Default life plan, thinking big and making mini documentaries 🚁
Question the Default Life Plan
Edition #038
Hey, happy Sunday!
Don't you find societal norms kinda weird?
Every day is shaped by these unwritten rules, beliefs and behaviours that are considered 'acceptable' in society.
We're conditioned to believe that if you don't work 40+ hour weeks you must be lazy.
Or that your net worth is tied to your self worth.
Every society has a default life plan, the stereotypical life that people 'should' aspire to live.
And, that default life plan is the root cause of many wasted lives. It's what stops people from pursuing their dreams in favour of money and status.
It keeps us from taking risks in favour of playing it safe.
Unfortunately the default life plan is difficult to shake.
I find it useful to regularly ask myself why I'm doing a certain thing, is it because it helps me get where I want to go or is it because it's the societal norm?
Here are this weeks four finds:
I.
On subconscious sabotage
(Article)
📝 The idea of your friends and family subconsciously sabotaging you sounds a little bit like a conspiracy theory. But there's actually a strong argument here.
This post talks about how most advice giving is really just people justifying their own beliefs.
For example if you asked someone who invested heavily in Bitcoin if it's a good investment, the answer will be yes, because they are justifying their own decisions.
The post then leads onto the worst piece of career advice you will get from people “You have to “put in your time” before you get to have a fun life.”
II.
On the magic of thinking big
(Book)
📈 I'm really enjoying this book from David J. Schwartz. The idea behind it is to look beyond the mundane and focus on adopting a mindset that will allow you to do bigger things.
This is one of those books that is really on being a better person, and I feel everyone would benefit from reading it.
"Action cures fear. Indecision, postponement, on the other hand, fertilize fear"
III.
On why writing is thinking
(Research)
🧠 These studies on how writing can improve your mental health are fascinating. One study suggests that bottling up emotions can lead to psychological distress.
Using writing as a tool to reflect and explore your thoughts, ideas and experiences could lead to a whole host of benefits like increased confidence, self awareness and better decision making.
From my experience, consistently writing has been one of the best changes I've made in my life over the last couple of years.
IV.
On making your own documentary series
(Video)
🚁 I've recently been enjoying this mini documentary-type series from Becki and Chris on Youtube.
The series is so well shot and documents their helicopter trip back to the remote island of Newfoundland where they grew up.
What I love about this series is how it feels like a Netflix quality show produced entirely by two people documenting something that's important to them.
One interesting quote
"What the smartest people do on the weekend is what everyone else will do during the week in ten years." - Chris Dixon
End note
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Have a great week!
- Stephen