Time is on Your Side
Welcome to The Big 3!
Hey you! You could be doing anything else, yet you chose to read my newsletter. Thank you. I appreciate you.
Today, let's dive into Western society’s warped age myth, making better decisions and practicing gratitude.
Enjoy!
The Lesson
Time is on Your Side. Keep Going.
I recently had an impromptu chat with an 88-year-old active Italian grandmother (Nonna), still living fully and serving others with love.
During our conversation, I shared that I was half her age and her reaction was priceless. She looked at me, smiled endearingly as you would at a toddler, and told me in a reassuring tone - almost as if she could feel my slight angst, that I still had a whole life ahead of me.
In that instant, I could recognize how Western societies have unfortunately adopted a warped and counterintuitive idea about ageing. You see it everywhere, in advertising, movies, the workplace, magazines and beyond.
We have bought into the notion that time is our enemy. We rush and pressure ourselves. We make artificial timelines to help rationalize the madness saying things like, "By 20, 30, 40...I should be or have X, Y, Z". How depressing.
Consider this my plea to you (thanks to this Nonna) that if you somehow feel behind, that your time has passed, or that you are out of chances, hear me out, don't buy into this narrative. Life has not passed you by. Your life is happening now.
And as long as you are here, and as long as you have breath, then your dreams are still valid.
So go out there and live life fully, no matter your age. Bonus: You don't have to measure up to people's expectations. Just live.
In the words of this wise Nonna, andare avanti. Keep moving forward.
The Book
Thinking in Bets, by Annie Duke
Written by poker champion turned business consultant Annie Duke, this book has changed how I interpret and make decisions.
Thinking in Bets will teach you how to get comfortable with uncertainty and make better decisions.
Here are three eye-opening concepts from the book:
- Resulting: The habit of linking results with the quality of our decisions, ignoring the luck factor influencing how things turned out.
- Hindsight Bias: The tendency, after an outcome is known, to see the outcome as having been inevitable. When we say "I should have known better or, I should have seen it coming", we are succumbing to hindsight bias.
- Game Theory: The study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers.
This is not a quick read, but I highly recommend it to anyone committed to making better decisions.
“Thinking in bets starts with recognizing that there are exactly two things that determine how our lives turn out: the quality of our decisions and luck. Learning to recognize the difference between the two is what thinking in bets is all about.”
The Strategy
Start Your Day with Gratitude
The cliché is true, starting your day with gratitude holds superpowers.
Making the time to express to yourself what you are grateful for before you start your day, is a sure fuel to invite good vibes. It doesn't have to be deep.
One of my recent gratitude meditations was about how gossip-free my life is. I stay out of other people's business (in my life and on the internet). It feels great and brings me peace.
This week, I invite you to think of a few big and small things you are grateful for as we bring October to a close. Then carry this gratitude spirit with you to the end of the year.
Thank you for reading.
Until next week,
Stay Consistent.
