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Hey there!

It's Sunday, which means that it's time for an email packed with some great content, just for you.

What I've Made for You

How to take Smart Book Notes with Notion

Book Notes this week

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

An amazing biography by Isaacson. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the life of Steve Jobs. What a fascinating man.

The Road to Character by David Brooks

I didn't like the book as much as I thought I would. It felt boring at times. But it does contain some great wisdom on shaping yourself — and what one should aspire to.

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams

Practical wisdom in an easy-to-read book. You'll breeze right through and learn a lot in the process.

Principles & Values

I think that having a set of values and principles in life is important.

That's why, a few months ago, I sat down and defined a few of my own.

And today, I'll share some of them with you. As I share them, I'll give a few of my thoughts as well.

Play long term games.

A very general principle. It counts for diet - choosing to eat healthy now, so I keep my body in great shape as I age - as well as most other aspects of life.

Systems over goals

While I do enjoy goals, they are often internal.

You can fail at goals.

Say, you might set a goal to 'win a match'. You can't control whether you win the match or not; and you will be affected if you think - before the match is even over - that you are losing. A loss may lead to distress.

Instead, internal goals lead to fulfillment. Choosing to become the type of person who values health. Who exercises regularly and does their best.

Exercising daily is a system. It's a value. It's something you do.

When you aim for achieving a goal, you might win once.

If you implement a system, you win every time you use it.

You are your own standard. Compare only to yourself.

Comparing yourself to others is a great way to ensure unhappiness.

I like to think about it this way. If you envy something in someone else, ask yourself; "Would I want to be that person?"

Because you can't pick and choose. Either you have it all - good or bad - or you stay yourself.

Their merits came at a cost. I realized that if someone has something I don't, it's because they paid a price I didn't pay.

Embrace Reality and Deal With It

Not looking at your bank account doesn't make the debt go away.

Not weighing yourself doesn't fix your weight problems.

Sometimes, we have to face facts.

The best part is, once we realize that we have a problem, we can figure out how to solve it.

Speaking of solving our problems...

The Obstacle is the Way

“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” - Ryan Holiday in The Obstacle is the Way

Be 1% better every day

Going full circle, we now return to the first principle that I mentioned: Playing long term games.

1% is great because it doesn't feel stressful. 1% could be to read a page. Do a pushup. Go for a walk.

Doing something, every day, that helps you feel and be better. You might not notice a change immediately. But over time? You won't believe what can happen.

These are some of the things I aspire to live every day. The list is certainly not exhaustive, but these are some of the most important ones to me.

Do you have any principles? I'd love to hear them.

"Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked."Steve Jobs

To your success. Regards, 

Christian Bager Bach Houmann