Hello,
Happy Tuesday - hereās what Iām still calling 2-2-Tuesday which I think is bloody brilliant. Thanks for reading and of course subscribe if youāre new!
šĀ Two things you need to know:
šĀ One Bag Travel
This might not be for everyone but Iāve become pretty obsessed recently.
One Bag travel is exactly that - travelling with one bag. Meaning, everything you travel with can fit into one (roughly 40L) backpack thatās small enough to count as carry on for planes.
Thereās loads of reasons I like One Bag travel:
Naturally a backpack is much easier to lug around on transport than a suitcase
It encourages me to be more thoughtful about the things I take when go on holiday, travel, go backpacking (pending) - less is usually always more
No more checking luggage: cheaper, less waiting, and no risk of the airport losing your things - leaving you to focus on enjoying the experience rather than worrying about logistics
Less things means less time packing. And who doesnāt hate packing?
And thereās no need to lug a heavy suitcase across a cobbled street somewhere in Europe that screams TOURIST!!!
Iāve gone with the Osprey Farpoint 40L for my first foray into the minimalist One Bag lifestyle dream.
Just think of the practicality
š°Ā How to Think About Money
Iām reading an amazing personal finance / money self-help book called Youāre Not Broke, Youāre Pre-Rich (Emilie Bellet). Itās a straight talking, all encompassing look at finance and life planning.
Iām 5 chapters in and have been recommending it to everyone already.
Early on, the book sets out how to think about money in a healthier way. Money is a massive taboo and this only serves to make the conversation and topic difficult to talk about. This then creates worry and issues further down the line.
Iām no expert on money, so hereās some of the best ways to create a positive relationship with money in the book that Iāve benefitted from:
Identify negative thoughts - Is this bill another example of failure or an example of how life is unfair? Or is it a chance to take stock, work out a plan to move forward and be more prepared for net time?
Get educated - Via books, blogs, friends, TED talks, seminars - understanding money creates empowerment to figure out new ways to save and make money.
Change your money language - We never have āenoughā. But money is abundant - thinking this way encourages thinking of how to get enough, rather than accepting itāll never happen
Be kind to yourself - Everyone makes mistakes. Get over them and move on.
Stop the comparison trap - Thereās always someone that will have more money than you - so when the mind starts to wander into comparison land, remember all the things that we have to be grateful for.
Make a plan - Deciding what you want and how youāll get there gives you direction in life. Small, easy steps that create big results over time.
ā Ā Two Recommendations:
Book - How to Change Your Mind (Michael Pollen)
How to Change Your Mind gives a fascinating insight into the world of psychedelics, from their effects and benefits, discovery and current research.
Michael Pollan is a 67 year old āpsychonautā in the book - he details his experiences vividly alongside a comprehensive recount of the origins and evolution of psychedelics in the west.
In short, itās an incredibly detailed and beautifully written book, with astounding descriptions of his experiences on various psychedelics. Itās the sort of book that expands your vocabulary on every page.
Hereās a recount from the book - Michael is walking through his garden while high on Psilocybin, enraptured by his newfound connection to the nature around him:
The dragonflies, big as birds, were now out in force, touching down just long enough to kiss the phlox blossoms and then lift off, before madly crisscrossing the garden path. These were more dragonflies than I had ever seen in one place, so many in fact that I wasnāt completely sure if they were real. (Judith later confirmed the sighting when I got her to come outside.) And as they executed their flight patterns, they left behind them contrails that persisted in the air, or so at least it appeared. Dusk now approaching, the air traffic in the garden had built to a riotous crescendo: the pollinators making their last rounds of the day, the plants still signifying to them with their flowers: me, me, me! In one way I knew this scene wellāthe garden coming briefly back to life after the heat of a summer day has relentedābut never had I felt so integral to it.
Tweet Thread - When to Quit (Wait But Why)
As good as ever from Tim Urban.
š¬Ā And finally, two quotes
It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.
ā Seneca
And a great reminder that everyone is faking it and doing their best as they go along:
Despite the upbeat tone of society in general, there is solace in the discovery that everyone else is, in private, of course as bewildered and regretful as we are. This is not Schadenfreude, simply profound relief that we are not the only ones.
ā Alain de Botton, The School of Life: An Emotional Education
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Thanks!
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