The Blog
Welcome to the blog of Swedish entrepreneur and author Filip Svensson, in constant pursuit of productivity, happiness and life.
(Btw, the archive is here: Blog Archive)
Blog #26 – How to Remind Yourself that You are Awesome and Why It Is So Important
January 21, 2018.A Sunday.
The feeling of making progress is the most empowering thing and a profound experience too because it isn’t about something good happening, it’s about you making something good happen.
Which tells you that you are in control of your own life and that you have the power to affect the world around you.
Which is awesome.
But because our brains are a few million years behind in the evolution we forget this easily and as we do, we start to believe that we are not in control.
That things just happen.
And that we have no say.
But you need to feel in control in order to act like you are in control.
And you need to act like you are in control in order to actually be in control.
And because of our (silly) brains, we do need to constantly remind ourselves that YOU are the one who can – and will – make the good things happen and that those things don’t just happen by themselves.
Incidentally, here are three great ways to do just that:
(You are welcome)
#1 – Celebrate your wins, inspired by Fredrik Eklund
“Whenever you are about to get to the next mini-level, close your eyes and cherish lifting your foot, because life is all about recognizing our accomplishments, however small a step they may be”
– Fredrik Eklund
The reason this works is because for every time you achieve something (and it doesn’t really matter how small it is), celebrating it will create a more powerful memory of that success – which in turn will help keep the accurate image of you being awesome alive.
#2 – The Jar of Awesome, inspired by Tim Ferriss
A Jar of Awesome is simply a jar that you have and when you accomplish something, you make a little note of it and put it in the jar.
Super simple and highly effective.
Because when you feel a bit down or start to doubt your intergalactic awesomeness you just open the jar and read about all the good things that YOU made happen.
Ideas you brought to life or other good things that show that you are making progress, despite the fact that you didn’t manage to make all your dreams come true on your first (or 58th) week of going for it. Because every little note is a proof that you are moving in the right direction.
That you ARE making things happen.
That you ARE doing GOOD.
Which is awesome.
#3 – Hack your serotonin to boost tip #1 and #2
This is a biohack that will help you get the most out of your celebrations and your Jar of Awesome.
A lever, if you will.
Because in order to truly create your own self and your own success (and become the master of the universe) you need to understand how the brain works.
And what happens in your brain when you celebrate or remember something positive is that the hormone serotonin is produced which will give you a warm, happy feeling of things just being good.
And the thing is that serotonin is manufactured by the brain from the amino acid called l-tryptophan which is a common building block of protein (so you can find it in meat and eggs and all those things).
But if you take L-tryptophan as a supplement on an empty stomach, the brain will have a little serotonin party going, which is very good stuff.
And since we always find what we are looking for (whether it is something negative or something positive), our positive outlook on life thanks to the boost of serotonin will have us look for a reason why we feel so good.
And when you see your Jar of Awesome in the corner of your eye and relive the memory of that celebration of your “mini-level,” your brain will think that the reason for you feeling so good is that you are making progress.
And that you are awesome.
Which, of course, is true.
Always keep that in mind.
Thank you for reading,/Filip
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