```dataview task where file.name = "🌌 Weekly Wondering 6" ``` ## Notes > \*Your life has an unknown expiration date. Your efforts and contributions to others do not. The time, energy, and resources you invest in people you care for and your community keep growing forever. > — It’s Not About You, Tom Rath Welcome to the 6th 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 I had other priorities in my life, so I didn’t have the opportunity to digest much content last week (hence the skipped Sunday). This week was almost the same as I spent most of my time marketing my new Obsidian starter vault that even Tiago Forte himself retweeted :o This week’s content isn’t really improvement-heavy, but I find them worth sharing nonetheless to help criticize the world and question our beliefs. ### **🔗** Links to Thinks **How much does your environment control you?** This has been [the first video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09maaUaRT4M) I’ve had to rewatch in order to digest its ideas. It’s a metalevel and controversial take on social media and it's concerning totalitarianism over everyone’s thoughts. People are being brainwashed by the interconnectedness and influence of the internet. People are attributing this to the spread of [being vaccinated](https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/96633). Are people’s choices on whether to be vaccinated really their own, or are they merely conforming to their environment and media? I’m in the majority and am pro-vax, but just being weary of how much influence our media has on us is a good step towards questioning our beliefs and perceived independence. **What does your morning routine look like?** Get a glimpse of Standford Neuroscientist [Andrew Huberman’s daily routine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-ezOLT2Kv0&ab_channel=ChrisWilliamson) for recommended practices based on scientific claims. Additionally, I enjoyed [Dan Koe’s daily routine](https://thedankoe.com/the-3-part-daily-routine-for-maximum-productivity/) that focuses on our different brain modes throughout the day to have a consistent and balanced flow in our world. It’s more beneficial for people who deal with a lot of content like content creators or writers, but I think it’s a generally good framework nonetheless. Fill your brain in the morning to learn, use your brain in the afternoon to create, and empty your brain in the night to reflect and reset. **Rethinking the way we love** I’ve recently stumbled on OliSUNvia’s channel as a role model for potential future content, diving into philosophical perspectives on modern dilemmas. Questioning my dating values, I found [her video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcbEiZQ9B7o) to be helpful in that aspect of my life, but about our fulfillment in our connections with others as a whole. Proper loving is the exact opposite of society's current values of consumerism. Give for the sake of giving. If you want more on that, I would recommend the book Give or Take ### **🚀** Trying New Things **Shameless self-promotion** I was scared to share my newly made Obsidian starter vault with the world. I had spent almost 2 full workweeks on the entire process from creation to marketing, but what would I think or feel if there was little to no reception? Then I remembered two pieces of information: 1. When you’re just starting out as a solo creator, you’re probably the only person who cares about your effort. 2. The risk vs reward is so one-sided I’m dumb for even having these doubts. And so, to help generate as much exposure for my new Obsidian starter vault, I decided to bite the bullet of social anxiety and shame by advertising on as many media outlets as possible (with the second brain CEO himself even retweeting it!) Whether you’re selling a product or simply have a novel idea, don’t be afraid to maintain authenticity and pride in yourself. **Indulging in book summaries** I received a sponsorship deal from the book summary app Shortform, so I decided to try out their app for the first time in a while. Although the article-sized summaries and their reflective questions were useful and actionable, they just didn’t have the same beauty and aura as the original resources themselves. This may be my inner INFJ speaking, but in a world where we prefer [efficiency over immersion](https://perell.com/essay/the-microwave-economy/), it’s important to consider seeking the raw source over its conveniently processed alternatives. **On cultivating mindfulness and direction** > Set two alarms during your workday. When they go off ask yourself: Do you remember what your three daily goals are? Do you remember your three weekly goals? If you do, are you on track to achieve them? > — Not sure but I think High Performance Habits? ### 😤 My Ramblings [[On the shallowness of ideas and content online]] ### My Tools and Resources for Learning and Growth This newsletter is my version of learning and thinking in public, giving me time to expand on ideas that may turn into more refined content in the future. If you want to see more of my ideas (or to learn about who I am if you're new here), you can head to my [digital notes garden](https://notes.johnmavrick.com/). I write and collect my newsletter content all inside Obsidian, my digital second brain 🧠 If you want to try using it for yourself for supercharged note-taking and productivity, you can get my [free beginner templates and 4-day email course](https://free.johnmavrick.com/obsidian-templates). If you want to further enhance your system, you can also check out my [ultimate guide to using AI for PKM](https://free.johnmavrick.com/ai-pkm). 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 start building your [second brain](https://shop.johnmavrick.com/usv). Alternatively, if you're a student and want to use Obsidian for school, you can check out [Obsidian University](https://shop.johnmavrick.com/obsidian-university). If you want an efficient content consumption system, I HIGHLY reocmmend [Readwise Reader](https://readwise.io/i/john5833). You can learn about how I use it to save and read articles, books, and newsletters [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMKRH818JyQ).