February’s Recommendation Roundup
Welcome to another round-up of the books, ideas, activities, & habits we think you should check out. You can find all our recommendation round-ups here.
Walking And Talking
Recommended by Cole Sager, Pro Athlete & President of CompTrain
I shared this on a previous episode of Chasing Excellence, but I'm a big fan of having important, big, or focused conversations with people while walking.
A significant body of research has shown the benefits of mild activity in stimulating the mind, which can increase executive function.
I think it's one of the best ways to connect with people on a deeper level. It can lead to stronger conversations, improved verbal expression, more open communication, and, hopefully, a stronger relationship.
It can also be a good time for a focused phone call or when you need to clear your mind to make difficult decisions.
The Daily Stoic
Recommended by Jonathan Fletcher, co-owner of Digital Barbell
Half of the things you worry about will never happen. The other half isn't worth worrying about because they're not in your control in the first place.
Starting each morning with a five-minute reading from the Daily Stoic is often a reminder to focus on what I can control and let the rest go.
Simple, not always easy, but always worth it.
The novels of Amor Towles
Recommended by Patrick Cummings, author of the kid’s book The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy
I'll happily continue to be the cheerleader for fiction in our little corner of the self-development internet.
I've recently devoured two of Towles' books (The Lincoln Highway & A Gentleman in Moscow) and am reading his first (The Rules of Civility).
As I continue to stare at my little pocket computer less and spend far fewer minutes paying attention to the great time-suck that is current events, I am finding welcome relief in great books like these.
The most common pre-workout in the fitness industry
Recommended by Mark England, co-founder & head coach of Enlifted
Is it NO-XPLODE? Super Human Pump? C4 Original? Or maybe Ultimate Orange for you old-school gym rats?
Nope.
The thing that fuels more workouts than anything else...the thing that gets people to the gym more often than anything else...the thing that most people run off of is...[drum roll please]:
The fear of not being good enough.
Yep, good old-fashioned atelophobia with a side order of the victim mentality.
"I'll make him want me back."
"She's gonna regret ever cheating on me."
"Wait till all those bullies see me at the class reunion."
"I'll make them respect me."
"I'll prove them all wrong."
And that isn't a tenth of it.
When people fuel their workouts with regret, anger, sadness, betrayal, and a general sense that they're failing, they turn their workouts into punishments.
Punishments for not being good enough. Not being smart enough. Not being successful enough. Not being whatever enough.
Now, is that 100% exclusive across the board? Of course not. I've brought that up in enough workshops where many wide-eyed people in the audience nod along to know it's a thing, though.
So the moral of the story is: Dismantle the victim mentality in all its glorious forms and watch your workouts transform.
Watch your workouts transform from punishment to celebration—a celebration of being able to do it rather than a way to keep the lid on "the crazy."
From S.M.A.R.T. to S.M.A.R.T.E.S.T.
Recommended by Jamison Price, author of The Better Way
I've been working on this goal-setting and tracking framework for the past year.
I've used it myself and found it focuses on what's missing from the standard SMART framework (which I always felt wasn't quite human enough).