--- ## Notes/Brainstorming ### ✨ In My Life Wander is probably a better word to describe these writings than wonder 🤔I'm too lazy to change a letter on different platforms though 😭 - Longer weekly review - Usually my weekly reviews are quick as I have a general idea on how the day went and don't need to make much adjustments - But since i'm more spontaneous and less guided, it's been a good anchor for time to reflect and plan - Focus will be, how do I want to live my life - Packaged more for myself, kind of like brainstorming - Found myself naturally gravitating towards reading these things - Self-actualization ### **🔗** Links to Thinks - What really matters - [[Second time like mario]] - [[immigrant mindset]] - [[Transcend]] - An actual book on self-actualization, literally what I've been looking for - [[I sold my life for 10000 yen]] - Importance on relationships - Money does nothing - How someone useless can also find genuine meaning and depth in their life - ## [[The BIGGEST Reasons 80% Of Relationships FAIL...]] - https://www.reddit.com/r/FIREIndia/comments/rx63oj/how_do_you_manage_to_live_in_the_now_rather_than/ - Moving goal post because they're scared to live in the present - Finding satisfaction in the little things - Nails - [This person's experiences](https://www.reddit.com/r/FIREIndia/comments/rx63oj/comment/hrhmy0x/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) - Crazy how it's all such SIMPLE things, but thanks to his mindset, he gets to enjoy these experiences and stay happy - Similar to my ideology, my aim to be wealthy living a simple life - Remedies - See if you also have something like that. any hobby or something you were excited as kid but as you grew up you forgot about it. I think it's equally important to have fun. Hope you find something! - Kind of what I've been doing with VALORANT - Negative visualization - Don't live in an environment where big money is the focus - Look at finances 30 minutes a week - Money is a means to an end - Varied environment of people's personalities, interests, life choices - "the number" where we give up working and **enjoy rest of our lives** is a paradox as it implies we are not enjoying it now. - Since indian text, shares insights from indian philosophical texts - It’s not easy to summarize such a vast knowledge in short but if you still want it, I’ll put it in two points: 1. Realize that everything is going to end eventually so don’t get possessive or involved too much in anything. Start dissociating with outer objects and association with the inner self which is the true source of happiness that reflects in the mind. 2. To peep into oneself beyond mind, you’ll need the meditation and the proper techniques. There are plenty and you need to explore them in ancient texts or with a authoritative person also known as Guru (different than the mere teacher though) - We are over-estimating the impact of that FIRE event - We won't be fully reap it's rewards if we don't have the skill of being happy - Will just be unfulfilling procrastination - This is under the assumption that these people have the opportunity to indulge in this first world problem ### **🚀** Actionable Tingz Simon sinek found himself helping one of his friends with life problems, they would chat for 90 minutes about it, but after a day or two she would always go back to her usual self. so then, he looked into the idea of alcoholics anonymous, of remembering that last step to teach someone else and help someone else. so he volunteered his problems, and despite most of the conversation being 90% revolved around his, she was able to have a more persistent change in her lifestyle ### **🤔** Food For Thought - How do I want to live my life - Revisit [[How to Live]] - Reflect on happiness while grinding vs just playing games and leisure - What constitutes a fulfiling life - All we have is the present moment? - What's on the deathbed? - How to incorporate our insignificance? - Adopt humanistic psychology, stoicism? - What about security through financial independence? - How close do I want to be with someone? - How can I be a better partner? - Time management helps me a LOT - 30 hours leisure - 11 hours socializing - 25 hours work ### 😤 My Ramblings **My previous weekly wondering** I was on track to finish last week's weekly wondering, but then I came to question what the point of sharing personal ideas and interests in a parasocial fashion is, on how the jotpoints I made when writing the outline for it is arguably enough for me to remember and reflect. How majority of the effort would be for other people's readability. Nonetheless, if you want to read last week's jot notes, here it is #### **🔗** Links to Thinks - Obsessed with the self, but also important to consider a much more influential role in our life, the other person - [[You Are Always the Other Person]] - [[Mindfulness Means Letting Things Surprise You]] - i have adhd symptoms - while watching a hypnosis video, was always thinking about something else - hypnosis can probably help with me lowering my default mode network - we can only be surprised when we have some attention towards it - Becoming a quirky art kid - [[Influencer Courses Are Garbage The Dark Side of Content Creation]] - [[Blue Period]] - Went from creating content for intrinsic reasons, to seeing it as an occupation, back to wanting to do it for intrinsic reasons - In a directionless rut recently - Rekindled the passion I have in life - Why am i half-assing my job - Psychedelics podcast - Interesting how ideas of self-actualization are most talked about in these communities - Shrooms are for the mind like what the microscope is for biology - https://rossgriffin.com/essays/you-dont-want-to-be-famous/ - Interested to see how my rambles on content creation would be perceived, and i guess this was an example - Always nice to hear opposing opinions on the selling points people try to persuade you with #### **🚀** Actionable Tingz - Reading for application and exploration - In content creation i want to try telling more personal stories, so i'm going to re-read [[{ Storyworthy]] - Struggled finding resources on self-actualization, so going to read [[Transcend]] - REALLY excited to read this, first time in a while where I am deeply curious about a book's topic - At a point where taking action and reflection is more important than reading #### **🤔** Food For Thought - Rock climbing introspection - Continuous comparisons of myself with other people - This person is so jacked, why is he not doing harder ones - This person is a bit heavier, how are they so good at rock climbing - I can do 20 pull ups, why can i not get up easily with my forearms? - I'm short compared to everyone else, i wish i was taller - i never compare to my previous self, i always compare to other people - it's kind of good since i reach for expectations beyond what i could maybe come up with myself, but at the same time, it can sap the mindfulness i have in the present moment like above - does it harm me more than it helps me? - a beginners mindset - all i'm trying to do is just get to the top - but i watch some youtube videos and they go into the activity in such mindful detail - mentally focusing on certain parts of your body during the climb - different positional techniques and terms to use as little energy as possible - novelty vs trying the same things again - Tend to get the same food at home and when I'm eating out - Breakfast is a banana / mixed berries / chocolate smoothie - Lunch consists of greens, air fried breaded protein, and an egg - Dinner is a rotation based on my aunt's cooking - Eating out, I like to go to the asian supermarket to get sushi if I'm cheap - It makes sense if I - I've already experienced these foods, so what's the point of getting it again - Won't the idea of tolerance apply to my sensations? Needing more to get the same level of enjoyment? - How do I find enjoyment when I already expect it? is it just because of the biological satisfaction from fat, salt, and carbs? - I can take [[Mindfulness Means Letting Things Surprise You]] into account - That isn't the only new thing. - The same experience will not happen. Try to notice the slight changes. - Balancing hobbies - Cap depending on their purpose in your life - Improvement - VALORANT - Bouldering - Chess - [[Content creation depth vs breadth]] #### 😤 My Ramblings - Goal setting - telling people about my goals with complete confidence yet not reaching them - Ended up getting side tracked, doing something else I wanted to pursue (a new youtube video + reading) - My most progress was when i had a big vision, but continued to chip away at it through systems like finding the right resources them timeblocking - Finances - Spent some time planning out how much I want to save this year, how much I will allow myself to spend - But it's hard to keep track of monthly expenses when you pay for things like annual subscriptions - In what ways does being so objective with your money only make you more confined and chained to it? - The goal of financial freedom is to live without having to worry about money, and sure doing so will help me in the future, but i dont know, i just don't feel like it is worth the effort OR i need to find a better system - To be fair, all I do have is a monthly expenses/subscriptions tracker on notion - why does td have to be so bad qq - How much should you value experiences spent with friends and family? - Learning japanese - Listen to a lot of jpop, and the music and tone alone shares emotions - What if I were to actually understand? What extra level of depth would I experience? - Same could be said in anime, I can immerse myself and understand it better - But learning a language is different from what i've been doing - Could be a nice skill to pick up to expand my learning repoirtoire considering i haven't learned any instrument either - Starting to realize that I'm not committing to things - Keeping options open, not having a firm belief due to an open mind - Innate indecisiveness - The fact that there's multiple answers or resolutions, not everything is black and white - Find myself staring into the abyss for a lot of these - Best way to find out though is definitely action - Sure I don't need to commit, but I should do so until the point where I get enough feedback where I can make meaningful judgements, on whether I should continue or if i should pivot - In case of me postponing my tiktok and twitch, I should at least try it to see how I feel - If I don't try, then this though will continue lingering in my mind - The altruisticness of content creation - These jot notes are enough for me to understand the ideas I had in the moment, but they won't be enough for other people - What is the fine line between the two? - Yet another gray area :((( - Differing perspectives - Cousin is an ISFP, lives much more in the moment to have fun - Filipinos are typically ESFP, entertainers, trying to be the heart of the party - I do find myself catering to this when i am in a group setting, but one on ones or alone i'm a hard INFJ - I think i do see the need for other perspectives - I think i just value xnfx relationships because maybe i didn't have them in my early years, but having people who are more sensing and spontaneous help me indirectly see the world in a new light - My personal branding - Video essays about anime to talk about personal experiences - Person talked about minecraft in a relatable way, then added his personal story, then added a life lesson - Was watching a bouldering YouTuber and he had a very calm voice and channel vibe with jazz music - Good contrast from the overhyped mrbeast and other creator videos that i thought were ideal for "retention", but turns out that such soothing videos can be just as watchable - ended up just dumping all ideas I had during newsletter - not a bad buffer, but should get back into the habit of doing so in my daily journals lmao - how do you find the right balance between consumption and creation - the problem is that i'm already watching people who have consumed and are sharing their thoughts, so it would be weird to reference their work - If anything i should tackle it from a different angle + still credit them ## Publishing Copy Welcome to another edition of _Weekly Wondering_, a sacred time where I share the resonating links, reflections and learnings from my past week to influence your next one ;) ### **✨** In My Life Wander is probably a better word to describe these writings than wonder 🤔I'm too lazy to change a letter on different platforms though 😭 I guess I can pay homage to the current label by posing each section as curious questions. I'm still highly curious on how to live, but I think the scope of the content I've been consuming has been narrowing it down :) ### **🔗** Links to Thinks #### What Lies Beyond Self-actualization? I started reading Transcend by Kaufman, a book that provides a new framework to view Maslow's hierachy of needs towards the new north star: transcendence. It's a generic testimonial for the book, but I just enjoy how much it resonates with my own personal purpose: > “In an age focused on materialism and self-obsession, Kaufman boldly addresses the science of our deepest, most unanswered needs: connection, meaning, love, transcendence, and self-realization. A revolutionary book destined to become a classic.” And in his own words, Self-actualization is only a "bridge to transcendence", to work on something greater than ourselves by internalizing intense altruistic values. A bridge that never ends, as a fulfilling life is a process rather than destination. To be so complete with your own personal needs, to have such a strong resolve to help the world that you don't need to care about yourself. Anyways, onto the new model. Given that I struggled to find much in-depth resources on self-actualization, this book is going to be a gold-mine 🤩 #### How Do You Quantify the Value of Life? I came across a YouTube song playlist called ["Life is too Short"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XFzNeH3XQY&ab_channel=JaredWinberg), which led me to a manga called I Sold Off My Lifespan, For 10,000 Yen A Year. It's a measly 16 chapters and I finished it in under an hour, but I found it to be a satisfying read. Deprived of a meaningful life and financial stability, the protagonist sells his lifespan for 10,000 yen a year, which is roughly 77 USD a year. He sells off 30 years of his life for 300,000 yen, and keeps 3 months to himself to spend the money. Unsure on how to spend the money for impact, who to turn to during his final days, or what to even do before he dies. By the end, I really enjoyed the different topics explored pertaining to passions, what things in life are worth trading lifespan and time for, finding a purpose to be remembered by, and of course, relationships. #### How Do You Manage to Live in the Now, Rather Than in the Future? Interesting ideas: - We are over-estimating the impact of that FIRE event - We won't be fully reaping the rewards of freedom if we don't have the skill of being happy - It would just be unfulfilling and empty, we need a reason to actually pursue financial independence rather than freedom - Some keep moving the goal post because they're scared to live in the present, unwilling to tackle the void of intrinsic purpose - In some instances money can be one's purpose, whether it be to further give to charities or to just express one's expertise, but most of the time's its a shallow activity on it's own Some suggestions include: - See if you also have any hobby or something you were excited as kid but as you grew up - Kind of what I've been doing with VALORANT - Finding satisfaction in the little things - _Having your nails done 🤪_ - [This person's experiences](https://www.reddit.com/r/FIREIndia/comments/rx63oj/comment/hrhmy0x/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) - Crazy how it's all such SIMPLE things, but thanks to his mindset, he gets to enjoy these experiences and stay happy - Similar to my ideology, my aim to be wealthy living a simple life - Negative visualization, appreciating your current situation - Don't live or surround yourself in an environment where big money is the focus - Immerse yourself in a varied environment of people's personalities, interests, life choices - Look at finances 30 minutes a week - Treat money only as a means to an end - Indian philosophies - > Realize that everything is going to end eventually so don’t get possessive or involved too much in anything. Start dissociating with outer objects and association with the inner self which is the true source of happiness that reflects in the mind. - Achieve through meditation ### **🚀** Actionable Tingz #### How Do You Help Others Who Have Trouble Overcoming Their Repeating Life Problems? Simon sinek found himself helping one of his friends with life problems. They would chat for 90 minutes about it, but after a day or two she would always go back to her usual self And so, he looked into one of the last step of rehabilitation programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, which is to teach someone else and help someone else. So instead of trying to solve hers, he volunteered his problems, and despite most of the conversation being 90% revolved around advice for him, she was able to have a more persistent change in her lifestyle. Of course, this isn't always the case, but it's an interesting alternative I never thought of, especially if you consider the difference in situations not hindering either's personal progress. ### **🤔** Food For Thought #### How Do I Ensure That I Live the Life I Want To? - Going to revisit [[How to Live]]'s different perspectives - Reflect on happiness while grinding vs just playing games and leisure First off, what constitutes a fulfiling life? Is what's most important the present moment, or is it the accomplishments illustrated on our tombstone? Is it our impact in the world, or is it the personal experiences due to our cosmic insignificance? Should life be internal, or should it be for others? If the latter, how can I feel warm by having a social deathbed full of people close to me? What ways can I work on having a character that results in it? Is it fair to follow principles like humanistic psychology or stoicism? How much effort should be put into speedrunning freedom through financial independence? It's going to be a lifelong expedition to find answers to questions like the one above, but I can still find ways to measure my effectiveness in following my values and resolutions when I do find a north star. All thanks to time management ;) This week my main numbers were: - 30 hours leisure - 18 hours valorant - 3 hours anime - 20 hours socializing - 7 with friends - 5 with coworkers - 4 with cousins So it's been quite the switch-up from my usual productivity days, and it's helped me with seeing the different extremes at which I may want to live my life, to find a healthy balance in the middle. These two main areas of my past self were the ones I was neglecting the most, so it was nice to maybe make it up a bit. My ideal days and weeks might not have similar numbers, but this experience has made me unearth the suppressed appreciation I had for these activities. Speaking of which… [[My perspective on leisure]] ### My Tools for Learning and Growth I record everything I mention in my newsletters in my Obsidian, my favorite note-taking and productivity app. If you want to aggregate the valuable gems from your week like this, or need a place to store your ideas and highlights, you can set up your own [second brain](https://johnmavrick.gumroad.com/l/obsidian-starter-vault). If you want the most densely packed and actionable book summaries, try out Shortform for free [here](https://www.shortform.com/). If you want to make reading and highlighting easier, check out [Readwise](https://readwise.io/i/john5833) (affiliate link) and sign up for their Reader app!