January's Recommendation Round-Up
Tools, habits, content, & questions worth checking out
Simon Sinek on friendship
Recommended by Jamison Price, author of The Better Way
This is profound and thought-provoking. I've followed Sinek's work for a while, and I've always enjoyed his perspectives on things, but this conversation on friendship can be life-altering.
Where we've over-indexed to independence and isolation, this kind of intentional connection is nothing short of a cultural & relational reformation.
A walking pad
Recommended by Jonathan Fletcher, co-owner of Digital Barbell
Walking isn't magic, but it's pretty close.
Having a walking pad in our office/gym has made daily activity 1,000% easier. Rain, cold, and heat are no longer obstacles or potential excuses.
You can even crank it up fast enough to knock out an 8-minute mile.
New Year’s Questions vs. New Year’s Resolutions
Recommended by Mark England, co-founder & head coach of Enlifted
What would happen if you wrote down the ten most important questions for your life for 2025?
According to Kindlin’s Law, any question sufficiently worded and written down is half-answered. Talk about a mindset tool.
Another thing you can expect from writing down questions is decreased anxiety and overwhelm with a sense of clarity and relaxation. Questions kept in the head swirl and are rarely answered or answered well. Picking up your pen and clearing out some mental real estate not only feels good, but it will improve the quality of answers you choose and decisions you make.
On top of your resolutions, write down the 10 biggest questions for 2025 and watch what happens.
Kindlin’s Law: Any question sufficiently worded and written down is half answered.
The Martian by Andy Weir
Recommended by Patrick Cummings, author of The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy
This is a fantastic before-sleep book. It consistently got me upstairs & into bed 20 minutes before I otherwise would have - which is one of my favorite sleep hacks.
More than that, though, the story is such a great lesson of what we can all do better: focus on solving the problem right in front of us & not burning up all our mental matchsticks on the 174 problems that might come later.
Perfect Breathing
Recommended by Chris Irwin, founder of RARE SENSE
This is an ideal breathing technique for maintaining overall health, as detailed in James Nestor's book "Breath" (which I also highly recommend).
All you have to do is listen to the track and follow the music.
The Perform Podcast
Recommended by Cole Sager, Pro Athlete & President of CompTrain
I have enjoyed the succinct information on human performance. The host, Andy Galpin, does a good job speaking to the general population while also making it applicable to athletes who want to go beyond general health and fitness—and even makes some content relatable to professional athletes (how I found the podcast in the first place).
This is particularly valuable because so many podcasts treat high-performers like outliers and don't address the fact that we have questions and are also exploring human performance.
Love when friends share their recommendations! A standing desk and walking pad were on my purchase list this month to get more movement in my day so felt reaffirming to see that on the list! I loved Hail Mary audible. So ordering The Martian (ThriftBooks) Read Life is Magic this month and sharing that as my recommend for January.