“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh

Bad things happen every day, often to good people. It’s painful. The pain is real.

But, even with this real pain, the suffering can be optional.

What is the difference between pain and suffering?

Buddhists believe that anytime you experience a negative event, two arrows fly your way. One arrow represents physical pain and the other emotional suffering. In life, the first one is inevitable, but the second one is optional.

So, how can you avoid suffering?

The answer lies in understanding how your brain works, how it interprets reality, and how it attaches meaning to your experiences. You tend to believe everything you think of. Every thought in your head is not the truth, yet you treat it as such.

Believing everything you think is the quickest, shortest path to anxiety and fear because the majority of your thoughts are generated by the internal alarm system responsible for your survival. Your brain is constantly scanning to find things that could kill you. That's why most of your thoughts are based on fear and worry.

The antidote is to recognize each thought as a notification on your phone. It pops up, and you can either cancel it or tap it to look deeper. Be selective about which thoughts you click on and pursue.

5 strategies to stop suffering by nurturing the inner You

1. Two-way Dialogue/Prayer

Prayer is often a desperate cry or humans shouting demands at the Divine as if placing orders through a cosmic Amazon Prime. You plead and place your order but rarely wait for a response. It’s a one-way interaction. It’s saying Marco and never stopping to hear Polo. Not only is it incomplete, but it’s ineffective.

Instead, two-way prayer intentionally focuses on what you hear back.

If Divine or prayer is too triggering, think about having a dialogue with your Inner Voice. You have deep wisdom inside you; tap into it.

You can do this by writing the question about whatever is bothering you and deeply pondering it for 5-10 minutes. Look for an honest, pure, loving, and unselfish response. If it isn't pure, loving, and unselfish, It didn’t come from your Inner Voice. It came from your Ego. Try again.

Here is a 5 min instructional on two-way prayer

2. IFS Therapy- Often described as 'group therapy for one'. IFS therapy helps identify the different voices and personas in your head (i.e., protector, a provider) and bring them together. This ensures you get out of your own way, resolve any inner conflict, and stop any self-sabotage. 

3. Ask yourself this question - How do you feel towards yourself, not about yourself? 

   Notice that framing using 'towards' will be more insightful and nurturing - closer to the truth. Using 'about' often generates a listicle of your shortcomings. Not always constructive.

4. Self-friendliness - write a letter to a younger self.

   This helps summarize the wisdom you have already gathered. It also reminds you that there is an inner child - You. So, create an inner dialog that nurtures that inner child rather than beating it up emotionally and physically by squeezing him/her into societal confines.

5. Be a relaxed human: History tells us to admire ferocious, ambitious, and courageous humans. These qualities are admirable and needed at times. But fundamentally, for you to get through life, what you need most is a temperament that enhances your potential.

   Imagine all the challenging situations you're dealing with right now. Would you be more or less effective if the only change was entering these situations with a relaxed mind?

   Athletes, martial artists, and actors have known that the more relaxed person wins.

   Next step then is to figure out what a relaxed you looks and feels like.

   You could borrow from Elizabeth Gilbert, who relies on a trifecta of boundaries, priorities, and mysticism.

   Mysticism, in particular, is intriguing. She defines Mysticism as an awareness of the divine. A supreme force that loves you is running the show. And for this show to keep running, your involvement might not always be necessary. Let go. Surrender. You're not here to be graded and judged. Handle the world, including yourself, with love, kindness, and compassion. Find out how you can serve.

   Let go of your need for certainty, as it is doing nothing but creating anxiety and stress for you. Realize how little is in your control while using what little you do control wisely.

   Ask your Inner Voice to answer - What would you have me know?

Hope this was useful in building the first steps towards a life where suffering is optional.

PM

• Benefits of fasting

• Types of fasting & How to break a fast

• What fasting is not

Why Fasting?

Your ancestors didn’t have grocery stores. They went without food for long periods and still had to continue hunting. Over time, their bodies engineered a new energy system that provided energy to keep going when they were hungry. This system uses ketones instead of carbohydrates/glucose to produce energy. Ketones, or ketone bodies, are acids your body makes when using fat instead of glucose for energy. This switching of energy system happens during fasting, and your body goes into 'ketosis'’. Your body will switch to ketosis if you’re not getting enough carbohydrates.

During ketosis, your body breaks down fats for energy, releasing ketones. 

Fasting benefits:

Fasting has many other benefits, including producing natural stem cells and cellular healing.

Note: Fasting differs from the ketogenic diet, which can be restrictive and may lead to nutrient deficiencies, especially in women.

This post was inspired by Dr. Mindy Pelz's discussion on The Diary of A CEO Podcast. Dr. Mindy Pelz is a world-renowned women's health and fasting expert who is on a mission to empower women to Believe in their Bodies! Her high-profile clients include entertainer LeAnn Rimes, former race car driver Danica Patrick, and popular influencer Jesse Itzler. She is a bestselling author of Fast Like a Girl (top-selling release of 2023 from Hay House Publishing) and The Menopause Reset. She also has a podcast, “The Resetter Podcast,”

So, you must be wondering, How Long Do I Need To Fast To Switch To Fat Burning?

Some individuals may take longer, but Fasting for 12 hours is generally sufficient to switch the body from burning sugar to burning fat.

Most people understand that there is no eating during a fast, but Can You Have Liquids When Fasting? 

Organic, chemical-free black coffee, teas, and water are fine during fasting. Apple cider Vinegar (ACV) is fine because it lowers blood sugar. Side note: taking ACV before and after a meal can help regulate the blood sugar spike and feed your healthy gut microbes.

The key is not to consume anything that will trigger insulin reactions or raise blood sugar.  So, no artificial sweeteners and diet sodas.

Types of fasting and how to break different types of fast

Note: Take caution during fasts longer than 14 hours. Work under guidance or supervision and break the fast immediately if experiencing adverse effects. Use the resources section below to find credible sources and communities to fast safely with.

When Shouldn't Women Fast?

• Women should avoid fasting during the week before their period and the week of their period.

• Estrogen, dominant in the first half of a woman's cycle, promotes insulin sensitivity and benefits from fasting.

• Progesterone, dominant in the second half of the cycle, requires higher glucose levels and is negatively affected by fasting.

• Fasting during the progesterone-dominant phase disrupts the natural hormonal balance and can lead to problems such as infertility and increased testosterone.

• Fasting during the week before menstruation can lead to loss of menstrual cycles.

  Progesterone needs to peak for the uterine lining to shed and menstruation to occur. Fasting during this time may prevent progesterone from peaking, resulting in the absence of menstruation.

What fasting is not:

• Fasting is not an OMAD (One Meal a Day) diet plan. OMAD doesn’t truly mimic the fast and feast model. OMAD can be hard on your metabolism and cause nutritional deficiencies.

• Fasting is not a nutrition plan; it is a framework. You still need to eat clean. Focus on high protein, good fats, whole grains, veggies, fruits and fiber. Eat real food, not processed foods.

• Fasting is not a two-week weight loss plan, although it can be. You will see better results once you integrate fasting safely into your lifestyle.

I have intermitted fasted for a decade and seen and felt the effects myself. I urge you to give it a shot.  Use the following resource to explore further.

Resources:

Dr. Mindy Pelz Books, Website & YouTube

Dr. Jason Fung - Another leading fasting expert

Additional fasting templates:

I hope this was useful.

Much Love

PM

Enter rowing… 🚣

Rowing is the best exercise because it hits almost all of your posterior chain (the back side of your body), which is what you need for stronger, better posture and to build strength for compound lifts like deadlifts or picking up and carrying heavy stuff in life. It is low-impact, easy on the joints, and can be scaled up or down in intensity.

Rowing builds strength, especially in your legs, while working on your breathing and cardio. Rowing improves your grip strength and strengthens your spinal erectors (tiny muscles that support your spinal discs).

Hugh Jackman, based on Tim Ferriss's recommendation, swears by the rower and used rowing workouts to prepare his physique for big movies like Wolverine and Australia.

Source: Hugh Jackman on Tim Ferriss Podcast

Rowing builds strength and endurance simultaneously, all while keeping your neck relaxed. Rowing teaches you to relax. All the top athletes know when to relax during the movement to maintain elite-level performance without burning out or risking injury.

Watch how Rowing has a push phase and a relaxed upright stance (relaxation phase).

What 99% of People DON’T GET About the Rower…

The biggest risk with rowing is unwanted stress on your back if your form is incorrect. To ensure you have good form, learn how to row from a US Olympian in the video below:

So, are you going to give rowing a try? Try a 7-minute workout aimed at covering 200 meters in 7 minutes.

If you do, or if you are an experienced rower already, share your experience in the comments below.

Hope this was useful.

PM

By now, I am sure you have heard of Ozempic, or perhaps you are using it.

In either case, the information here is relevant to you.

My goal here is to provide a brief, uncomplicated list of considerations that will explain Ozempic/GLP-1 agonists and help you decide whether to use them.

What you will learn in this week’s edition:

• What is Ozempic or other GLP-1 Agonists

• Potential Benefits of Ozempic/GLP-1 Agonist Drugs

• Potential Risks of Ozempic

• Parting Thoughts/Conclusion

• What to do if you are confused and can’t decide

• 4 Keys to a Happy, Vibrant Life: Ozempic isn’t the only solution

Note: I will use Ozempic and GLP-1 agonist drugs alternatively. For the most part, they both mean the same thing.

Let’s begin.

What is Ozempic or other GLP-1 Agonists

You eat protein. Protein has amino acids. When amino acids bind, they create peptides.

Peptides are broken down with enzymes already in your body.

Ozempic is a pharmaceutical peptide, the same GLP-1 peptide that your thyroid produces naturally.

Potential Benefits of Ozempic/GLP-1 Agonist Drugs:

Metabolically compromised (anyone unhealthy) is generally GLP-1 deficient.

GLP-1 does the following in your body:

• Suppresses appetite

• Slows motility (the rate at which food passes through your gut), which makes you feel fuller for longer.

• Helps your pancreas to secrete insulin at the right time

In some people, using a microdose of GLP-1 agonist drugs:

• Help curb insulin sensitivity

• Reduce brain fog

• Reduce anxiety

• Reduce pain (pain caused by neuro-inflammation like arthritis and an overactive immune system)

• Provide blood pressure regulation

*0.25 milligrams is the average starting dose for Ozempic, which can be way higher for most people. A microdose is 1/5th of that.

Potential Risks of Ozempic:

• The alarming drop in muscle mass: The weight loss from these drugs causes an alarming rate of muscle mass. You do not want to lose muscle mass dramatically. Use a DEXA scan to ensure you are not losing muscle mass. (Peter Attia). This is a BIG risk if you are not morbidly obese.

• Watch this 16-minute video from the reputed Rhonda Patrick as she covers additional risks backed by scientific studies. - Is Ozempic a Miracle Drug for Weight Loss? - Rhonda Patrick

• Your risk of getting thyroid cancer increases by 50%. But, weigh that against obesity. Because obesity itself increases the rate at which your body replicates cells, thereby increasing your chance of getting cancer. However, experts on Ozempic, like Johann Hari, suggest that if you have a history of thyroid cancer in your family, you should not take these drugs.

• Eating disorders:  Eating disorders are a conflict between your psychological self, which wants you to starve, and the part of you that wants to eat and stay alive. Drugs like Ozempic will enable the person suffering from an eating disorder to enhance malnutrition.

  If your BMI is below 27, you shouldn’t even consider Ozempic. Another solution is to mandate that one can only get this drug from doctors trained in detecting eating disorders.

• Once you stop taking the drug, you gain most of the weight back.

• There is some concern in babies born while the mother was on Ozempic/similar drugs.

• Expensive: In short, it’s a lifelong appetite-suppressing straight jacket; it is expensive <$800/month for life, and the weight comes back on if you stop taking it. Another concern is that most of the weight you lose is muscle, which is not great.

• The risk of pancreatitis can increase by 900%

• A cultural risk is that we are training our children that a pill can solve their bad lifestyle choices. Especially in a world where Big Pharma is paying millions of dollars to pediatric doctors to prescribe 6-year-old children to be on this drug for the rest of their lives.

The bottom line is there is NO FREE LUNCH.

Big companies are set to make trillions of dollars from these drugs. They are spending millions to create a narrative that suits them. Understand that this game is not always played by the rules, and sometimes, new rules are written.

Do your research and choose wisely. This decision is worth researching for 5 hours.

Parting thoughts/Conclusion:

Based on my current understanding, if a family member came to me for advice, I would say unless their BMI was over 35, they shouldn’t even consider it. Even then, if there is a history of throat cancer, these drugs are completely off the table. Not to forget that the weight comes back on if you stop taking the drug.

The biggest unknown for me is whether a super small microdose (1/10th or 1/4th of .25 mcg) can create a safer, gradual, positive change in the gut microbiome and inflammation and help overcome metabolic disorders without creating a dependency.

Time will tell. I hope medical practitioners can provide reliable clinical data to help make better, less risky decisions with more favorable outcomes.

What to do if you are confused and can’t decide

Listen to credible, unbiased experts on YouTube (I provided a list of some experts I trust below).

If you're going to try it, start with an end in mind.

Work with a medical professional who specializes in eating disorders and nutrition and has used this drug for at least 2 years clinically.

Create a plan with a definitive timeline for when you can wean off or come off the drug completely. This way, you are not creating a lifelong dependency or handicap. Instead, you're using the drug as a kickstart to a better lifestyle, habits, and behaviors.

You have heard this before - Follow the money.

Humans are driven by incentives. Ozempic has incented many people in high positions with a lot of money.

Ponder this for 5 minutes, and you will quickly realize that your long-term health and well-being aren't part of their consideration. So, do the responsible thing and think for yourself.

Hopefully the information here provided enough information to start forming your own critical, skeptical argument and opinion.

Take a deeper dive - Expert sources:

Johann Hari's book - Magic Pill. It lists 12 major risks and considerations you should know about before starting this drug.

Dr. Tyna Moore - Naturopathic Dr. who believes super low dose Ozempic has helped with many ailments

Dr. Mindy Pelz - How Fasting could be an alternative to Ozempic

Both sides of the argument in one place - Dr. Mark Hyman's Podcast

Additional considerations:

1. 40% of Americans are obese. Meanwhile, there are only 3% of Japanese that are obese. Why?

2. Ozempic alone is funding a whole nation's economy. Just imagine how strong these incentives are and what the incented humans might do for them.

This is how Ozempic is carrying a whole nation's economic future by being the biggest contributor to their national GDP.

Read more here:

Apricitas Economics

How Weight Loss Drugs Stopped a Danish Recession

Thanks for reading! If you haven’t subscribed, please click the button below: By subscribing you’ll join over 34,000 people who read Apricitas weekly! Obesity is among the most common health conditions in the world. Higher incomes, cheaper processed foods, and more sedentary lifestyles have driven rates up dramatically over the last half-century…

Read more

3 years ago · 67 likes · 3 comments · Joseph Politano

4 Keys to a Happy, Vibrant Life : Ozempic isn’t the only solution

Humans craving well-being is not a new pursuit.

Modern society has spent decades researching the secret to high-quality, vibrant aging.

We have Centenarians across the world spilling beans and sharing their secrets. We have happiness experts like Arthur Brooks trotting the globe to distill the formula for a happy life.

What my Homer Simpson brain has gathered is the following key tenants to creating and maintaining well-being, both short-term and long-term: Eat, Move, Rest and Nurture

1. Eat a high-protein, whole-food diet.

Overly exclusionary diets like Carnivore can benefit a few, but not all. Instead, focus on the quality of your food. Eat nutritionally dense foods (natural, local, seasonal whole foods) and avoid empty calories by eating or drinking nutritionally bankrupt foods like processed foods or junk foods.

Eat 0.8 or 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. If you weigh 200 lbs, eat close to 200 grams of protein in a day, ideally split around 3 meals.

Avoid snacking. Drink water instead.

2. Move Frequently

Exercise consistently and frequently. The healthiest cultures around the world have a culture of walking around. Get at least 10,000 steps a day. Avoid a sedentary lifestyle. If you have a desk job, take frequent movement breaks and take your work calls walking around.

Do 3 resistance training sessions of 30 minutes each every week.

Train your muscles at a slow tempo to avoid injury and maximize muscle growth.

3. Rest and restore

After exerting yourself intentionally, it’s critical that you pay equal attention to restoration. Have a sleep regimen. Dim the lights an hour or 2 before bedtime. Do not put your phone in your bedroom. No bright lights.

Read a book, slow down, and aim to get 7-9 hours of deep sleep. ``

4. Nurture your psychology

Good nutrition and rest will nurture you physically. But you still need to nurture your emotional body.

Perhaps counterintuitive, emotional nutrition comes from nurturing the world around you and by being of service to others. Apply your unique gifts and talents to help others.

Contribute before you expect to get anything in return.

Trust me, you will get many folds in return.

Nurture deep relationships. Stop chasing online likes and follows from thousands. Find a handful of people who you can truly count on.

Build faith in something bigger than yourself. This can be God or a purpose bigger than you, i.e., helping the underprivileged in your neighborhood.

We live in a world that is superconnected but lonely. This is a slow death of your soul.

The only answer is a true, deep, and meaningful connection.

Implement: Take Action

This week, try to eat a protein-rich diet, do 3 resistance training sessions, and spend 30 minutes of quality time with someone you love.

I hope this was useful.

I am testing out slightly different newsletter formats to provide concise, useful information you can implement.

If you have any feedback, please DM me.

Much love,

PM

• In this week’s edition, you will learn:

  • Cheat sheet for Fat Loss

  • Why you should create a bias for taking action

  • How to pick the right business for you

  • The only model you may need to improve your relationships

  • Life is not like a game of Chess; it’s more like Poker

  • Neil Gaiman's writing process & writing tips

  • Improve your skin health

  • Uncover the values and beliefs that govern your life

  • Work-life balance

  • Keys to a good speech

Take Action, or nothing will change

Silence can contribute more value than speaking. A Secret Agent discusses how talking might be hurting your contribution score.

My First Million Podcast

Episode: Business tricks we've learned from gamblers, pick-up artists, and Feynman

Podcast episode length: 57 mins

• Birth your creative baby by broadening your horizons: Get out of your circle and your bubble and attend some conferences or local meet-ups completely unrelated to what you do. Broaden your horizons. If nothing else, being around people doing interesting things can give you the energy to birth your creativity baby.

A model to pick the right business for you - Go For Green:

• Businesses that can combine products or services with high uniqueness and high value (by fulfilling a need) tend to be more successful and sustainable. For example, the iPhone is unique to Apple, and cell phones are in high demand.

Life is not like a game of Chess; it’s more like Poker.

The cards are facing down, and a lot of luck is involved. Professional poker players only play 15% of their hands, while amateurs play more than 50%.

Lesson: Pass on the average opportunity to save room for the right one. Use the model above to pick the right opportunity.

Tim Ferris Show Podcast

Episode #742:Tony Robbins & Jerry Colonna

Podcast episode length: 2 hours 31mins

Neil Gaiman is a bestselling author and creator of novels, short stories, films, and television shows, including "Good Omens" "Neverwhere," "Coraline," "The Graveyard Book," "The Ocean at the End of the Lane," "The View from the Cheap Seats," and "The Sandman" graphic novel series.

Neil Gaiman's writing process & writing tips:

• Check into a not-so-nice hotel room to avoid distractions and only focus on writing and completing a book in two weeks.

• Create rules that encourage writing. Neil's rule is: "You can sit here and write, or you can sit here and do nothing, but you can't sit here and do anything else." This rule gives him permission to write or not write but prevents him from doing anything else.

• Neil writes his first drafts in longhand with a fountain pen in Leuchtturm1917 notebooks.

  Side note: He has a 19th-century accounts book with 500 numbered pages that he plans to use to write a novel, using a dip pen or a Flex nib pen. My inner stationary nerd is salivating. ;)

• A good writer knows the importance of moving forward without knowing all the answers.

• The creative writing process involves a combination of inspiration, discipline, and persistence. Failure and rejection are essential parts of the creative process. So stop fearing failure and start by gathering ideas and inspiration from various sources, such as books, movies, music, and real-life experiences.

Once you have a good idea, let it sit and marinate before writing.

• Build discipline and consistency in your writing, treating it like a job and setting aside specific times each day to write.

Enter Debbie Millman, host of the Design Matters podcast, chair of the SVA Masters in Branding program, editorial director for Print magazine, and one of Graphic Design USA's most influential designers.

• 10-year plan exercise that fosters hope, optimism, and a sense of possibility, try it.

• Confidence comes from repeated attempts and success, not waiting for confidence to magically appear.

• Don't limit yourself to what you're qualified to do; take risks and try new things.

Huberman Lab Podcast

Episode: Dr. Andrew Huberman on How to improve skin health

Podcast episode length: 2 hours 26 mins

• Skin is one of the most important organs of your body and reflects the overall health of the body (organs, immune system, and brain).

• Sun exposure can disrupt collagen and elastin in the skin, leading to premature aging, but some exposure is beneficial for hormone production and vitamin D synthesis.

• Excessive sun exposure creates skin cancer. However, according to experts, not all skin cancers are directly caused by sun exposure, and many are not deadly.

• Vitamin D is crucial for bodily, hormone regulation, and brain functions. Sunscreen and physical barriers do not entirely prevent vitamin D synthesis.

• Mineral-based sunscreens (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) are generally safer than chemical-based sunscreens, especially for young children. Chemical-based sunscreens may contain endocrine disruptors, and some studies suggest they can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

• Collagen (which provides the skin with elasticity and strength), hydration, and genetics influence skin health and appearance.

  The recommended dosage for collagen peptides is between 15 to 30 grams per day, and it can be further enhanced by taking 500 to 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C.

Improve your skin health.

• Dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons recommend supplementation with collagen, vitamin C, niacinamide, Retinoids, and hyaluronic acid for improving skin health.

Ensure that your diet includes foods rich in vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fats, fiber, micronutrients, and collagen. Reduce your intake of inflammatory, highly processed foods. Stay hydrated with water and electrolytes. Get 7-9 hours of sleep.

• Dr. Rhonda Patrick on the use of sunscreen and related cautions

• Protocol to manage and improve skin health and appearance if you have rosacea:

  • Adopt a low-inflammation, low-glycemic diet.

  • Prioritize adequate sleep.

  • Minimize or eliminate alcohol intake.

  • Establish a skincare routine that includes lukewarm water, a gentle, unscented cleanser, and regular use of mineral-based sunscreen.

  • Stubborn rosacea may be due to excessive use of cleansers. Avoid over-cleaning.

  • Apply a moisturizer to maintain skin hydration.

  • Consider topical or oral nicotinamide (niacinamide) or licorice root for additional treatment.

Think Fast, Talk Smart

Episode 149: How to take risks in your communication, relationships and career

Podcast episode length: 26 mins

Keys to a good speech

1. Put the audience first.

2. Say Less.

3. Stay true to the purpose - if it creates no change for your audience, you missed the mark.

4. Speak like a human. Do not use big academic words or jargon to sound smart.

   Big words create a bigger confusion.

5. Model for writing a good speech: Decide (determine what message you wish to communicate), Promise (why is this important to the audience), and Deliver (clearly and succinctly explain what the audience should do with the information).

Create a bias for action:

You are trapped in fear when doing new things or getting outside your comfort zone. Yet, your future self will regret what you didn’t do over the things you tried and failed at.

Do your future self a favor and pitch that idea to your boss, ask that guy/girl out, and buy that flight to Australia. You will be glad you did.

Beyond the To-Do List

Episode: Rhythms, routines, and crafting a rule of life with John Drury

Podcast episode length: 48 minutes

Orienting Values

• Whether conscious, intentional, or unwanted, your life is governed by a major Rule of Life or an Orienting Value. A rule or a central belief that shapes your life gives it a rhythm. You may have internalized being a 'provider'’ Your life may be governed by being an athlete. These beliefs decide what you choose, what you reject, and what you allow. Analyze these overarching rules and beliefs of your life. Write them down. Then, question if these beliefs are serving you. If not, create ones that will.

If you are confused about this idea, try this: What five orienting values would someone write down if they spent a week with you?

Here are some additional examples of positive and negative orienting values:

Work-life balance

Work shouldn’t be the only part of your life when you are 'doing something.’ Ask yourself what you should 'do' with your life, not just what you 'do' for work. Should you be doing more things to help around the house? Should you be doing more with your kids and your community?

What other 'doing' should you focus on that perhaps matters more than your work?

Taking the time to define concepts you use or hear often, like work-life balance, is helpful. Define them for yourself rather than adopting a generic definition. How you frame things and the language you use matters. The language you use, especially when you speak to yourself, matters. There is a difference between being a parent and a father/a mother. As a man, being a father elicits a different emotional response in me than being a parent.

A Bit of Optimism

Episode:  Humble confidence with veteran and entrepreneur Blake Hall

Podcast episode length: 38 minutes

• What are the two values that are non-negotiable for you in every relationship? For me, it’s integrity and respect. I am happy to work with someone who is confrontational or causes friction as long as I know they have moral integrity and respect (for themselves and others).

  What is non-negotiable to you? Where do you set the bar in your relationships today?

• Behaviors are excusable; values are not. Anyone can have a moment of weakness, snap, or treat you poorly. But, if their core values justify or promote that behavior consistently then that is a problem. Occasional misdemeanors are understandable, but consistent conflict in values is not. Do you have a value conflict with people closest to you? If yes, which values can be potentially damaging to your own moral framework? Connect this to the orienting values listed above.

• As a parent, when your kids fail or misbehave, give them an explanation and not punishment. Punishment teaches them shame and guilt. Explanation teaches them values.

• Wise people have the ability to judge their own judgments. They can question the real reasons behind their decisions and perceptions objectively and modify them correctly. How wise are you?

Modern Wisdom

Episode #804: Dr. Mike Israetel - Exercise scientist’s masterclass on losing fat

Podcast episode length: 2 hours 24 minutes

Fundamental Physiology of Fat Loss

• Body fat serves as an energy reservoir, lubricates joints, and provides structure to cells.

• Humans evolved to efficiently store energy as fat due to intermittent food availability in the past.

• Consumed food is broken down and distributed throughout the body, with excess calories stored as body fat.

• To reduce body fat, a calorie deficit must be created, meaning you burn more calories than you consume.

Do Calories Matter?

Calories are the most crucial factor in losing body fat.

Counting calories is not mandatory for success but provides a reliable method for achieving a calorie deficit and losing fat.

If you are not losing weight despite your efforts, counting calories can help you identify and adjust your calorie intake.

Are GLP-1 drugs considered cheating?

GLP-1 drugs cause weight loss by reducing hunger, leading to decreased food intake.

Some people have negative attitudes towards pharmaceutical interventions for weight loss. Using weight loss medication is not cheating, as humans have been using tools and technology to improve their lives since the beginning. Weight loss can be achieved through willpower or with the help of medication, freeing up willpower for other aspects of life.

Aside from GLP-1 drugs, restricting calories and protein intake are the most important factors for fat loss. Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass. A good rule of thumb is to consume just over half a gram per pound of body weight per day, or up to one gram per pound for serious fitness enthusiasts.

Optimal Foods and Mealtimes for Weight Loss

• For optimal muscle growth and maintenance, consume at least four evenly-spaced, high-protein meals daily.

• Spreading meals throughout the day is more important for fat loss than meal frequency.

• Calorie balance is crucial for fat loss, regardless of food groups. Prioritize foods that keep you fuller for longer, such as those with high fluid volume and fiber (potatoes, oats, etc.)

• Out-exercising a poor diet is challenging and unsustainable. Consistency around good nutrition and exercise is crucial for fat loss. The intensity of exercise doesn't significantly impact fat loss and weight loss compared to sustainability. Choose physical activities that you can sustain long-term and incorporate variety to prevent boredom and injuries.

The Key to Getting Abs

Abs are revealed by reducing body fat (body fat percentage of around 10-12%.), not through specific exercises. Training abs is similar to training other muscles: 2-4 times a week, multiple sets close to failure, full range of motion, increasing loads and reps over time.

Cheat sheet for Fat Loss:

Additional considerations:

• While eating out, avoid restaurants that serve deep-fried, overprocessed, calorically dense foods. Instead, Choose restaurants that offer grilled meats, rice, and vegetables.

• Watch your caloric intake attributed to alcohol.

• Curb your sweet tooth by eating fruits instead of a dessert.

• After dieting for 6 to 12 weeks, take a maintenance break of at least 6 weeks to avoid diet fatigue and extreme hunger.

The Greg McKeown Podcast

Episode 313: Bringing relationships into focus

Podcast episode length: 36 mins

The only model you may need to improve your relationships:

Fewer but Deeper.

In a world where everyone is chasing followers and likes, your reptilian brain is convinced that you will be safer, more secure, and more connected with every extra Facebook 'friend.’

The reality is the exact opposite. In the age of 'social' media and an interconnected world, most people feel disconnected and lonely.

The problem won’t go away if you keep following the herd.

The solution is to pause and determine the closest, most valuable relationships to you. Do it proactively so that you aren't late, like the captain of the Titanic, who could see the tragedy coming but couldn’t do anything. Don’t wait till these relationships are beyond saving.

Do this to cultivate deep relationships:

1. Write down 3-5 people that matter the most.

2. Rate yourself on how deep your connection has been with these people in the last 12 months. Rate it from 1-5, 5 being great.

   The connection is defined as how often you speak with them, have genuine, meaningful discussions, check-in, and help and support each other (emotionally and physically).

   Will they count on you, do they know you are there for them?

3. If a relationship is not a 5, ask them what you can do to make it a 5. When they are telling you, don’t interrupt or explain yourself. Just listen.

Take Action:

This week, do one of the following:

I hope this post was useful. If not, please let me know how I can improve it.

Much Love,

PM

• Disclaimers: I have no affiliation with any of the sources linked above. This information should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment and is not financial advice. Please use your discretion before applying this information. Please refer to the original source for references. I use AI-generated images.

Did you know Abraham Lincoln is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame? The 6'4" president had only one loss among his around 300 contests. He earned a reputation for this in New Salem, Illinois, as an elite fighter.

Category - Health & Wellness

Modern Wisdom

Episode #783: Johann Hari - Is Ozempic a miracle weight loss drug or a secret killer?

Podcast episode length: 1 hour 17 minutes

• GLP-1 agonist medications such as Ozempic function by acting on the brain to reduce appetite.

• There are only two types of drugs - the ones that don’t work and the others that have side effects.

• In a recent poll, 47% of Americans voted that they want to take drugs like Ozempic.

• These drugs have a wider impact on the economy. Businesses such as Krispy Kreme and McDonald's have reported declining sales. Jet fuel consumption from airlines is down as it takes less fuel to fly a lighter population that weighs less. The number of hip replacements is lower.

• The rising obesity in America comes down to satiety. American diet includes too much flavored, processed food filled with either sugars or high amounts of salt.

• Based on rat studies, GLP1 agonist drugs can limit your propensity toward consuming alcohol consumption, cocaine, and heroin.

• Some risks of taking drugs like Ozempic:

- It can increase your risk for thyroid cancer

- Severe loss of muscle mass

- Correlated risks around pregnancy

- Accelerated behavioral risks for people with eating disorders or similar tendencies

- Risk of putting the weight back on once you stop taking the drug

- Emotional or psychological (mental health) risks if someone was hoping that losing weight was going to solve all their problems and it didn’t.

• Drugs like Ozempic might be a 'Magic pill'—magical in the way Aladdin had all his wishes come true, but not really in the way he expected them to. What that means exactly remains to be seen. 

• Johann Hari makes the case that if your BMI is over 35, then you should consider taking drugs like Ozempic because the risks of obesity alone are devastating. These drugs can help address obesity successfully.

Huberman Lab Podcast

Episode: Live event Q&A - Dr. Andrew Huberman at ICC Sydney theatre

Podcast episode length: 51 mins

• Naps: Keep them shorter than 90 minutes. Don’t take them if they interrupt your nighttime sleep.

• If naps don’t work for you, try a non-sleep deep rest protocol.

• To improve a skill, do something that is familiar and introduce smaller doses of novel requirements. For Example, if you’re improving your piano skills, start by playing something familiar and then introduce a new arrangement of keys. This is the best way to accelerate neuroplasticity (your brain's ability to adapt).

• MDMA, when taken under medical supervision and therapy, can induce a deep feeling of self-love and empathy, which can address a whole host of mental illnesses, such as depression and behavioral issues.

• When taken in a clinical setting, psilocybin can profoundly affect the brain's recollection and association with a traumatic incident. This form of therapy allows the person to relive (re-interact) a past incident and make different choices, thus changing the story/memory the brain has created around that incident.

• Regardless of the health crisis, gut microbiome seems to be directly or indirectly impactful. Invest in protecting (reduced intake of sugar and processed foods, alcohol, and antibiotics) and protecting the diversity of your gut microbiome. Consider high-quality probiotics or consume foods like sauerkraut and yogurt that have natural probiotics.

• QQRT—Quantity, Quality, Regularity, and Time- the four key things you should pay attention to about your sleep. Optimize these four, and quality sleep will become your superpower.

Category - Self Improvement & Lifestyle design

Think Fast, Talk Smart

Episode 142 - Power and persuasion: Insights from Stanford experts

Podcast episode length: 35 mins

• Your negotiations leave a lot of value on the table. It's because you are either too competitive or too cooperative.

• Be firm on your priorities and interests while accommodating the priorities and interests of the person you are negotiating with.

• Use the right metaphor. Do you see negotiation as a battle or a dance? The right metaphor and language can shift your whole perspective.

• Speak slowly and clearly. Pause, use the silence. Pronounce all your consonants. Mumbling and unclear speech does not convey authority.

• In an online setting like Zoom, create space by not sitting too close to the camera. Have a formal setting/background. More space and distance can convey grandeur and power. Also, get good lighting so you don’t look like you are sitting in a witness protection room.

• Use the word 'you' cautiously. It can seem adversarial. Instead, use more inclusive words such as we, us, ours, etc.

• Achievement or success doesn't always add meaning or purpose to life. You will always feel empty and unsatisfied if you chase success without meaning. Meaning comes from helping others or being of service and value to others.

Tim Ferris Show Podcast

Episode #737: Naval Ravikant & Nick Kokonas

Podcast episode length: 3 hours 16 mins

• You must never fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. - Richard Feynman

• The source of all happiness is to live in the present moment. One of the core tenets of being present is to be completely true to yourself and others.

• High intelligence, high energy, and integrity are the three core values the Naval looks for in a founder.

• Investment is highly emotional. You will be a better investor if you learn how to manage your emotions and develop the ability to make unbiased, objective decisions.

• Self-development is not a single eureka moment. It is a process, an iteration of the self.

• Marcus Aurelius's Meditations prove that success and power don’t improve one’s personal, internal state. One still needs to work on it.

• Your school trained you that books are a part of your mandatory curriculum and you must finish them. Books weren't introduced as a source of knowledge. Read books to further your understanding. You are hereby free of any obligation to finish a book. Read it from the middle chapters, skip the ending, or whatever else. No rules. Just read.

• Society labels a person as successful once they have won the said game. For an athlete, that game is the pinnacle of their sport. For an entrepreneur, it’s a revenue number. Truly successful are those who have completely exited the game. Their happiness and fulfillment are not dependent on an external source. They are content with themselves.

Test it for yourself - Sit in a quiet room by yourself for an hour, and you will know how happy and successful you really are.

• You are miserable because your desires are untamed. You are chasing desires, but do you know the deeper meaning of why you are in this chase?

• You only have three options in any given situation. 1. Change it. 2. Leave it. 3. Accept it.

• You can either build something novel or create a novel application for something already existing.

• You will come up with the best ideas, scratching your own itch.

Category - Productivity & Business

Beyond the To-Do List

Jorge Arango on extending your mind through better note-taking

Podcast episode length: 51 mins

• Don’t take notes only to make to-do lists; create a storage system to free up your memory so it can be used for having ideas instead of keeping them.

• Don’t use too many tech solutions for the same problem. Use one tech solution and optimize it around your needs. For example, don’t have Apple Notes, Evernote, Notion, or One Note. Stick with one and optimize it based on your needs.

• Poor knowledge management practices cripple businesses. Not having the right place for the right information can create chaos, poor communication, and a lack of clarity.

The Greg McKeown Podcast

Episode 299: From problem-solving to problem finding

Podcast episode length: 44 mins

• Pause before you jump into solution mode; otherwise, you will suffer the problem of addressing the wrong problem.

• The formulation of the problem is more important than the solution - Einstein

• 3 key elements can help you find the right problem.

  1. Sensitization: Evaluate the problem through multiple (often creative) perspectives, actively seek new opinions, and question existing assumptions

  2. Restructuring:  Looking beyond the obvious. Ask if the same problem exists in other unrelated industries. 

  3. Evaluation: Questioning the current definition of the problem. Factor in constraints such as resource restrictions or funding. Prioritize the problems so you can focus on the most impactful areas first.

Category - Relationships & Love 

Relationship Advice

457: Hard relationship truths you need to hear

Podcast duration: 46 minutes

• You are annoying, disappointing, and hard to live with at times. So is your partner. Humans aren’t perfect. See your partner’s shortcomings through this lens.

•  All your relationships are conditional. Unconditional love is a myth.

• You give your partner your undivided attention. You overlook their ‘quirky’ behavior and know nothing about their past traumas. All these things contribute to the ‘honeymoon’ phase. The antidote to this is gathering more information in the early phase of the relationship—communication about things that matter early on.

• Your desire for your partner declines over time because of deeper issues of shame or guilt around sex. The newness and novelty wears off. To resolve this, work through these issues with your partner. Respark the intimacy by creating an environment for intimacy. Go for a drive-through movie night or a walk in nature.

• Relationships are work but they are worth it.

I hope this was helpful.

If it was, please share it with someone you love. If not, share with someone you hate ;)

Much Love

PM

Huberman Lab Podcast

Episode: Benefits & risks of Peptide therapeutics for physical and mental health

• What is a Peptide? A peptide is a protein made up of small chains of amino acids. Picture a long string of 100-200 beads. Each bead represents an amino acid. The order of these amino acids determines what a peptide is and what it does.

• Peptides affect aspects of your cells. Peptides rarely have a single action. They work across many organs and systems.

• Prescription peptides remove LPS which makes it the purest. LPS creates an immune response which over time can result in complications. Work with a board-certified physician and use reliable sources such as compounding pharmacies.

• 4 types or uses of Peptides: Rejuvenation, Therapeutics, Therapeutic for longevity, and Therapeutic for vitality

• BPC 157 - Naturally occurring peptide in the gut responsible for cell repair in the gut. BPC causes cell repair by improving blood circulation and laying down new blood vessels at the injured site. BPC 157 can help heal systemic and joint injuries anywhere in the body as well. No human data is available. Most of the data comes from animal studies.

• BPC 157 facilitates growth hormone production at the site of an injury which results in faster healing.

• BPC 157 can accelerate tumor growth if a tumor is present. This is the biggest risk around taking BPC 157.

• BPC 157 increases VEGF production. On the contrary, some cancer treatments use VEGF inhibitors to reduce tumor size. BPC 157 and cancer treatments are not compatible.

• Thymosin Beta 4 (TB-4) - creates tissue rejuvenation, wound healing and repair.

• TB-4 promotes stem cell proliferation and growth of the extracellular matrix (shell around each cell).

• SEMORELIN is a GHRH (Growth hormone release hormone) peptide that increases the production of growth hormones resulting in muscle growth and fat loss. GHRH mimics the pathways for growth hormones and IGEF-1 without having a negative loop where your body stops producing growth hormones. A similar peptide is CJC-1295 but has known side effects such as fluid retention.

• Growth hormones are naturally released during sleep.

• Growth hormone production drops by 15% every decade after 30 years of age.

• Ipamorelin is a peptide that releases growth hormone (GHRP) within the body. It does this by signaling the anterior pituitary gland, found at the base of the brain. Ipamorelin aids growth hormone production by suppressing metastatic (removing the breaks on growth hormone production) and improving sleep.

• Hexarelin is the strongest synthetic growth hormone-releasing peptide but has many known side effects, such as reduction in libido and reduction in natural production of growth hormone.

• Peptides for Longevity - Epitalon is a synthetic peptide, telomerase activator, and putative anti-aging compound. Epitalon naturally occurs in the body and is created by the pineal gland. Epitalon is anti-inflammatory and helps in melatonin regulation, restful sleep, and cellular longevity.

• Peptides for vitality (mood and libido) - include melanocyte-stimulating hormones (a group of hormones produced by the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, and skin cells). Peptides in this category are known as melanotan 1,  melanotan 2 -  and melanotan 3 & 4. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and, therefore, affect the mood and suppress appetite. Peptide PT141  is an FDA-approved drug for addressing low libido. Peptide Kisspeptin stimulates testosterone in men and estrogen in females. Kisspeptin is a potent stimulator of LH and affects libido.

• Peptides are not without side effects, so take caution if you are considering Peptide Therapy. Pay attention to where you source the peptides. Preferably work with a board-certified physician and compounding pharmacies. Stay off the black market.

Category - Productivity

The Productivity Show: Asian Efficiency

Episode - Pathways to progress: The essentials of investing in yourself

• Two ways of investing in yourself:

  1) Go wide: Learn additional complementary skills. Be a generalist - better than average at multiple things. Example: If you are a writer, learn to market on social media to get more readers. or

  2) Go deep: Become the domain expert in one particular area. For example, ESPN is great at doing one thing: Sports.

• Build your network. Networking can get you a job that no degree can.

• The best book on networking- Never Eat Alone

• Be relentlessly helpful to others even if there is nothing in it for you.

• Constantly seek feedback and coaching because you cannot ‘read the ingredients list from inside the jar.’

Category - Relationships & Love

Relationship Advice Podcast

451: Improve your relationship by asking better questions

• Most of our responses are ‘societal presets’. For example, why are you still single? The common answer is that I am still figuring myself out, but this is often not the real answer.

• Deep listening is listening from the heart, not listening to respond. To cultivate deep listening, slow down before you respond.

• You don’t have to solve everything when you respond.

• To improve your relationship, create space with your partner and go through these 12 questions. Follow the sequence of these questions.

• Our hearts want to connect. But, first, it has to deal with the emotional scar tissue of a person. Their lack of trust, vulnerability, and fear of judgment. After all that, it has to work through the maze of social constructs. Make it easier for your heart to connect by reducing this emotional baggage.

• In addition to the 12 questions mentioned above, here are some questions you shouldn’t ask:

  • Don’t ask Yes/No questions. Example: Do you love me?

  • Don’t ask questions with an agenda. Example: Why are you always so angry at me? Instead, ask, Why do I feel you are angry with me? This makes the other person less defensive.

  • Ask questions with constructive ends. Example: Why do we fight so much? Instead, ask, What is our biggest challenge right now and what is it teaching us?

Category - Self Improvement & Lifestyle design

Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu

Episode: You need to commit

• To find your passion, follow your fascinations and interests. Go all in on the one that engages you fully.

• Journaling helps you capture your emotional state which you will lose over time. It’s always fascinating to look back 5 or 10 years to learn what you were going through emotionally.

• If you are shutting people down and not allowing them to speak the truth, then you have already lost.

• Don’t ignore the truth. Seek it. Sit with it. And learn from it.

• Take extreme ownership of yourself and your decisions. Use your failures as stepping stones to success, by identifying what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future. Remember, growth comes from taking charge and owning your decisions.

• Want to get ahead in life? Aim to be the most knowledgeable person in the room about a given situation.

• To create a new habit, use triggers to replace old behaviors. For instance, if you feel anxious before a big meeting, treat it as a reminder to learn more about the topic. Older neural networks are faster, but neuroplasticity requires repetition, patience, and time.

• Want to help people? Focus on getting so good that people seek you. So, lock yourself in a room, blinders on, and get to work.

• Get your physical state under control first (get in shape). This will help create a better mindset, and discipline and create success in other areas of your life.

Category - Business

Deep dive with Ali Abdaal

Episode: Helping others make money made me a millionaire - Ravi Abuvala

• Don’t expect others to know what’s best for you If you don’t know what’s best for you.

• A tactician is trying to win the battle. A strategist is trying to win the war. Use this to choose where you should invest your energy. Example: Should you keep working for minimum wage to pay your rent (tactician) or start investing in learning new skills so you can ultimately achieve financial freedom (strategist)?

• You are always building two businesses; the one you have right now and the business you will have in the future.

• Your biggest customer retention tool is - “Coming Soon”. People stick around if future expectations are exciting and clearly communicated.

• A good leader knows how to hire both the superstars who can execute and the thought leaders who can build domain expertise.

• The growth potential of the business is determined solely by the combined knowledge of the individuals within the company or those leading it.

• One of the most important jobs of a CEO is to find and hire talent.

• Exercise your muscle of hiring and firing people. Do not accept mediocrity. Have systems in place to hire so that there is less anxiety around firing.

• Hire to solve a specific pain. The more specific the better.

Category - Productivity

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Ep.294: A tactical assault on busyness

• Digital busyness: It’s a techno-human issue. Humans struggle to balance all the tech around them. Humans jump from email to Slack to TikTok, looking for dopamine hits disguised as productive work.

• The advent of the personal computer meant the end of specialization and all support work. The administrative overhead increased. Having the access and ability to communicate made the speed of action the most important metric. Slow, methodical specialised work became undesirable.

• The solution is to say Yes to a limited number of projects/tasks and reduce the overall administrative overhead.

• Manage your incoming tasks and delegations. Post them on an online queue (tools like Trello). Anyone interested can refer to your schedule online. They can check the status of the queue and learn when you will get to their task.

• To be more productive, get out of reactive mode. Have a system where you intentionally ‘pull’ the work onto your plate.

• To have a productive day, spend 30 minutes at the end of each day where you plan and schedule all the things you have to do the next day. Try completing these tasks in the first half of the day or complete them as scheduled.

• Allow planning time. Allow for 10 minutes after a meeting to write down the next steps, and action items and schedule them in your calendar. The goal is to not have all the things circulating in your head.

• Set an expectation that if you are being invited to a meeting, you have prior notice of what specific help or input is expected from you. This will ensure that you are not invited to brainstorming sessions and no one is outsourcing the troubleshooting and thinking part to you instead of doing it themselves first.

Category - Self Improvement & Lifestyle design

Tim Ferris Show Podcast

Episode#730: Reed Hastings - Co-Founder of Netflix on How to cultivate high performance, Favorite failures, and more

• Too afraid to take risks? Break down your decisions into reversible and irreversible risks. This will provide clarity.

• Teams vs. family. Netflix’s culture was built around superstars who had each other’s backs. Loyalty and trust were put first.

• People who only focus on a few key things, get things done.

• To disagree silently is disloyal. (Part of Netflix’s culture deck)

• Reed Hastings's favorite management book.

• Favorite failures: Sometimes you can be so strategic that you forget to bring the customer along with you. Netflix was strategically too early for streaming services and forgot to address that streaming was not available on TV yet, only on laptops.

• Jeff Bezos’s philosophy of ‘obsessing over customers’ is incomplete. A more complete version is to obsess over customers and grow operating income.

• A major issue with the US school system is the high turnover of school district superintendents. It creates instability and chaos in the whole organization. Charter schools (schools run by non-profit instead of government funding) solve this problem by providing longer-tenured staff.

• Message Reed will put on a billboard for millions to see - “Hope is everything “

• As a parent try’s essential to try and understand childhood from your child's perspective. If your child appears lost or hopeless, it may be because they are feeling overwhelmed and confused by the world around them. You can help them by explaining that growing up is difficult, but as they mature, it gets easier.

• How is Reed spending his Netflix retirement money? He has invested over 100 million in creating private skiing at affordable rates. Powdermountain.com

Category - Fun

Stuff you should know: What’s the deal with ‘Knock on wood’

It comes from a Celtic belief. The houses back then were built from wood esp. Oakwood. The belief was that the spirits lived in Oak trees and by knocking the trees you were invoking the spirits and asking for good luck.

The common saying ‘Touch wood’ is based on the same idea.

Other good luck customs:

• Fingers crossed: The symbol was first made by early Christians during Roman persecution. Crossed fingers symbolized the cross and were used to communicate that one is also Christian. However academic research has found this claim unfounded.

• In China, good luck enters through the front door so every Chinese  New Year, the Chinese won’t sweep the house through their front door to avoid sweeping all the good luck away.

Category - Business

My first million

Episode: Step-by-step  process of building a $1M business

• This is specific to how Sam Parr started Hampton,(Joinhampton. com), a network for high-net-worth founders.

• Sam went through 5 false starts in identifying who the customer was. The takeaway is to learn from your failures and to keep iterating.

• Business name is important. It should be easy and accessible. Sam used the street names around the area where he grew up.

• Use a branding agency. The value comes from going through the exercise of intimately explaining what your brand stands for. You will create a deeper connection with your brand because of this exercise.

• Use the founder's story. Share how you arrived where you are. What drove you to solve this specific problem?

Category - Productivity

Beyond the To-Do List

Episode: The relationship between documentation and productivity (Adrienne Bellehumeur)

• Documentation is the intersection between Information management, organizational design, and personal productivity.

• Documentation helps by improving your understanding. You also increase your chances of doing something if you write it down.

• Big D (Documentation such as sales process). Little D (Documenting notes from a sales call). Both are important.

• Your short-term memory is weak. To act on the information you gathered throughout the day, create a practice to write key things down. This can be lessons learned, opportunities to pursue, or next steps on a project.

• Documentation doesn’t have to be perfect. If the person you are sharing the document with can understand your thinking by reading it, the document is ready to be shared.

• 6 steps of efficient documentation: Capture the information. Structure the information. Presentation of the information. Communicate the information. Store and leverage the information. Use information to lead and innovate.

I hope this was useful.

Please share your Top 3 takeaways from this week in the comments below.

Much Love

PM

Disclaimers: I have no affiliation with any sources linked above. The information mentioned should not be used for medical diagnosis or medical treatment purposes. The information provided is not financial advice.