- The Quest Newsletter
- Posts
- The Quest Newsletter
Read time: 4 minutes
Welcome to Quest, a weekly newsletter where I provide ideas to help you build a life you love — one filled with more energy, purpose, and joy.
Preview:
Quote: Mice or Antelope
Useful Ideas: Finding Minutes, Presence, Basics
Exercise: Weak Ties
Story: 103 Bits of Advice
Thought: Problem Prioritization
Quote
Newt Gingrich with an analogy for how we should invest our energy:
“A lion is fully capable of capturing, killing, and eating a field mouse. But it turns out that the energy required to do so exceeds the caloric content of the mouse itself. So a lion that spent its day hunting and eating field mice would slowly starve to death. A lion can’t live on field mice. A lion needs antelope. Antelope are big animals. They take more speed and strength to capture and kill, and once killed, they provide a feast for the lion and her pride. A lion can live a long and happy life on a diet of antelope. The distinction is important. Are you spending all your time and exhausting all your energy catching field mice? In the short term, it might give you a nice, rewarding feeling. But in the long run, you’re going to die. So ask yourself at the end of the day, “Did I spend today chasing mice or hunting antelope?”
Useful Ideas
I.
We say we want to live a certain lifestyle but many times, we aren’t willing to commit to the actions required to get the results we desire.
We’re too busy we say.
Well, everyone has 1,440 minutes a day.
How you spend these minutes will determine the outcome of your life.
Imagine if you could find 20 more minutes to invest in yourself.
What would you do?
You could invest in:
• Your faith
• Your health
• Your learning
• Your business
• Your relationships
There are hidden minutes in every day, we just have to find them.
II.
One of the greatest tragedies of our time: Not being present.
A Harvard study showed that 47% of the time we are not in the present moment.
Our minds aren’t very good at time traveling — they tend to get stuck in the past and in the future.
We spend half of our lives looking backward or looking forward and then wonder where life went.
Do you want to feel more alive? Live more present.
III.
Some people mock "generic" health advice on diet, sleep, and exercise.
Some stats on people:
• 42% are obese
• 30% are sleep deprived
• 76% aren't getting enough exercise
Clearly, many people haven't mastered the basics.
Don't confuse awareness of advice with acting on advice.
Exercise
We are all aware of the impact that high-quality relationships can have on our lives. These are the relationships with family, spouses, and close friends.
What we tend to underestimate is the impact that “weak tie” relationships can have on our well-being. These are the shorter, casual interactions we have with grocery store clerks, acquaintances, or complete strangers.
Studies show that even small gestures like greeting or thanking someone have a positive impact on our life satisfaction.
So here’s the challenge:
Over the next week, go out of your way to be friendly to someone you don’t know well or at all.
One example would be to greet the person scanning your items at the grocery store with a spirit of intentionality and sincerity. Ask them how they’re doing and say it in a way that communicates that you actually care how they respond.
Bonus points if you use their name. It might be the only time they hear it all day.
The way we treat people has the power to unleash a positive ripple effect that can change someone’s day.
And making someone else’s day can make ours too.
103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known by Kevin Kelly
A lot of great ideas in this piece. Here are some of my favorites:
About 99% of the time, the right time is right now.
No one is as impressed with your possessions as you are.
When you forgive others, they may not notice, but you will heal. Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is a gift to ourselves.
Efficiency is highly overrated; Goofing off is highly underrated. Regularly scheduled sabbaths, sabbaticals, vacations, breaks, aimless walks and time off are essential for top performance of any kind. The best work ethic requires a good rest ethic.
If winning becomes too important in a game, change the rules to make it more fun. Changing rules can become the new game.
The consistency of your endeavors (exercise, companionship, work) is more important than the quantity. Nothing beats small things done every day, which is way more important than what you do occasionally.
What you do on your bad days matters more than what you do on your good days.
The only productive way to answer “What should I do now?” is to first tackle the question of “Who should I become?”
It’s thrilling to be extremely polite to rude strangers.
When you are stuck, explain your problem to others. Often simply laying out a problem will present a solution. Make “explaining the problem” part of your troubleshooting process.
Habit is far more dependable than inspiration. Make progress by making habits. Don't focus on getting into shape. Focus on becoming the kind of person who never misses a workout.
Your time and space are limited. Remove, give away, throw out things in your life that don't spark joy any longer in order to make room for those that do.
Thought
Which problems in your life, if solved, would have the most impactful downstream effect? Prioritize solving those problems.
If you enjoyed today’s newsletter, feel free to share it with family, friends, or colleagues. There is a link to subscribe below or you can share this link: https://www.beauburns.com/
Make it a great weekend.
Much love,
Beau Burns
If this e-mail was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here to receive it in the future.