New Year’s Edition 2023 - Issue 42 - 1st January 2023
This newsletter will be relatively short because I want a simple message to resonate. The recommendations I’m providing below relate to effective practices created by uber-successful individuals to undertake at the start of a new year other than New Year’s resolutions. I want to provide a practice of my own however that will hopefully make your 2023 fulfilling and productive.
Do one thing everyday that’s difficult but meaningful
This challenge is useful as it’s extremely relative. What one person does to beat this challenge could be drastically different to another’s. It’s also specific in that you’ll know everyday whether or not you’re failing, meaning you can check in with your progress everyday rather than every year. The crucial aspect of this challenge is that what you do should be a struggle, thus it requires radical honesty. We must all be honest with ourselves when we consider what we find struggle-some.
If you find reading challenging, but you know you should, perhaps reading a page a day is enough of a struggle, but if you find yourself easily reading that page, double your struggle. If you find walking everyday a challenge, start off with a quick walk around the block every morning, but if you find yourself easily strolling without much effort, start running. You’ll find that what you found struggle-some at the start of 2023 will be child’s play by the end of it as long as you’re honest with yourself.
Keep On Struggling
Gregor
Useful Practice from Tim Ferriss - Fear-Setting
“Fear-setting has produced my biggest business and personal successes, as well as repeatedly helped me to avoid catastrophic mistakes” says Tim Ferriss and it’s easy to see why. Fear Setting simply means writing down aspects of a frightening decision that scare you, i.e. what’s the worst case scenario? It becomes apparent very quickly that what you feared is not nearly as frightening as you first thought. We hype our fears up so much in our minds that when we put pen to paper, we realise those fears were ill- formed.
Find out more about the practice and watch Ferriss’ Ted Talk on the subject below.
Another Useful Practice from Tim Ferriss - Past Year Review
“I have found “past year reviews” (PYR) more informed, valuable, and actionable than half-blindly looking forward with broad resolutions” says Ferriss and I agree. Resolutions clearly don’t produce results otherwise we’d all be working-out and eating healthily throughout the year. Better to acknowledge honestly how each year has went and where we can improve so that we can start a new year with clarity and that’s what the past year review aims to do.
Find out more below.
Book That’ll Help with the StruggleChallenge - Atomic Habits by James Clear
Of course it’s incredibly tricky to begin a new habit that you find difficult and that’s where making tiny changes is the best place to start. Those who want to read more shouldn’t set the goal as “read a book a week.” That’s a sure-fire way to fail. Atomic Habits provides a guide towards creating habits that will last the year rather than habits that you’ll give up on after the first week.
Buy the book or learn more below.