#29 March 4th, 2022

Thought of the newsletter: I hear a lot of people worry about imposter syndrome, so I want to share a great tactic toward overcoming it that I read this week:

“The most important step in overcoming impostor syndrome is realizing that we are all impostors. No one knows what they are doing most of the time. For people who routinely step out of their comfort zones, uncertainty is a constant. As screenwriter William Goldman said, 'Nobody knows anything.'

If we can come to grips with the fact that those around us are feeling the same sense of anxiety that we are, then pushing through the fear becomes easier. Instead of succumbing to self doubt, embrace it.”

You are not a fraud if you have imposter syndrome, you are normal. Just keep moving forward.

The 5 Biggest Assumptions I've Made About Business - James Altucher

Entrepreneur James Altucher shares his opinions on some commonly accepted ideas about entrepreneurship that he disagrees with. I do think a lot of his “disagreements” are really just defining words differently than others such as risk, focus, or failure. When you’re having any debate one of the first things to do is make sure you’re actually talking about the same thing.?The ideas he presents are that entrepreneurs actually try to limit their amount of risk as much as possible; they don’t always burn their ships at the shore. Failure is a good learning tool, you just have to make sure you don’t stay stuck in a terrible situation for a long time due to the sunk cost fallacy. You have to be to pivot out if needed. Focus can be a good thing in your productivity life but when it comes to your business you have to be willing to expand your offering or change things up if the market demands it. Don’t get stuck in tunnel vision on your original idea. The final principle was that the people in business are just as important if not more so than the product or service.?

On The Importance of Trying New Things — Free to Pursue

When was the last time you tried something new? People are very interesting in that we have a need for both certainty and uncertainty. There’s a fine middle ground between a boring routine compared to new things all the time. I think it’s a common feeling for people to experience things getting a little stale if too many days in a row seem the same. This has happened a lot the last two years with COVID. This article talks about choosing to change things in your life so that you can get more variety. It could be related to food, travel, or new work projects. Being someone willing to embrace the new and unfamiliar can help you stand out, develop courage, learn, and also create great new memories.?

How to Live a Non-Diet Life in a Diet Culture — Crystal Karges Nutrition - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in San Diego, CA

This article is for people who are stuck in an endless cycle of trying different diets in order to “be healthy,” but the diets only lead to feelings of guilt and self criticism. If dieting and diet culture are not working for you and making you feel bad about yourself maybe it is time to leave them behind for good. Maybe it’s time to cut yourself off from all of the messaging from society that defines your worth by what you physically look like. The article also has advice on how to cultivate a healthier relationship with food, and also to improve your self talk when it comes to your physical?health.?

Don’t Take Financial Advice From Pop Music - Financial Finesse

This article takes the common habit practices of planning your days ahead of time, doing the most important things first, reducing the number of decisions, and committing to new habits and then applies those habit practices specifically to personal finance. People may not have thought about those practices in that specific context so it could be very helpful in making sure your personal finances are on the right track.?

The Case Against Extravagant Weddings

This article is for the people who are not married yet or think they’re going to be married soon. It is a little over-the-top how expensive some weddings can be. Parents and people may spend so much money, or even go into debt, for just one day. But the marriage is more important than the wedding ceremony. No one should fall into the trap of spending so much money just to try to please their guests or their parent or to meet others’ expectations. Comparison can be a big reason for over the top wedding spending. What if all of that time and energy was instead put into premarital counseling? This article does a great job describing the problems with spending so much on the wedding, and what you can do instead.?