1-1-1 : What's important? Fear of the Future & Meta

Let’s start off with an announcement,

Starting this week, this newsletter is moving to a new format and a new schedule. I’ve been trying to find a way to give all of you more without losing the bite-sized form of this newsletter. And James Clear gave me the right form of inspiration through his 3-2-1 newsletter format.

So, how is this going to work? Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday you’ll get a newsletter from me which will have

“1 thought-starter - 1 insight - 1 recommendation “

And while the Saturday one will still have long-form written content from me, the. weekday ones will keep it even tighter, so it’s never too much to consume on a weekday. Hope this evolution gives you as much value as I’m hoping it will.

1-Thought-Starter

What's important?

Our lives are a constant stream of notifications, of opportunities and responsibilities. A stream of to-dos, must-dos, cool to-dos and must try to-dos. And what we get stuck in is a state of choice paralysis or analysis paralysis as it's popularly called.

Analysis paralysis describes an individual or group process when overanalyzing or overthinking a situation can cause forward motion or decision-making to become "paralyzed", meaning that no solution or course of action is decided upon within a natural time frame.

We want to either do everything or hate choosing what feels necessary over what seems more cool or fun, and mostly we find the state of being stuck in decision making to be the safest spot. We tell ourselves,

 " You can't make a bad choice if you don't choose at all." 

I'm a supreme example of someone who's literally laid out a couch to sit in this spot ( I spend a lot of time here in analysis paralysis land). I try to do everything at most times yet stay stuck trying to choose between what to do at all times. But, sometimes, at the most unlikely moments, something strikes you that makes you move that couch and the chaos around it away. 

I spent last week in Paris with my wife Pooja & daughter Leia. And I took a bunch of content to-do's with me, including the need to write a newsletter from Paris. But as I sat down in the hotel bathroom after everyone was asleep ( I find bathrooms to be the most peaceful spots), I realized something. In my need to share, create and communicate with the world around me, I had lost the need to soak in life as it actually happened. In recent months, I'd forgotten to give my present enough attention in between procrastination and reflection. And it brought me back to what drew me to content creation in the first place, the need to share things I'd learned by being present ( even when reflecting on the past), and somewhere along the way, I had moved the creation to the front, and the reflective present went to the back. And at that moment in the Loo, while the two most important people in my life slept in the other room... I put creation back in its place and allowed reflection and being present to move ahead again. And over the next week, every reflective moment led to more clarity, and being present led to more satisfaction. When you reflect before you leap, you leap optimally, and when you feel every aspect of that action, you experience joy no matter the culmination ( you will fall on your face or ass regularly). 

And as I start creating & sharing again from this week, I do so not just from the point of self-reflective clarity but also from a more profound sense of being present in what I'm experiencing at the moment. And isn't that worth a few unannounced weeks off from this newsletter.

"'May the Force be with you is charming, but it's not important. What's important is that you become the Force - for yourself and perhaps for other people."

-Harrison Ford ( Trust 'Han Solo' to say this)

Click to tweet this quote

1-Insight

The Future isn’t something to fear. The Amara Tribe has a beautiful insight into how we must look at the future. Listen for more.

1-Recommendation

This has to be one of the most engaging conversations involving Mark Zuckerberg that I have ever consumed. A must-watch.

✌🏽