they say that when you build a community online, you’ll attract other people who are just like you.
so, first off — congrats on being a tall, beautiful, talented, hard-working, humble genius.
i’m kidding of course.
but if you really are like me, you’re probably a perfectionist.
‘anything worth doing is worth doing well,’ right?
usually, yes.
but in some cases, perfectionism is just procrastination in disguise.
& as a result of that, people like us get stuck in a loop that looks something like this:
find a new thing that you’re interested in
look at the people who are the best at it to learn
set their standards as your new standards
realize how far away you are from them (i.e. not enough skill, gear, etc.)
only start when you can do it ‘properly’ just like them
this is a good thing when it only requires a small investment of time/money/effort up front to do it the right way.
it’s a bad thing when those things feel unattainable, because it just means you’ll never actually start.
look at veganism for example.
apparently, the most common reason why people decide not to go vegan is because they ‘love bacon too much.’
honestly, that’s valid bro.
it’s also perfectionism in disguise.
luckily, if you care about animals so much that you want to go vegan, but you don’t want to give up bacon, there’s an easy solution for you:
the vegan + bacon diet.
by being a vegan who happens to eat bacon sometimes, you’d be ~90% there, which would mean you’re still doing more for animals than everybody else.
to be clear, i’m not a vegan & i also don’t care much for bacon.
but this same idea holds true with anything in life:
you want to read more —> you decide to read 1 book every week
you want to get in shape —> you decide to go to the gym every single day & follow a strict training plan
you want to make better videos —> you convince yourself you need $10,000 worth of pro equipment
all of those ideas would be perfect — & that’s why you don’t do them!
so what’s the ‘+ bacon’ version for each of them?
you want to read more —> read every week, but with no deadlines
you want to get in shape —> start going to the gym a few times each week & get comfortable with the machines
you want to make better videos —> start making videos with what you have & only buy equipment when it limits you more than your lack of skill does
the core principle here is simple:
use what you’ve got.
because the most important part of making progress isn’t the number you hit, the gym you go to, or the camera you use.
& honestly, the thing you produce as a result of your effort also isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things.
the thing that matters most is the effort itself.
this means that the moment you take action is the moment you start making progress.
so rather than doing perfect work all the time, focus on perfectly working.
use your perfectionism as fuel to show up every day, not as fuel to procrastinate.
lower the bar to whatever point it takes for you to start, & just raise it as you go —
1% better is still better.
eat the fuckin’ bacon man.
some things i learned
the world is a museum of passion projects
how to learn anything
‘if something feels too hard for you, it just means that your first step needs to be smaller.’ ~ Becky Kennedy.the most important health & happiness hack you need to think about
i lived in a dark-ish apartment for 2 years, & now that i’m living in a much brighter one, i’d never go back. my energy is better, the space looks nicer, & it improved my life enough for me to put it in this email. seriously — don’t sleep on the massive difference natural light can make.
look at this pic of a north (left) vs south (right) facing room i found online:
cool stuff i found
a company wants to build a $400k/night hotel on the moon
this isn’t even a prank lmao. the company is called Galactic Resource Utilization Space (GRU), & they have plans to begin construction in 2029. i’d give that deadline a solid 1% chance of being hit, but the fact that it’s not 0% is pretty nuts.
a tool i always keep on me
if you don’t own a multitool, you need one. since getting my Leatherman Wingman, it’s come in handy way more often than i expected. having pliers, screwdrivers, scissors, a knife + more in your pocket at all times? yes please.
a podcast episode i brainwashed myself with (intentionally)
in the past few years, i’ve re-listened to this episode of Modern Wisdom with Alex Hormozi at least 20 times. i can truthfully say it improved my life & shaped me more than 6 years (& about $40,000 worth) of university did.
give it a chance, & you’ll get a clear glimpse of how i approach life. i think it’ll make yours better, too.
YouTube link | Apple podcasts link | Spotify link
that’s all for this week!
i have to be honest with you.
after switching to a flip phone & cutting out 95% of my social media use (& most of my media consumption in general), i expected these emails to be harder for me to write.
less new info = less good info = worse newsletters… right?
wrong.
these past few newsletters have been some of my personal favourites, & judging by your responses, you seem to feel the same way.
i’m sharing this because i was so worried that reducing my media consumption would have a negative effect on my life, but not only is that untrue — the opposite has happened.
i’ll write more about this in the future, but for now, just take my word for it:
the sooner you cut your screen time, the sooner your life gets better.
i would (almost) guarantee it.
anyways, thanks again for deciding to make morning wood part of your weekly routine.
go make yourself proud this week!
‘til next time.
~ liam (:
PS - none of my recommendations here are sponsors or affiliates in any way. if & when i find a company who’s product i want to share with you, i’ll be 100% transparent about it. i promise that i’ll never promote shit i wouldn’t buy myself or give to my family. you have my word!