The more I reflect on things I have been able to prepare for and accomplish, the more I come to grips with this fact:

The "race day" or "promotion" or "presentation given" is not the dopamine producer worth fixating on, yet it is in choosing to do something difficult, preparing to do something difficult, and going against the internal friction to avoid these stressful pursuits, where we experience the most valuable growth.

The pinnacle moment of any pursuit is often a sigh of relief, an opportunity to look back and reflect on the path, to be proud of yourself for something. But the path you are looking back on is the place where you grew - not the peak of the mountain.

It's fun to cross the line of a marathon and prove you can run 26.2 miles. But I promise you will look back prouder on the fact that you were able to show up for yourself to run 5 days a week for 4 months, hit those long training runs, and miss out on life stuff for - that is what you build on.

When you get that promotion in work, you will be proud of yourself for the accomplishment and the title, but you will certainly wind up at some point being significantly more proud of the extra work and time you put in in your previous role that set you on track to receive the promotion.

I think the quote at the top of today's newsletters resonates with me on why this is the case. So much of our human experience is encapsulated in discovering our potential. How good of friends are we, how good of parents can we be, how far down my career path can I go, am I capable of more, can I run distance races, etc. We rarely choose to pursue goals that will negatively impact us. The more times we choose to "sit with doubt", to know there might be a delta between where we are today and where we need to be to accomplish something, yet still pursue it and believe we can see it through, the more we come to believe that with proper time, a proper plan, and some discipline, we can accomplish anything.

Doubt can be a valuable emotion if utilized with the right perspective. Where have been areas of your life recently where you have doubted yourself? Remind yourself of them and just say "good" - That doubt is not because you are incapable, it is because there are certain steps you have yet had the time or focus on to accomplish to this point, so the only variable you don't control now is the time it will take. Get to punching the clock -

Brain - A Stress Relief & Mood Boosting Protocol from Andrew Huberman

You’re stressed. You’re overworked in your mind. You’re having a hard time remaining productive throughout the day. You often lose steam in the afternoons. Your sleep is up and down regardless of how much energy you exert in the day.

Any of this resonating?

I am far from a hippie when it comes to guided meditation and relaxation techniques, but I also understand that as life becomes more chaotic, we must find multiple tools for our personal tool belt that resonate with us and that we find useful in improving our mental state. Enter my first recommendation - NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest), in particular from Andrew Huberman.

The concept is simple - we live busy days and rarely have structured times where our body and brain can decompress from all of the inputs we experience through the morning and afternoon hours. NSDR is essentially a breathing protocol, where by controlling the different types and lengths of inhales and exhales, we can regulate our heart rate and experience similar clarity benefits of a solid night of sleep.

Huberman’s guided protocol is short and sweet. A great starting point. The entire video is 10:49.

I’ve found this to be a useful tool in preparing for any potentially stressful meetings or conversations, and also simply as a structure to break up the day and hopefully “refresh” my mind to be productive as the clock progresses to evening hours.

Commit to doing something like this for a week. Be conscious of how you feel before and after. Maybe it’s a tool you can loop on your belt too.

Body - A Sample Protein Outline for Your Week

You’ve read the first 5 editions of the Superset, have started thinking about your protein intake, and want to get rolling on increasing that daily amount, but are still having a tough time identifying exactly how to execute. Today we have you covered. Below is a rough outline of what eating 3 meals and getting 200+ grams of protein in a day could look like. The goal is to keep this simple and repeatable.

Breakfast:

• 3 Whole Eggs (6g per)

• 1 Cup Egg Whites (24g per cup)

• 4 Oz Deli Meat (4.5g per oz)

  • Protein: 67 grams

Lunch:

• 6 ounces chicken breast (9g per oz)

  • Protein: 54 grams

Dinner:

• 6 ounces 90/10 Ground Beef (6g per oz)

  • Protein: 36 grams

Snack (Or Post-Workout)

• 2 Scoops Whey Protein (24g per scoop_

  • Protein: 48 grams

Total Protein: 205 grams

When broken out in a consistent, repeatable format like this, it doesn’t seem too bad right? There is not a lot of thought required in the base of this plan to hit your protein. On Sunday, bake a bunch of chicken. Cook some ground beef in a skillet. Scramble some eggs for the first couple of days. Prep the basics and fill out your meals from there.

Chicken and rice can get boring, but it works. To switch things up, fill up the rest of your calories with differing carbs and veggies. Make chicken and rice one day. Use low-carb wraps for tacos for the beef the next day. Mix your protein shake with Greek yogurt for a sludge bowl. Air fry sweet potatoes. There are so many ways to spice things up, but priority #1 is the protein intake, right in line with calories consumed. Focus on prepping as much of your protein as possible to keep on track.

Book - Reading Does Not Have to Be a Chore

Most people who don't read often simply don't like to do it, it's really as simple as that. I think most people would agree that reading is a valuable exercise, so they don't skip it because they don't see value. I think most people would agree reading is good for the mind, so it's not because they don't see the health benefits. I think most people simply don't read because there are other things they would like to do.

My challenge for any new readers who struggle to stick with the habit is going to be as simple as choosing a subject matter to start that you will enjoy picking up. Focus on simply reading for a few months, rather than focusing on the content of what you are reading and what you are reading for.

Read your 10 pages a day this week, but make it a fun book. Don't diminish the positive impacts reading non-personal development books can have. Maybe the fiction book won't give you a productivity token at the end of it, but we can learn a lot through the empathy between characters, the creativity of the worlds the authors write about, seeing words that expand our vocabulary, contemplating on things that help develop a broader perspective on life, etc.

These are all outside of the basic benefits of turning pages, committing to a habit, and focusing.

I know that running hills every day would be good for my conditioning. I also know I would hate every single day I went out to run and would burn out if I didn't instead mix in a few easy runs and some different scenery too.

I am the same way with my reading. One sure fire way for me to get caught in a reading rut is to parlay ten non-fiction books in a row with each other. I need some variety, plus I'm a self-admitted dork at the end of the day. I enjoy a fantasy read. I enjoy a biography. I like a sci-fi experience. I've listed a few of my favorites recently below. What would you enjoy reading enough about that you could pick up to kickstart your reading journey? Start there. And when you do work your way back into the self-development space, keep a few light-hearted reads around to break things up.

• Current Read: The Will of the Many - Empires, a fantasy play on social hierarchies, an academy with ranks, and a main character looking to rise up for revenge.

• Iron Flame - Second book of the series - Dragons, Conquest, a Hunger Games-like premise, with admittedly a lot of love (sometimes too much for me, but still a great read)

• Elon Musk - He isn’t for everyone, but I am fascinated by reading about how elite-level performers and thinkers act and get to where they are

• Atlas Six - Magic, a Secret Society, and fighting for the right to join the ranks of their predecessors (first in trilogy)