Waves

I personally don't like it because you need to pay attention to traffic, people, etc. but since you're going early in the morning I can see how it may even be pleasant. It's also a good strategy to make a quick tour of a new place you're visiting. But hey, it is surely better than not working out. I think you're already doing the best you can. I just found out that a large study on air pollution in European Cities was published a couple of days ago, if you want to check it out: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30272-2/fulltext Here you can look up your city ranking: https://isglobalranking.org/

@fridjonk Yeah it's so important to control scapular movement and keep the whole joint well balanced. Sometimes the only way to realize it is to get injured. Thanks for the resource, I'll check it out! If you haven't heard of him, there is also Tom Merrick that makes videos on calisthenics and flexibility.

I'm working to getting back to training seriously after a shoulder injury that I yet have to understand and properly treat. I was inactive for almost a year after a couple of years training in the gym. I want to try something more "natural", that I can do anywhere, that combines play, strength training, flexibility, skill development, maybe even grace & balance (like dance). That's what I find most rewarding. Calisthenics certainly ticks a lot of these boxes. Hill sprinting sounds fun too. I'm also getting involved with hatha yoga, and would like to learn a martial art in the future as well, like muay thai. I'm trying to figure out a way to practice various disciplines that I enjoy and that work together in harmony to make me more complete kinesthetically. I'll need to find a balance between breadth and depth, it's going to be tricky. Just wanted to share my athletic goals.

There is a book with some good exercises on Leo's booklist that helps you develop charisma. Apart from that, you could watch videos, especially interviews, of people you think are charismatic (or that have any other quality that you would like to improve in yourself) and observe carefully how they move, what their face and body language is, how they speak (tonality, cadence, breaks,...) and what they say.

Very inspiring to read what other people have written so far. Here are a couple of things I want to do next year, which I still need to formulate them as proper goals, but it's a start. I was wondering if I would be better to focus on one thing in particular or if this spread-out approach will work. I remember Leo saying that it's better to focus on one or two main themes every year. Mine would be Life Purpose and Relationships. Career/Studies/Life-Purpose Get my Master's degree Keep refining my life purpose and identify my Zone of Genius and ideal medium. Personal life Successfully move to London and make it my home. In general gain a lot of life experience: meet a lot of people, work on various projects, explore different ways of seeing the world, visit new places. Relationships Finally learn proper dating skills, taste more of the buffet and develop charisma. Improve my socialization skills, be more at ease, carefree and authentic with people, learn to have meaningful conversations Forge friendships with people I admire and can be playful with. Self-development Cultivate my creativity, explore art and hobbies like music production, photography, design. Gain a deeper self-understanding. Become a good Achiever Fitness and Connection to Body Resolve my shoulder problem and get back into training seriously (mostly calisthenics, some cardio) Maintain a hatha yoga practice of 2-3 times a week Spirituality Keep increasing the quality of meditation, start a concentration practice.

@Michael569 Glad you also found them helpful! Having separate journals is key for me. Soon I might buy another normal notebook for messy morning journaling aka Morning Pages (from Julia Cameron)

Yeah same for OneNote. There are too many hurdles between having the insight and recording it. I do the daily stuff, including writing down random ideas, in the smallest moleskine there is (9x14 cm), whereas the weekly reviews and habit tracker are in an A5 moleskine, where things are more clean. When I do daily planning it's usually on a normal notepad, but I'm not consistent with that. I took inspiration from these two Nate's: The Life-Changing Habit of Journaling (What I Learned) How to Write a Diary for Mental Clarity (Very Easy) How I Organize My Thoughts: A Simple Guide

I use a simple system of journaling that helps me review my thoughts, insights, ideas, motivations and general direction at different altitudes. It also serves as "record" of who you were in a given period. Daily: The last thing I do before going to bed, besides stretching, is writing on a pocket-size journal. It takes 3-5 min and I start with writing down what I've done and how I felt during the day. I'm happy even if it's just a sentence. Because of this, and because the pages are small, the threshold barrier is very low for me to do it. More often than not, it expands into reflecting on the alignment of my actions with my desires, on what I want, on things that sparked my interest. I use this notebook also for random insights I have during the day and I find it's a small act of giving importance and a louder voice to my intuition. Weekly: On Sunday, usually with a cup of mint tea or whatever (music is also an option), I go through what I wrote in the small journal and collect insights I had about what I want to do next, what I value,... and questions I'd like to contemplate. I write this weekly review in a larger notebook and try to keep it within a page. It's pretty inspirational, it's a temporary reality check from my higher self Monthly: At the end of each month I look through the 4 pages of weekly reviews and write a monthly review + an outlook into the next month. Here I can assume a higher perspective to evaluate the direction of my life, and set the intentions for what I want to focus on next. You can expand this even further by reviewing the last 3 months or so. Other than this method, I try to give my mind some space to do its own thing without bombarding it with external sources, for example while taking walks, cooking, doing the laundry,... Hope this helps

It seems like a good opportunity to see for yourself, instead of hearing or fantasizing about, what doing actual empirical research looks like. Treat it like an experiment (heh) for yourself, observe (and journal about) how you feel about it as you help doing research. I'm guessing it won't be long term, and you'll be able to take a step back if you see it's not for you. You'll scratch that itch and will be able to move on.

Lovely post and photos! I've tried to prepare some shots as well, but I limited myself to use just the lemon/orange juice, leaving some goodies behind. I'll try it this way next time, also making ice cubes. In the turmeric shot I would add some black pepper to increase the absorption and efficacy of curcumin.

I re-discovered jogging last spring, when because of an injury and the lockdown I stopped exercising and I was slowly becoming crazy. I started slowly, jogging once every few days and short distances, so that my leg muscles could gradually wake up. Calves hurt for a couple of weeks though. This summer I was going 30 minutes 3 times a week and I loved it, especially because I could go shirtless, which feels more natural and allows you to get that vitamin D in Almost every time I was brought in a new space mentally: I would think about my desires and plans for the future. Worries and problems I had were re-contextualized. It's just a really good way to let off steam and get the junk out of your system. I don't listen to anything, I want to feel as free as possible and be with my thoughts, notice my self-talk as I struggle. Damn I should pick it back up, the cold stopped me.

I was wondering how introspection looks like in practice, and how I could make a habit of it, or how I could remind myself to turn inwards and feel during the day. Now it’s “easy” to remember, since it’s fresh content, but I’ll forget for sure about the commitment. Mindfulness and some forms of mediation are basically observation of our internal state, thoughts, feelings, emotions without reacting to them. How are they different from introspection? Is it that when you do these practices, you deliberately allocate some time and observe what comes up, whereas with introspection you assume a general attitude towards life of turning inwards in particular occasions (what Leo listed in the first 90 minutes)? One basic thing that we could do to create more space for introspection is going for walks, reducing distractions, like avoid looking at our phone in idle time or while commuting, and so on, which are all good steps to take, but isn’t it ultimately through meditation that we are trained to get grounded in the present moment and just feel? And since there needs to be a genuine desire to turn inwards, does it mean we can’t force introspection? Should it be allowed to come up organically and naturally from our authentic desire to get in touch with what’s true? I’m curious to hear your experiences.

Oh that's a great idea, thank you, I'll look for one that has introspection vibes

I know it's a basic skill, nonetheless I think it's important from time to time to re-examine how we approach the study of self-actualization material. I find that I tend to periodically come back to this question, because I'm not satisfied with it. So a couple of days ago I contemplated "how can I instill important insights and principles from books and videos in my mind?" to get a bit deeper into it, and more questions came up, such as: There is always the next book or video to study; at which point do I accept to move on from the one I've just studied? When do I accept something as assimilated? What makes the insights actually stick? Is it the elaboration of the material through thinking, and then contemplating from scratch that do the job? How can this process of reviewing insights be made habitual, systematic, but at the same time organic? How can I cultivate my curiosity? Currently my "routine" is the following: Read, highlight insights. Write them in the commonplace book. Highlight the core insights in my notes, such that it's easier to review. Forget about them, often moving on to the next thing before even recording important insights. What I'd like to improve is the reviewing process. Since things move on I rapidly lose interest for the book I just finished, because my approach to reading has still some "shoulds" and it's goal-oriented: after a while into a book, I want to finish it to get it out of the way, so to speak. I still need to develop a consistent intrinsic motivation to read, that I sometimes felt. And for that I think a strong curiosity and desire to learn are needed. Do you also have a similar problem? How do you go about consolidating insights? What is your approach to studying this material? Any input is appreciated.

I used this when I was studying biology or physiology, it works like a charm if you need to memorize stuff, but I'm not so sure about using it for self-help books/videos. Something that came to mind would be like asking yourself "what are the most important insights/lessons from this book/video?" and then trying to recall what they were for you personally, but it's such an open question that you can't actually check the answer, it's too overwhelming. I agree, it really boils down to how involved you are with the topic, how curious you are about it. The more curious, the more you'll tend to explore it and think about it. Right, but I imagine you start somewhere to get the information. What do you do with self-help books, like a classic one from Leo's list, for example?

I notice this happens to me when I'm not really interested in what I'm about to read but I read it to get somewhere, like finishing the book, or because "reading" is on my to do list. It's also a problem that comes with too much stimulation from other things. A very good way to retain things is reading stuff you're actually curious about, instead of "good to know" information. Being engaged with what you read makes you more focused during the activity. Your mind will elaborate and reflect more on what you read, making it stick more easily.

@Rasheed People at stage green and above should have integrated orange, meaning they're still able to produce material success, but they're not holding it as their ultimate goal. Their values changed and evolved, their perspective expanded, as did their definition of success. For example, stage green people would see being successful as being of help in their community, connecting with others, doing the best they can to live in a environmentally sustainable way,...

I'm starting to feel a bit saturated with all the information I get from books, videos, and podcasts. I love learning and being exposed to different perspectives, but I feel I'm off balance, especially after these months: I take too much in and process/implement it too little. I want to integrate and squeeze more out of experiences and external sources. I want to get a more solid, independent understanding, have more original insights. Thinking about this led me to the conclusion that I need to start contemplating more regularly, and shift the balance towards more practice, although at the same time I don't want to abandon books/podcasts. So I'm curious to know: How do you integrate external insights and make them your own? Do you deliberately stop and think/journal about what you've come across? Are you contemplating habitually and rigorously with a journal? How do you find yourself naturally contemplating? How do you choose what to contemplate?

@Javfly33 It takes some time to adapt to the fibers that come with legumes, and you don't have to cook them from scratch every time, I buy them canned even though they add salt, just rinse them well. Lentil soup and chickpea curry are the shit for me. I used to get around 130g of protein at around 3000 kcal on a plant-based diet, it's feasible. Considered that you're not an athlete, you don't need much (around 0.8 g/kg body weight), but the incorporation of legumes into your diet goes well beyond your protein intake, they're just amazing (check out the site @Wyatt linked). You could also eat more nuts, and nut butters like peanut butter, drink soy milk. Just aim for seasonal stuff as much as possible and for variety of grains and legumes.

Great initiative man! You're going hardcore with 2 weeks haha. I'll follow your example for tomorrow. Just reading, journaling, walking in nature and reflecting. Good luck!

Yes! I love this topic. Leo covered some of it in the video about building your existential vocabulary. It is so important to know what words exactly mean to articulate clear thoughts and understanding, especially for people who are not native English speakers. This skill refines and tests your understanding, cuts through bullshit and obviously makes you a great communicator and teacher. I'm also keen to learn more about this. I remember my literature teacher once said that if you can't say something, you don't understand it (I don't know whether it's valid for transcendental stuff though haha).

I'm slowly realizing the long-term impacts of this whole COVID story and sometimes it scares my little ego (of course). I know this is being exaggerated already in the news, but it still represents a survival threat and huge challenge for society. Personally I'm in a very privileged position where material resources are not a problem and can still focus on my studies and interests. Because of this I'm able to look for opportunities and to ask myself some important life purpose-related questions that I usually don't have the perspective to consider, like: What role do I want to have? How can I be of service to society and how can I provide the most value? What does society need the most right now and in the next decade? And so on. These kind of events can be opportunities to create meaning and causes to fight for, which I find really empowering.They wake us up from our complacency and laziness and get a bit more engaged with life. They represent a chance to connect more with our loved ones and unify your community, to slow down, be more compassionate, appreciate what we have, and realize how temporary it is.

I think the Rich Roll Podcast would be a more appropriate platform to have Leo as a guest. Rich Roll has already had various discussions about spirituality, awareness, although he is more centered around healthy & lifestyle. He's very open-minded (eg also towards paranormal stuff) and solid green/yellow.

I've done the exercises a couple of years ago. What I remember doing was going over the stems I completed for the week and just start writing about possible actions. It was more of an empowering session of writing about ways in which I could improve, of healthy behaviors I could assume, based on the honest and unfiltered sentence completions. I noticed common themes emerged, as well as ideas of how to implement my aspirations. I think the process gives more voice to your intuition and higher self. It creates positive momentum, but it's still in your head. You then have to take action on the issues you genuinely want to improve.

I realized that my voice sounds pretty boring and I'm not able to speak loudly. People barely hear me in loud environments like crowded places, bars and clubs, and it sucks. Sometimes my voice feels up in the throat and it sounds so weak it makes me upset, whereas sometimes it's powerful, I feel that things are aligned, but it happens rarely and I don't know how to switch it on. This poor vocal skills is also cause and consequence of poor social interactions: I know how to have decent conversations, but I'm not able to connect so well with other people or to tell funny stories. I admire great speakers, comedians and singers, and I'm becoming more and more attuned to the energy they transmit. I want to learn to use my voice in a powerful and inspiring way, I want to teach and lead people, I want to learn to raise the energy in social settings and also learn to sing. Is there anybody who is/was involved in a similar process and has advice/resources to point me to?