Life Tips

This was a great video I found with a lot of valuable advice. Some great talking points:

Health

- Health isn't optional.

- In your 20s, you can get away with a lot, but in your 30s, habits compound.

- Lose 3-8% of muscle every decade after 30, accelerating after 60.

- Lifting weights is an investment, especially after 60, 70, 80, to stay functional.

Nutrition

- "You are what you eat."

- Food is an investment in energy, mood, and health.

- Nutrients contribute to positive or negative mental health.

Meal Timing

- Create the best meal schedule for you, called circadian nutrition.

- Eat your final meal 3-5 hours before bed for digestion and sleep quality.

- Eat your first meal 1-2 hours upon waking to regulate appetite, hunger, and circadian rhythms.

- After 7 days, your body will adapt to eating times.

Sleep

- "Sleep is the best performance-enhancing drug on the planet, and it's completely free."

- Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every night with similar sleep/wake times.

- Fix your environment to enhance sleep quality.

- Fixing sleep habits fixes a lot of problems in life.

Appearance

- Care about your appearance.

- Starts with taking care of your body: food, lifting, exercise, movement, sleep.

- Then focus on haircut and clothes.

- Caring about appearance leads to better treatment from others.

Technology

- Embrace new technology.

- In speaker's 30s it was the internet, now it's AI.

- Using new technology puts you ahead.

Desexualize Your Brain

- Desexualize your brain as soon as possible.

- Quit watching porn and avoid Instagram "thot" accounts.

- Divert that energy into self-development.

Walking

- Walking is one of the best habits.

- Walk when stressed, angry, or needing creativity/clarity.

- Walking is the most underrated exercise.

- It helps burn calories, is accessible/sustainable, improves brain function, and reduces stress.

Money

- "Money is a great slave but a horrible master."

- Use money to buy freedom, not status.

- Clear consumer debt and invest in assets and yourself.

- Don't buy things to elevate status.

Stop Asking

- Stop asking.

Stop Thinking It's Too Late

- At 24, the speaker considered fitness coaching but thought it was too late to switch careers.

- At 30, the speaker considered starting a business but thought it was too late.

- At 30, you're not late, you're early and have enough wisdom and time to build.

If You Are Easily Offended, You Are Easily Manipulated

- Stop taking things personally.

- Adopt the mental frame of API (Always Assume Positive Intent).

- Life is too short to give mental energy to perceived insults.

Control Your Perception

- Your biggest mental superpower is the ability to control your perception.

- Reality is not reality; your perception is your reality.

- Perception is trained through the people you hang around and your environment.

- You can choose the perception that empowers you most.

Change Your Reality

- Change your reality by starting with how you think.

- Thoughts create beliefs, which lead to actions, which become your reality.

- Change your thoughts, which takes effort, but is possible.

Reframe "Failure" as Iteration

- Stop framing things that didn't work out as a failure, frame them as an iteration.

- "Your rate of iteration is equal to your rate of success."

- To succeed faster, do more experiments and iterate faster.

Judge People by Their Actions

- Never judge a person based on what they say; judge them based on what they do.

- Behavior is the most accurate way of assessing character.

Learn From People You Disagree With

- Learn from people you disagree with instead of protecting your ego.

- Disagreement on one point doesn't reflect their entire personality.

Forgive the Four People in Your Life (Alan Watts)

- Your parents: Resenting them is like "taking a poison pill and expecting them to get hurt."

- People you once loved who didn't stay: Learn and move on.

- People who wronged you.

- Yourself: Forgiveness releases resentment and frees up energy.

Point 20

- If you want better results, assess the people you surround yourself with.

- If they don't match the reality you want to build, find a better group.

Point 21

- You become smarter by being the dumbest person in the room.

- You become fitter by being the least fit person in the gym.

- Level up by osmosis by being around people who are levels ahead of you.

Point 22

- A great life is based on things that money can't buy: doing a job you love, being healthy, having a great family and relationships.

- Don't overindex on external measures of success, but on things that create a fulfilling life.

Point 23

- A great life comes from focusing on the right constraints.

- Two constraints to focus on:

  - Bottleneck: fix what holds you back from achieving what you want.

  - Place constraints that uphold your values.

- Success is less about addition and more about subtraction.

Point 24

- Use the three levels of learning:

  - Consumption: shallowest level.

  - Application: turns knowledge into experience.

  - Teaching: turns experience into wisdom.

Point 25

- Your emotions are your responsibility.

- Learn a system to manage emotions instead of blaming them on others.

Point 26

- Take ownership of every result in your life.

- Avoid victimhood mentality.

- It may not be your fault, but it's always your responsibility.

- Blaming others gives them power and you lose agency.

Point 27

- Be a goal-driven individual.

- Your mind is a goal-seeking machine.

- If you don't give it a goal, one will be given to you.

- Paul Czech said people are more likely to achieve their goals if they write them down.

Goal Setting System

- Refined process to turn big goals into realistic steps.

- Start with a three-year vision, referencing "Vivid Vision" by Cameron Herald.

- Break down the three-year vision into a one-year goal, then into quarterly projects, monthly tasks, and weekly tasks.

- Schedule tasks in calendar and complete at least three tasks daily.

Paradox of Goal Setting

- Setting a goal creates a destination, like setting a GPS.

- After setting the goal, focus on the process and find ways to enjoy it.

- Happiness comes from the striving and the work, not just attaining the goal.

  - Quotes Russ: "I enjoy the climb. I don't care where the summit is."

- Focus on each step to make the journey more fun and play an infinite game.

Achieving Goals

- Achieving a goal is about becoming the person who attracts the goal.

- Goals change you, requiring new behaviors and ways of thinking.

- Focus on behaviors needed to attain the goal and repeat them until they become part of you.

The Shortcut

- "The shortcut is the long path. The long path is the shortcut."

- Chasing shortcuts removes the skills needed to maintain the result.

- Choose the long path to acquire the skills needed.

Important Decisions

- The three most important decisions: what you do, who you do it with, and where you live.

- These decisions determine where you spend most of your time, so make them wisely.

Formula for Success

- Step one: Show up, even when not motivated.

- Step two: Do the work, focusing on deep work by removing distractions.

- Step three: Look for ways to improve, adopting a mindset of constant and neverending improvement (canai).

Final Thought

- People overestimate what they can do in 6 weeks but underestimate what they can do in a year.

- Adopt a long-term mindset.