3 MINUTE MONDAY

Hi friend,

I'm back in the UK.

Come see me live this Thursday in London at the Eventim Apollo - https://chriswilliamson.live/london​

I think it’s a lie too.

One of the most common questions that got asked at the Q&A’s in Australia was how do I give myself credit for my accomplishments in life? Why do I never feel finished or satisfied with a job well done?

This is another Curse Of Competence.

If you’re good at things, and have high standards, you assume that you should always do well.

Which means that success is not a cause for celebration but the minimum level of reasonable performance.

Anything less than victory would be a failure, and victory itself becomes nothing more than acceptable.

Congratulations, you might be very successful.

You also might be very miserable.

I shouldn’t say congratulations though. That makes it sound as if you chose it.

A few things to keep in mind:

You are wired this way for a reason.

Your ancestors are made up of the most goal-driven, insecure overachievers from history.

You could not have been any other way.

Your brain does not care about you feeling good, it only cares about you being successful.

In the past, success meant accumulating food and resources, now it means accumulating money and accomplishments.

The number of ways your success-seeking system can be hijacked is greater than ever. It’s not your fault.

There are no solutions, only tradeoffs.

You don’t get to live the comfortable life with recognition and progress AND ALSO switch off from that stuff whenever you want.

What, you think you could be obsessive and driven in one area of your life but be able to create a hard boundary where it doesn’t bleed over into everything else?

That’s just not the way it works.

You complain about not being grateful and give yourself no time for gratitude.

I don’t mean a daily journal which becomes a chore.

I mean dwelling at the end of a successful experience for 60 seconds, considering the details and considering how good and satisfied you feel to have completed it.

Absorb the experience. Imagine it sinking down into you and becoming a part of you. — h/t Rick Hanson

Look.

You were born into a world you didn’t choose, maladapted for the mind you have, which you also didn’t choose, in an environment replete with games designed to hijack your drive and attention 24 hours a day.

I’m impressed you even made it to breakfast today.

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MODERN WISDOM

I do a podcast where I pretend to have a British accent. You should subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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This week’s upcoming episodes:

Monday.
Dry Creek Dewayne - perhaps my favourite episode of 2024. Cowboy wisdom from a Wyoming wrangler on life, relationships, purpose, mental health and more. Do not miss. Also on Spotify video.

Thursday.
Cenk Uygur - the founder & host of the internet’s biggest Left-leaning platform gives a post-mortem on the election. Now the dust has settled, what are the lessons to takeaway? And why might he be working with Elon?

Saturday.
Dave Smith - the media has hardly showered themselves in glory over the last few years. Will they ever learn? Why do they continue to lie and get things so wrong? Are they a lost cause?

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THINGS I'VE LEARNED

1.
​You just inhaled particles from Julius Caesar’s last breath.

A single breath contains approximately 10^22 molecules.

Because of the Conservation of Matter, the molecules of Caesar’s last breath were not destroyed; they dispersed into the atmosphere.

Over thousands of years, those molecules have spread throughout the Earth’s atmosphere due to diffusion and atmospheric mixing.

The Earth’s atmosphere is vast but finite, meaning the original molecules eventually mix throughout the entire atmosphere.

So even after such widespread diffusion, a fraction of those molecules are likely to remain in the air we all breathe today.

TLDR: While the fraction of Caesar’s breath in any given inhalation is minuscule, the sheer number of molecules and the passage of time make it probable that every breath we take contains some of those ancient molecules.

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2.
​Kobe’s essay when he ruptured his achilles.

This is such BS! All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with one step that I've done millions of times! The frustration is unbearable. The anger is rage.

Why the hell did this happen ?!? Makes no damn sense. Now I'm supposed to come back from this and be the same player Or better at 35?!?

How in the world am I supposed to do that?? I have NO CLUE. Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing?

Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was. Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me...

Then again maybe not!

It's 3:30am, my foot feels like dead weight, my head is spinning from the pain meds and I'm wide awake. Forgive my Venting but what's the purpose of social media if I won't bring it to you Real No Image?? Feels good to vent, let it out. To feel as if THIS is the WORST thing EVER!

Because After ALL the venting, a real perspective sets in. There are far greater issues/ challenges in the world then a torn achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.

One day, the beginning of a new career journey will commence. Today is NOT that day.

"If you see me in a fight with a bear, prey for the bear".

Ive always loved that quote. Thats "mamba mentality" we don't quit, we don't cower, we don't run. We endure and conquer.

I know it's a long post but I'm Facebook Venting LOL. Maybe now I can actually get some sleep and be excited for surgery tomorrow. First step of a new challenge.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Much Love Always.

Mamba Out

— Kobe Bryant, 13 April 2013

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3.
​Why I love maxims.

“Everything that needs to be said has already been said.

But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” ― Nobel Prize winner, André Gide

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LIFE HACK

It takes 9 days to reset your caffeine tolerance.

Too dependant on coffee?

It only takes 9 days to fully reset your adenosine receptors.

December and January are a good time.

Consider it.
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Big love,
Chris x

Try my productivity drink Neutonic.
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PS
I'll send a list of the best Black Friday deals I've found out later this week. And the UK is cold.