How Avoid Manipulation for a Fulfilling Life

WELL BEING
Avoid Manipulation for a Fulfilling Life
Robert Greene, bestselling author on strategy, power, and seduction, shared insights on dealing with people and living authentically on Diary of a CEO.

Insights:

• Many frustrations in life stem from feeling confined by societal expectations and others’ perceptions of you. It's crucial to discern whether external pressures shape our identities and learn to liberate ourselves from these constraints, avoiding the trap of "false purposes" imposed by society.

• Start by examining your own strengths and flaws to increase self-awareness, which is needed to stop behaviors that hinder rather than serve us.

• Look behind people’s public mask by listening to their tone and observing their body language for inauthenticity. Think of that voice and smile you put on during your Zoom calls, that is your public mask!

• Envy can drive both constructive and harmful actions. By mastering our own envy and recognizing it in others, we gain leverage to navigate relationships more adeptly.

Your Actions:

• Describe yourself. Are you ambitious, competitive, and commanding? Are you shy, hesitant, and risk averse? Nobody is simple or static, so attempt to include as much detail as possible and revisit your description several times a year.

• Identify how you are driven by others’ expectations of you. What are you happy with in life? What are you frustrated with? What is driven by others’ perceptions of you that make you feel hesitant to change? Find something small you can change that breaks a part of your identity to begin.

For more interesting and useful observations of human nature, check out Robert’s best-selling book The 48 Laws of Power.

NUTRITION
Half of You Don’t Consume Enough Magnesium

Dr. Rhonda Patrick delved into the science of magnesium (Mg), its implications for aging and disease, and debunked claims surrounding its effects on sleep on her FoundMyFitness podcast.

Insights:

• Inadequate levels of magnesium may accelerate brain volume loss and dementia onset, elevate cancer risk, impair vitamin D absorption, and compromise bone health later in life.

• Alarmingly, nearly half of the US population fails to meet recommended magnesium intake levels.

• Assertions regarding magnesium's efficacy in improving sleep or brain function lack robust scientific evidence and primarily rely on questionable observational dietary data.

• Exercise and mental stress deplete long-term magnesium stores. Individuals engaged in consistent physical activity or experiencing high stress levels may require higher daily magnesium intake.

Your Actions:

• Utilize a reputable factsheet to estimate your average daily magnesium intake. Then compare it to the recommended daily intake of 315 mg for women and 410 mg for men.

• If deficient, prioritize increasing consumption of dark leafy greens, which offer numerous additional health benefits.

• Consider supplementation with magnesium glycinate or magnesium salt mixes. Dr. Patrick recommends smaller doses spread throughout the day to enhance absorption and minimize gastrointestinal discomfort. 

WRITING
Use Less Words

Best-selling author and prolific blogger Seth Godin shared his thoughts on how to produce compelling writing with brevity on Tim Ferriss’ podcast.

Insights:

• Balancing detail and brevity is key. Deep sentences might overwhelm readers, while short ones might lack depth. Finding the sweet spot is the challenge.

• Good comics engage the reader by leaving gaps for imagination. They don’t need to describe how Superman got from point A to B, they leave it to the reader.

• Embrace "done is better than perfect." Set boundaries for completion to avoid endless tweaking and encourage iterative improvement.

Your Actions:

• To practice brevity, summarize your project's essence in six words or less for practice.

• Simplify sentences by replacing complex words and axing parentheticals. Before sending your next email or memo, remove or replace at least five words with something simpler. When doing so, think about how to leverage inference for added clarity.

• Establish word and time boundaries for your next written draft to curb overthinking and promote efficiency.

Check out Seth’s blog to see his style of writing.

Want to make newsletters like this but do not know how? Check out Beehiiv, a leading all-in-one newsletter platform for newsletter