In the grand scheme of things, I have little to nothing figured out.
But just in case I’ve stumbled on something that could help you, here are a few ideas about living well, doing good, and making life better.
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Random Ideas About Life
25,000 Mornings: 8 Ways to Improve Your Morning Routine
You’ll wake up for about 25,000 mornings in your adult life, give or take a few.
According to a report from the World Health Organization, the average life expectancy in the United States is 79 years old. Most people in wealthy nations are hovering around the 80–year mark. Women in Japan are the highest, with an average life expectancy of 86 years.
If we use these average life expectancy numbers and assume that your adult life starts at 18 years old, then you’ve got about 68 years as an adult. (86 – 18 = 68) Perhaps a little less on average. A little more if you’re lucky.
(68 years as an adult) x (365 days each year) = 24,820 days.
25,000 mornings.
That’s what you get in your adult life. 25,000 times you get to open your eyes, face the day, and decide what to do next. I don’t know about you, but I’ve let a lot of those mornings slip by.
Once I realized this, I started thinking about how I could develop a better morning routine. I still have a lot to learn, but here are some strategies that you can use to get the most out of your 25,000 mornings.
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Make More Art: The Health Benefits of Creativity
In 2010, the American Journal of Public Health published a review titled, The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health. You can find it here.
In that article, researchers analyzed more than 100 studies about the impact of art on your health and your ability to heal yourself. The studies included everything from music and writing to dance and the visual arts.
As an example, here are the findings from five visual arts studies mentioned in that review (visual arts includes things like painting, drawing, photography, pottery, and textiles). Each study examined more than 30 patients who were battling chronic illness and cancer.
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What is Your “Average Speed” in Your Life, Your Health, and Your Work?
I have a friend named Nathan Barry who recently finished writing three books in just 9 months.
How did he do it?
By following a simple strategy. He wrote 1,000 words per day. (That’s about 2 to 3 pages.) And he did it every day for 253 straight days.
Now, compare that strategy to the classic image of a writer hiding out in a cabin for weeks and writing like a madman to finish their book.
The maniac in the cabin has a high “maximum speed” — maybe 20 or even 30 pages per day. But after a few weeks at that unsustainable pace, either the book is finished or the author is.
By comparison, Nathan’s maximum speed never reached the peak levels of the crazy writer in the cabin. However, over the course of a year or two his average speed was much higher.
This lesson extends far beyond writing.
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The Difference Between Being “Not Wrong” and Being Right
Most people are good at not failing.
They’re good at trying new things (when there is very little downside). They’re good at pushing themselves (when no one will see them fail). They’re good at taking a stand (when a thousand other people have already done so).
And to be fair, I’m just as guilty of these things as anyone else.
But a problem arises when it becomes more important to “not fail” in your daily life than it is to succeed. Every time you choose to avoid failure, you train yourself to not take risks. You train yourself to pass on potential opportunity in favor of playing it safe. You train yourself to use the fear of failure as a driver for decision–making.
If your tendency in any situation is to “not fail,” then you’ll find it hard to ever truly win because you’re teaching yourself that it’s better to make an easy choice that’s “not wrong” than a hard choice that’s right.
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It’s Not Your Job to Tell Yourself “No”
Have you ever told yourself no? I definitely have.
I’m talking about thoughts like…
“Why bother applying? I doubt that school would ever accept me.”
“This business idea isn’t going to work. I’m too old/too young/too inexperienced.”
“He’d never date me. I might as well move on.”
“My boss won’t promote me anyway. Why should I even ask?”
From what I can tell, we all doubt ourselves from time to time. The problem, of course, is that telling yourself no prevents you from getting started at all. When you decide not to act, you deny yourself opportunities.
Once I realized this, I started following a simple little rule that has helped me stick to things and persevere when I normally would have given up.
Here’s how it works and why you should use it…
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How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the “2-Minute Rule”
Recently, I’ve been following a simple rule that is helping me crush procrastination and making it easier for me to stick to good habits at the same time.
I want to share it with you today so that you can try it out and see how it works in your life.
The best part? It’s a simple strategy that couldn’t be easier to use.
Here’s what you need to know…
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The Next Step for Our Community (Which Name Do You Like More?)
For months now, we’ve been using the word superhuman to describe the members of our little community.
For our purposes, a “superhuman” is an otherwise normal person who pushes beyond their typical capabilities. It’s about using the science of habit formation and behavioral psychology to improve your mind and body, and make the previously impossible your new normal.
I already write about these ideas every Monday and Thursday, but I want to help you achieve your health and life goals in other ways as well.
For example, the Superhuman Meetups are one way to extend our mission. And in the future, I’m imagining things like online training programs, a forum, conferences, and more.
My goal is to create a company, a community, and a movement that makes the world a happier and healthier place. And this thing needs a name.
Bringing our mission together with the “superhuman” concept, I’ve narrowed it down to two options…
Option 1: Superhuman Medical
Option 2: Superhuman Health
I could choose one, but I’m just one man with a tiny brain. This is your movement too and I’d love to know which one you like.
For a company that hosts events and creates products to help people live healthy, which name do you like more: Superhuman Medical or Superhuman Health?
Leave your answer in the comments below.
Photo Essay: The Lakes, Mountains, and Villages of Northern Italy
I just returned from Italy a few weeks ago and my trip reminded me of an important belief that is central to our little community. And that belief is simple: happy and healthy people have a better chance to improve the world than anyone else.
During my trip, I was hit with the worst case of food poisoning that the rolling hills of Italy have ever seen. (Possibly an exaggeration, but it was ugly.)
I write a lot about health — and don’t get me wrong, I love exercising, eating tasty food, and mastering my mental and physical habits — but at the end of the day, being healthy isn’t the end goal of life. Rather, being healthy allows you to participate in life.
I spent a few days shivering in bed on this trip, but once I recovered, I was twice as happy to hike the mountains, walk the streets, and sail the waters of Northern Italy. And that experience reminded me that it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, if you don’t have your health and happiness, then it’s difficult to create meaningful work, help others, or merely sit back and enjoy a vacation.
My hope is that as time rolls on, both you and I can maximize our health and happiness, not merely to because “it’s good to be healthy,” but because it provides us with the opportunity to participate in life, create things of value, and make the world a happier place.
And with that said, the images in this photo essay are from Northern Italy. As always, all photos are my own.
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Achieve Your Goals: Research Reveals a Simple Trick That Doubles Your Chances for Success
We all have goals. And what’s the first thing most of us think about when we consider how to achieve them?
“I need to get motivated.”
The surprising thing? Motivation is exactly what you don’t need. Today, I’m going to share a surprising research study that reveals why motivation isn’t the key to achieving your goals and offers a simple strategy that actually works.
The best part? This highly practical strategy has been scientifically proven to double or even triple your chances for success.
Here’s what you need to know and how you can apply it to your life…
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