247 Newsletter: Just do!

Hello everyone,

I warmly welcome you to my first proper newsletter. I’m truly delighted that each of you is reading these words. I encourage you to give feedback and start discussions on points from the newsletter using the comment function. Let’s dive right in with the 2 tasks, 4 quotes, and 7 insights.

2 Tasks:

I’ve set myself many goals for this year, particularly in the areas of education, fitness, human capital, and finance. The key here is to start, and it all begins with defining your goals. Therefore, here are the 2 tasks for your week:

1. Write down 3 goals for this year and place them somewhere visible where you can read them daily. The goals should be as specific as possible, for example:
   • Start my part-time Master’s degree program in XY in the winter semester.
   • Invest €10,000 in the S&P 500 by December 31, 2024.
   • Visit my grandparents at least once a month (preferably on Sundays).
   • Run at least 5km every week. Go to the park every Tuesday and Friday after work.
   • Read at least one book every month, starting with XY.
   • Aim to have an average of less than 1.5 hours of screen time on my phone.
   The more specific, the better. The likelihood of achieving these goals increases with the level of detail. Take your time and really think about what you want to achieve this year, then write it down on a piece of paper. These goals don’t have to be limited to this year; you can vary the timeframe. You can also define 1 goal for each of the following timeframes: Short-Term Goals (0-6 months), Mid-Term Goals (1-2 years), Long-Term Goals (3+ years). Whatever you do and however you do it, the key is to define some goals and place them where you’ll see them daily (e.g., written on a whiteboard or attached to your fridge with magnets).
2. The second task builds on the first. Take the first step toward your goals. Inquire about the admission requirements for your desired Master’s program, open a trading account and invest your first €50, write to your grandparents that you’ll visit them over the weekend, take a walk in the park, buy the book XY, set up app limits.Taking the first step not only sets things in motion but also feels like a success. It’s important to start your journey towards achieving your goals with a positive experience. You can then build on this positive experience.

4 Quotes:

I started this year with the following books: “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius and “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. I highly recommend both books, and in the next newsletters, I will share my favorite quotes from these two books:

1. “Search for a tiny margin of improvement in everything you do” (Page 1, Atomic Habits).
2. “The effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them” (Page 16, Atomic Habits).
3. “No action should be undertaken without aim, or other than in conformity with a principle affirming the art of life.” (Meditations Book Four 2, Page 33).
4. “Remove the judgment and you have removed the thought ‘I am hurt’; remove the thought ‘I am hurt,’ and the hurt itself is removed.” (Meditations Book Four 2, Page 33).

7 Insights:

1. The universe is one large organism – everything is interconnected and has effects on each other (from Meditations).
2. Maintain eye contact! (from life).
3. If you miss or postpone something today, make sure it doesn’t happen again tomorrow. (Don’t miss it twice) For example, if you set goals like eating healthy, reading every day, etc., there might be days when you don’t achieve them, and that’s okay, but ensure it doesn’t happen two days in a row. (From Atomic Habits).
4. Just do it, whatever it is, just start. Don’t overthink or dwell on what could go wrong. Don’t overanalyze everything; you’ll learn what goes wrong as you go along, and then you’ll realize it’s not as bad as you think.
5. If you want to acquire something, make sure it aligns with you and your strengths! Don’t chase things/skills that are trendy or generally seem promising. Do something that suits you and your character. Then you’ll truly be successful. (From Atomic Habits).
6. Enjoy the moment and don’t dwell on the future or past. (from life).
7. Show up!

I’m enjoying writing down my thoughts and learnings here, even though I know that hardly anyone will ever read them. Nonetheless, it’s nice to review the events for this newsletter. Additionally, it helps me greatly to reiterate the significant points from the books and the time in my mind. We’re constantly searching for new information, new books, etc., but we don’t spend enough time with the information we’ve already absorbed. We should internalize these first. I recently saw a good video about this; it’s better to read a book multiple times than several books once. This blog is intended to help me put experiences into words, jot down gained information and learned things (or to the keyboard), and engage with them again. And I hope anyone reading this enjoys it and finds new thought-provoking ideas here. I look forward to your feedback!