for Living — Vishen Lakhiani

How we breakdown human behavior can be approached with an engineering mindset. Models of Reality is the hardware and Systems for Living is the software. Before I move on, it’s important to distinguish Absolute Truth and Relative Truth.

Absolute Truths are truths that are timeless. It’s universal. Gravity, emotions, the need for food and water, these are all things that are very real. It cannot be changed. Relative Truths are concepts that people create. It’s something people create, and is generally accepted by the vast majority. Such examples are the education system, religion, and other beliefs that fall on a wide spectrum.

With that in mind, Models of Reality are the relative truths. We can change them. We can change our belief system if it no longer benefits us. For example, believing that becoming a doctor or a lawyer is the only route to success, is a belief system. It can be helpful for some people, but can cause unnecessary stress for others.

The world is changing at such a rapid pace, and we must change our belief systems to fit the times.

Approaching this idea with an engineering mindset is fun because viewing certain belief systems can be like looking at an old 1984 Macintosh and realizing that you could definitely upgrade that to the newest MacBook.

Therefore, if we feel disempowered in anyway, we have the power to do something about it.

Systems for Living is the software. The actives and daily habits that align with your beliefs. For example, how you eat (based on your beliefs about nutrition), how you work (based on your beliefs about what kind of career and and work behaviors are acceptable), and how you deal with money (based on your beliefs about the ease of acquiring money or the guilt or honor of having lots of it).

They are the apps we can easily download and update, intended for specific purposes or to solve specific problems.

These are systems we’re running that help us manage our day to day lives, and it’s smart to frequently audit them to see if we’re up to date with the best systems that support our beliefs, and our lives.

4 — Asking the universe everyday — Hugh Jackman

This was an insight brought by a podcast with Tim Ferris and Hugh Jackman.

Hugh Jackman shared his belief on what allowed him to find his calling and to stay on the right track.

He said when he was younger and didn’t know what he was doing, he kept praying to God. He kept asking for help. To find the right path. And he believed that it was better to fail being on the right path than to succeed being on the wrong path.

I thought this was extremely powerful. And I also believe that the act of asking for help everyday, helped him really tune in with his intuition. It allowed the universe, God, or whatever you believe in to connect with Hugh Jackman in a way in which it allowed him to listen to his conscious, gut, instinct etc.

5 — Means Goal and Ends Goal — Vishen Lakhiani

We should be ignoring Means Goals and should be chasing Ends goals.

Means goals are the things society tells us we should be striving for to make us happy. While Ends goals are the beautiful, exciting rewards of being human on planet Earth.

Means goals usually have a “so” that can be attached to them. For example, having the goal of having a high GPA, “so” you can go into a good college.

Means goals also conform to the rules of society. For example, buying a house because that’s what society views as “success”

Ends goals on the other hand, is about following your heart / intuition. It’s something you enjoy doing for the act of doing itself, instead of a result. For example, creating art, sharing ideas, and experiencing memories, without the result of money or fame attached to it.

It’s easy to get lost with the two so it’s wise to periodically reflect on our goals and why we’re striving for them.

I hope you all enjoyed the nuggets as much as I did, and I hope these bits of wisdom propel you to more peace and joy in your lives.

Much Love

David