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Your weekly dose of awesomeness
Hey, <<First Name>>!
How's it going? I've had quite the week. An important work-related meeting, my brother going overseas for the first time, a couple of 18-hour fasts, a new fitness band (mi band 3 - it's good), etc.
I (re)watched the second Godfather movie today. What a piece of art. So beautiful. I might just got back to the third movie after I write this email to you - it's between that and an interview of Dr Rhonda Patrick with Joe Rogan.
Over to the good stuff!
Here's a quote I've been pondering all week:
" Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation" - St Augustine
What I enjoyed reading this week:
1. Mastery by Robert Greene - This book has been on my list for far too long. I'm just about 15% into it, but have learnt so much. I love Greene's writing style and the sheer amount of research that goes into his books. I'm thoroughly enjoying reading the book and rediscovering my passion for writing and storytelling.
2. The Barbell Principle - This is Taleb's funda about concentrating on either end of both extremes being a good strategy. Good primer to understand an application of the St Augustine quote I mentioned above. Triggered because of a mention by a friend and reader (@karthiks) on Twitter.
4. The greatest weightlifting lesson James Clear has learned - The difference between a progress-based mindset and an achievement-based mindset is so important. This short piece helped me realise the importance of slow and consistent gains. Can be applied to multiple facets of life outside the gym.
5. Your work is the only thing that matters - Some of you know that when I'm not working on Eventosaur-related stuff, I'm helping brands, organisations, and individuals out with their content strategy, positioning, and marketing needs via FabReach. Recently, a potential client reached out and requested an appointment with me. I agreed to a phone call because I was feeling generous. I generally avoid calls and meetings, but I found this person's business interesting. As I went through their business and heard them talk about why they felt the missing piece was the marketing bit, I decided to be a nice person. Not in the polite way. I was brutally honest. I picked out the flaws in their business and their website and a bunch of stuff I could have charged a lot of money for - but the crux of the advice was this - your work is what matters. The hacks and marketing won't help. The linked piece is not written by me. It is written by Ryan Holiday - someone I look up to. Read it. Learn it. Apply it.
What I enjoyed watching:
1. Obesity and Diabetes explained - One of my favourite YouTubers. It's okay if you go down a rabbit hole and watch multiple videos by him. Worth your time.
2. Why meat is the best worst thing in the world - This is a topic I will always attempt to learn more about. I'm grateful for having been raised a vegetarian, but every now and then I reconsider my stance - both ends - carnivore diet vs purely plant-based diet. This is a good primer.
What I enjoyed listening to:
1. Ryan Holiday on merging creativity and business - Cal Fussman is amazing at getting nuggets out of his guests and Ryan Holiday is a genius. What I particularly love about Ryan is how relatable he is to me. Similar skill set. I'm not even close to his level yet, but there is a lot I can model after him. Ryan writes books and runs a marketing agency.
If you enjoyed reading the email and have consistently enjoyed several such emails from me so far, please consider posting about it on your social media accounts if you still log in. Else, just forward the email to a friend who enjoys learning new things.
Also, mulling over this quote by my favourite emperor of all time.
“Suppose that a god announced that you were going to die tomorrow “or the day after.” Unless you were a complete coward you wouldn’t kick up a fuss about which day it was--what difference could it make? Now recognize that the difference between years from now and tomorrow is just as small.”
- Marcus Aurelius
That's it for this week. Thanks again for making the time to read this. I am, as always, open to suggestions.
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Love,
Nikhil
P.S: What is your approach towards my emails? Do you click all links while reading? Some links? No links? What do you find more useful? Is it my commentary or the links themselves ? Let me know and I'll work on it.
