Last week I started writing down the few things that I would want to tell you, if I only had a few pages to communicate and nothing more. Today I’m going to pick up where we left off last week. I am enjoying getting this all down as it has forced me to synthesize a whole lot of information that I have absorbed over the years.
I wanted things that are going to apply to everyone regardless of who they are, what stage of life they are in, and what they want out of life. For example for many their life will feel incomplete without a family. Without a good woman and children by their side. While for another life will seem empty and dull without some great work to strive for.
While others will change as they go. I want these things I write to you here to be timeless and help you regardless of where you are in life. Not to trivialize these things but the the things, or habits, that are going to give you the “biggest bang for your buck”, applying the Pareto principle to the many things out there that you can learn about and spend your time doing.
So let’s keep going because we have a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of space to do it in.
If I Only Had A Few Pages – Read
I’ve heard people say that reading is a superpower and I would be inclined to agree. I recommend reading both fiction and nonfiction but for different reasons. Reading nonfiction is like having the answers to the test, cheat codes for the game. You can take a subject that you are struggling with and save thousands of hours of trial and error through reading about others who have gone before. I really cannot stress how powerful reading is. All those quotes about readers are leaders and readers are future millionaires and all of that are true.
As a matter of fact if someone held a gun to my head and said I could choose only one of these things that I’m discussing, I’d choose this one, reading. I really don’t think there’s anything else that can make such a big difference on your life. Reading gives you the answers to so much. Not everything of course. But far more than you could every discover on your own. You are one person with limited experience and limited perspective. You only have so many hours in the day.
Save those hours by reading what others have done, often investing thousands of hours into to figure out what works. Adapt what works for you and discard that which does not. And this extends to fiction too. Stories have been our way of learning information and getting strength for tough times since the beginning of time. They are a primal and essential part of our lives. For fiction I recommend starting with myths and tales of that nature then working from there to whatever type of fictions calls out to you.
It’ll enrich your life, help you deal with adversity, and expand your perspective on the world around you. And that’s just the start.
If I Only Had A Few Pages – Meditate & Be In Nature
This modern world is designed to make you crazy. The way we live now is not sustainable and is antithetical to human nature and how humanity best functions. Because of this mental issues, general stress, and other maladies are at an all time high and show no signs of slowing down. There is a certain rhythm that we are supposed to be in and we spend so much of our lives out of whack with that rhythm. Take time to breath. Breathing is the foundation of so much, especially when dealing with stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.
And frankly, who in our modern society is not dealing with those three things. I think everyone should do mindfulness meditation or at least some sort of breathing practice daily. Even if only five or ten minutes. Such a short time will make a difference. And if they can’t do that then a walk through nature works quite well as well. Enjoy the seasons, get out and get fresh air. While nature can be horrible and brutal at the same time there is a peace there that we often lack.
In addition to this I’d recommend making a priority to spend time with loved ones and family. We humans are not meant to be isolated individuals. We are a tribal species and need others around us to function properly. No man is an island and a lone wolf is only a target. Like the wolf, our strength is in the pack. Find others to talk too and be around. Learn from the old, stand shoulder to shoulder with peers, and mentor the young. Find a tribe, a community, and find your place within it.
More To Come…
I start writing and before I know it I’m hitting my word count. Of course, there is much more that could be said about any one of these things that I am covering here. But this should be enough to point you in the right direction.
Until Next Time,
-Charles Sledge
