3 Minute Monday
Hi friend,
“You just need to have the courage to eliminate everything that doesn’t directly feed what you really want.” — James Clear
Christmas is a good time for reflection.
To work out whether you’ve overcomplicated life to the stage where it has become bloated and filled with unnecessary desires.
Here’s a story that demonstrates this perfectly…
The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman.
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.
The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, “only a little while.”
The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed. “I have an MBA from Harvard, and can help you,” he said.
“You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat.
With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.
Instead of selling your catch to a middle-man, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening up your own cannery.
You could control the product, processing, and distribution,” he said.
“Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “Oh, 15 to 20 years or so.”
“But what then?” asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time was right, you would announce an IPO, and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”
“Millions – then what?”
The American said, “Then you could retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”
Life is often simpler than we make it.
MODERN WISDOM
I do a podcast which has had 100 million+ downloads. You should subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
This week’s upcoming episodes:
Monday.
Chris Bailey – one of the world’s best productivity writers on how to deal with burnout, ways to calm your mind and how to maximise holistic efficiency.
Thursday.
Helen Lewis – a breakdown of why the world is filled with modern gurus. From crypto experts to people who drink their own urine in service of health.
Saturday.
No episode, happy new year!
THINGS I’VE LEARNED
1.
7 million men aged 25-54 in the USA are not working.
What are they doing?
Volunteering? Worship? Care-work?
“Playing Call of Duty stoned”.
They report 2000 hours a year of screen time (w/ pain meds).
This phenomenon is far less severe in Western Europe.
h/t Alice Evans
2.
Stop reading into tweets so much.
“Twitter is where a semi-famous person will post a throwaway thought while on the toilet or in a queue, only to have their tweet, which they thought about for all of 3 seconds, dissected and debated as if it were the culmination of their life’s work.” — Gurwinder Bhogal
3.
Science has discovered 6 dealbreaker red flags in mate choice.
Gross
Addicted
Clingy
Promiscuous
Apathetic
Unmotivated
The most repelling factors in long-term mating were being apathetic and gross, and in short-term mating they were being gross and clingy.
Sample: (N = 285, 115 men American college students).
h/t William Costello
LIFE HACK
Athletic Greens for the new year.
If you’re looking to make an improvement to your nutrition in the new year, Athletic Greens is the place to start.
It’s the most comprehensive greens drink I’ve found.
75 vitamins, minerals and whole food sourced ingredients plus a probiotic in a single scoop.
Fill in the gaps in your diet and give yourself the best foundation for a healthy 2023.
Plus a 60 day money back guarantee in case you don’t like it.
And a year’s free supply of vitamin D, free pots, shakers and more.
Try Athletic Greens risk-free.
Big love,
Chris x
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PS
Merry Christmas everyone 💜
