Unwind Your Mind | Weekly Wisdom With Dan Isaacman danisaacman.com

The Worst Person To Run From Is Yourself🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️
Identity is a complex psychological and social construct.
For millennia, it has defined our status and standing within societies.
Your position and power were primarily formed by your title and your relative standing within your community.
But there is another side to our identity that is not so formal.
Part of who we are, and who we become, is our perception of ourselves.
We create a character within our environment based on our actions and reactions.
Our observations let us form opinions about our behaviours, that shape our inner identity.
How can we develop a belief in ourselves and trust our ability to deliver and operate, based on prior experience?
Counter Surveillance 🔍
Human nature propels us to find patterns as a tool to communicate effectively.
We characterise people based on appearance, behaviour, and actions.
This allows us to quickly build an identity profile to speculate on other people's possible intentions and beliefs.
We judge people whether we want to admit it or not. It is a helpful shortcut to avoid having to cognitively process every single detail of interactions and relationships.
If only we had time to judge a book by its contents.
We use our previous experiences (pretext) and current environment (context) to understand the subtleties of life.
When engaging in conversation our pretext will shape our perception and understanding. The context will allow us to share large amounts of information with minimal effort based on a shared experience.
Computer and voice recognition have difficulty interpreting the subtleties of interaction because of the amount of information contained in the pretext and context that we humans effortlessly interpret.
When interacting with us, others often judge us too based on their past experiences. Even stranger, sometimes the opinions of those people shape our identity over time from external validation.
For example, if a doctor tells you something about yourself, you will usually believe them as an authority figure, and you might even take their comments and use them to form part of your own identity.
Think about it, most of us want to hear the doctor tell us what is wrong with us. It’s not good when they say they don’t know. We want something conclusive. When they do diagnose us, then we can justify our initial concern and take on this diagnosis as a part of our identity.
There is an inherent danger when crafting your identity and letting others shape who you become because it is easy to be misled by your own mind.
On to me, I’m on to You, It’s No Mystery 🧐
What is fascinating is that we conduct a similar process of judgement of ourselves.
We observe our behaviours and actions in the same way that we do with complete strangers.
Then we use our interpretations of how we conduct ourselves in the world to solidify our identity to reinforce our beliefs.
Your perceived identity is something that can work for you or against you, depending on if it has an encouraging healthy effect or a negative spiral.
Each experience we have, adds to, or subtracts from our confidence, which can affect the way we behave in the future and interpret our past.
As a result, it is impossible to "get away" with anything.
We are solely responsible for the inner identity we cultivate.
You cannot hide from yourself.
You will be judged by your personal moral code with every action and decision, even when you don’t have full control of your mind.
The spectrum of self-judgement ranges from pity to hubris and often changes.
The Only Person I Stand in the Shadow of is Evidence
Everything you do will affect you.
You might think this is crazy because how could you judge yourself if you anticipate your own behaviours?
The fact is we don’t always have absolute sovereignty over what we think, or do.
I challenge you to think back to a morning when you woke up with grand ambitions. You had a party to go to, and you decided tha

I was out walking in my favourite spot along a beautiful path.
I strolled amongst the mangroves., the home of local birds, and a sanctuary for native Australian wildlife.
I took a moment to sit in a section where the path is elevated above the mangroves, looking out at an expanse of trees, seeing if I could spot a sleeping owl.
I was deep in concentration when suddenly approached by a stranger who felt compelled to tell me that “Jesus loves you”.
At first, I didn’t know what to say.
The young man appeared harmless and genuine. He had a kind and excited tone in his voice.
So I responded by saying, “Thank you, I appreciate that”, while trying to keep an open mind as the conversation continued.
I was intrigued by the story of what he had to say next.
We got talking about life and religion, and he helped me learn a valuable lesson.
The Power That Compels
This man was excited and compelled to share his experience.
So excited, that his energy was beaming as he told me his story.
He told me that when he was younger that he was a “typical boy” growing up.
He rebelled against his parents and was considered the black sheep of the family. He was involved with what he called “the wrong crowd” and would regularly take recreational drugs. He said that he was “living the lifestyle of a man who would die young.” His life trajectory was not leading in a direction that he was proud of.
That was until he started experiencing a strange phenomenon called sleep paralysis.
He recalled a vivid dream where he was being tortured in the underworld by demons as he slept.
It felt so real to him.
He then awoke in a state of paralysis and was unable to move while the thoughts of the demented beings tormented him.
That experience was the final straw, and he decided to make a radical change.
He told me that he looked in the mirror and reflected on his experience and life when he decided to seek Jesus.
From that day forward, he turned a new leaf.
He had had an awakening because he had a moment so decisive that it changed his life and identity forever.
His life had previously consisted of following the path of least resistance without any discipline or rules. As a result, he had no care about his body or the repercussions of his actions until he made a drastic choice to change.
Fast forward to 3 years later, and he was happily married with a young family that had long continued walking as we chatted.
He had chosen his path, and he willingly went through the pain and suffering of confronting his demons.
As a result, he seemed so alive and bursting with energy. He was excited like a child at the prospect of spreading his ideas and experience, hoping that he could help others reach the same level of joy.
Drastic Life Changes
After our conversation, I was impressed by the conviction and bravado of the man.
He had shared some personal stories with me and said: “it is like if you found the cure or cancer, wouldn’t you want to share it?”
He had a fantastic breakthrough that encouraged him to change his lifestyle and devote himself to his higher cause.
Our conversation didn’t change my belief, but he did help me to realise the nature of what it means to have a breakthrough.
The question that stuck in my mind was, “why are people’s stories of extraordinary change so similar?”
I started thinking about the nature of a “breakthrough” in a broader sense.
Many of the stories about drastic decisions that change our life seem to share similar pre-requisites and sound identical.
* I slowly or suddenly hit rock bottom. I live in a way that I can barely tolerate.
* It got so hard to change that I almost gave up trying to make it better.
* Then when I was about to break, I desperately sought help from within and without.
Life pushes us beyond our comfort zone, and when we think that the pain is intolerable, we have the opportunity to encounter a revelatory experience.
The commonalities of the experience make me believe that it is not unti

Our Life Choices
Giving advice comes with a sense of authority.
It feels good when someone comes to confide in us with their trust.
We feel empowered as we discuss the decisions and choices of others while we allow ourselves that little gratification of feeling wise.
I'm sure you have been on both sides, whether you were asking or giving advice.
Communicating our decisions and elaborating on our thoughts with others is a healthy practice.
However, the question is, "does confiding in others for our life choices give us better results in the long run?"
The Trusted Advisor
Change is part of life, but often it is uncomfortable because it can affect our sense of identity.
When making a tough decision, it is common to seek help from a trusted advisor.
The problem with being the advisor and giving advice is that people will make a change or do something, only if they want to. The change needs to be their decision.
You cannot make anyone do anything.
In a world where free will and justice exists, individuals ultimately make their own choices and decisions.
The role of an unbiased advisor is to listen and lend an ear rather than project their personal opinion.
Asking probing questions and allowing the advisee to air their thoughts is more valuable than telling people what they should do.
A great listener is a sounding board to amplify their voice and empower the individual to elaborate and express their concerns.
Ramifications of Avoiding Responsibility
Who is to blame when the consequence of our actions creates further problems?
It's easier to point fingers rather than take responsibility.
Advice seekers shift the onus of their choices on others because they believe "that is what you told me to do, and it didn't work, so you were wrong!"
Most of the Consultant Industry operates in a manner where blame can be easily shifted to a third party.
As an example, If you, the advisor, told me, the advisee, that it was a good idea to start this or pursue that, then it is the advisor's fault that I failed because it didn't turn out in my favour, right?
There lies the fallacy. A person who asks a thousand people's opinions before they act, usually blame others when they fail. 
Of course, there are exceptions to advising people in certain circumstances when they have absolutely no idea what to do.
However, if we can be honest with ourselves and venture deep inside our conscious thoughts, we all know the answer to our problems without external solutions.
Blame Insurance
Many people use advice as a sense of insurance to abscond from responsibility.
"It wasn't my fault. They suggested it" is a common phrase for blame brokers who take out insurance policies on their decisions.
If you detect this behavioral personality, beware of becoming the advisee’s blame insurance or scapegoat.
It becomes easy in hindsight to blame the advisor, for failed advice, when the reality of the situation is that you made a choice.
The blame game is difficult to avoid and is a slippery slope once you start sliding.
The question is then, what do you do when someone comes to you for advice?
How do you shift the responsibility back to the person who will ultimately need to decide for themselves?
My answer might seem crude, and honestly, it is.
The Devils Advocate
One of the best things you could do for someone who seeks advice is to challenge their concept or ideology.
Saying, "No, I don't think it will work." is hard to do, but it is the medicine that they need.
Tell them their idea is terrible, it will never work, and there is no point.
The idea may seem counterintuitive because saying no doesn’t seem very supportive at first, but when you expand your time horizon long into the future, the magic begins to emerge.
The benefits of saying No.
* It is unlikely that person will come to you for advice again if they are only looking for positive reinforcement or a scapegoat.
* You get to practice the art of saying no gracefully, which is a needed skill to give yourself m

I have discovered that the journey of righteous growth begins by changing our habits.
Recently, I have made an effort towards three uncomfortable challenges:
* Waking Up Early
* Working, When I Don't Feel like It
* Not Complaining
So many of us wish to change the world, but first, we need to straighten our own affairs to live as an example.
How can we expect to make a positive change in the world if we cannot first influence ourselves?
I chose the three habits above because they are demanding yet within my control.
It's a shift towards the hard things that will make life easier instead of the easy things that will make my life hard.
Like Carl Jung Said - "As any change must begin somewhere, it is the single individual who will experience it and carry it through. The change must indeed begin with an individual; it might be any one of us. Nobody can afford to look round and to wait for somebody else to do what he is loath to do himself."
Progress and growth can be slow and painful, but it is the only way forward.
Despite the claims from the people trying to sell you something, nothing in life will lead to innovation and creativity unless there is an element of challenge.
I hope that you will start to strengthen your resolve by practising some intentional difficulties.
1. Waking Up With The Birds
Anyone who says it is easy to wake up early is lying.
For the past eight months, I have woken up at 4:08 AM, 4 out of 7 days, and every single time, it sucks.
However, knowing that you are creating more time in your day is a mental advantage.
My routine is made possible by putting an annoying alarm at a distance so that I have to get up and out of bed to switch it off.
Then comes the real challenge of avoiding getting back into bed.
When I first wake up, my thoughts are almost always negative as the natural morning cortisol (stress hormones) pumps through my veins.
I have to consciously interrupt my thoughts of "It's too cold" or "Just jump back into bed" by laughing at myself in the mirror as I think ", you crazy b*****d!"
There are some tricks I use to counteract these thoughts.
The first thing I do every morning is to brush my teeth.
The Tooth-brushing trigger starts a chain of events, so all I have to do is convince myself to quickly brush my teeth.
I sometimes have to dupe myself by actively thinking, "after I brush, I can go back to sleep".
This simple act gets the ball rolling and allows me to drag my body towards the bathroom, even if every ounce of my mind tells me to go back to sleep.
As my thoughts race, I make a conscious effort to stare into my eyes in the mirror, breaking the loop of thinking.
I become more present in the moment.
Then I smile at myself and think, "what are you doing!?" allowing me to crack a smile at the insane man who stares back in my direction.
If my mind is in a negative loop, I will attempt to break the cycle with some grateful thoughts.
I think, "what is something small I could be grateful for?"
Using a memory trigger, I try and expand that feeling of gratitude to realise how lucky I am to be alive.
If nothing comes to mind, I use my default line; "my time is limited, and my ancestors went through so much struggle for me to be here now".
I have learned that there is no better time to enjoy every moment of life than in the morning when the world is quiet.
2. Getting Sh!t Done
Do you have to wait until you are in the zone to get something done?
Doing meaningful work or practice can seem like a chore. So how do we fight procrastination?
Recently I have been using the 20 | 10 working method. 
The basic premise is to set 20 minutes of pure focus on the task at hand.
Close all tabs on your computer, put your phone out of reach and focus for 20 minutes only on one task.
When the 20 minutes is up, take a 10-minute break to do whatever you want before repeating.
If you are on a roll and the 20 minutes is up, go for another 20.
As a result, I can approach any task without being overwhelmed. In addition,

When you look at this picture, what are your thoughts?
Take a moment to appreciate the vivid scene with its colours and intricate details.
Can you guess the age?
Looking deeply into this painting is an exploration of wonder that can be hard to describe.
There is so much detail to take in.
I can imagine a significant amount of time goes into producing such a stunning piece.
The question I have, however, is how much time has been spent viewing this masterpiece?
Here is a thought experiment: 🧪 🧫
If I look at this painting in a museum for 30 seconds, and so do another 120 people on that day. Then an hour has been spent engrossed in the image.
Can you imagine the number of people over the ages who have admired this landscape for over 300 years?
Extrapolate that minute a day over centuries, and you get a startling result.
Lifetimes worth of contemplation has perceived this "Wheat Fields. "
ca. 1670, by Jacob van Ruisdael Dutch.
Notice The Art of Living
These ancient memoirs are an echo of the fact that an artisan exists in all of us.
You, too, can appreciate art with a sense of consciousness that can take in infinite allure in a finite moment.
You, too, can train yourself to observe the magic contained within a single frame of existence.
Taking a step back to see with "new eyes" and question with curiosity might just reveal a world/moment that is so intricately divine that the simplest observation can change your state.
The key is to take notice and look beyond a narrow scope.
The artist within can look at a scene and capture a finite moment and make it infinite.
The artist is one who can see the beauty and complexity in a single fleeting second.
The works encapsulated throughout history follow this pattern.
We have this power because we are both the creator of our interpretation and the observer of the moment.
If Marcel Duchamp can see art in this urinal, then maybe you too can notice the magic of living and observing.
Interpreting Your Perception
There is much to be said about the wealth contained in this present moment.
Our human perception consists of an eternity of now.
Like a motion picture, the still images in succession give the impression of movement, each film frame containing rich material.
This very moment is the complex result of many contributing factors from the past and future.
We perceive time and reality in this eternal now, with the added benefit of imagination.
We can imagine the future and remember the past, but our reality, as a participant, exists in the moment.
The deep level of awareness captured by an artist is why a piece of art is so unique.
The artist can manipulate their perspective and immortalise it for a focused audience.
Art takes a moment that is fleeting and finite and makes it infinite and expansive.
The artist may take 100 hours to produce a painting of a single moment, and as the consumer, we get to see a slice of life through an alternative lens.
Picasso's Napkin Anecdote
There is an old tale that goes something like this:
Picasso was sitting in a French cafe, enjoying his morning coffee.
He pulled out a marker and started doodling on a napkin because the world was his canvas, and he saw art everywhere.
Onlookers stared in awe to see what the great artist would produce.
He later handed some cash to the waitress as he briskly made his way towards the exit.
On his way out, he mindlessly threw his sketch in the bin.
A voice from behind quickly called out, "Can I buy that napkin from you?"
A mischievous smile emerged from Picasso as he slowly turned around.
He scrummaged the napkin from the garbage and extended his arm to the patron as he said, "That will be 40,000 francs."
You can imagine the look on the potential buyers face as they contorted in confusion and said, "but that only took you 30 seconds to draw?"
To which Picasso responded, "No, This took me a lifetime".
Ironically, one such Picasso doodle sold for 20,00 pounds in 2009 [1]
Infinity In The Finite
Picasso had work

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better
Is There Really a Social Dilemma?
Social Media presents us with an unlimited buffet of content.
A pacifier for adults. It makes you feel comfortable but ends up giving us an overbite if you suck it for too long.
The endless scroll, as curated by all the things we like.
Personalised news obviously has its benefits because I would prefer to consume media that interests me. The scary truth, however, is that there is a massive incentive to make you feel insignificant.
Feeling "unworthy" is good for business because it makes you feel like something is missing and stimulates the need to consume.
Your best interests are rarely a priority in a world where you can spend more, have more and be more.
Why is everyone so damn extraordinary?
Every time I jump online, I'm overwhelmed by infinite highlight reels.
Everyone else is funnier, more talented and generally more impressive.
I searched "NASA Astronaut who is 12 years old", and sure enough, the internet showed me that was possible
Not many people would voluntarily choose to share their low-lights, so we get a skewed view of reality.
For all the amazing things the internet has produced, the amount of envy and feeling of insignificance it generates is startling.
The Concerning Comparison
Our globalised society is unlimited by physical distance.
Instead of comparing yourself to your clan (family, friends, and community), you now compare yourself to billions of people.
The comparison can stall your growth and leave you feeling incredibly anxious.
We end up comparing our seemingly mediocre existence, dreaming about how our lives would be different if we had wealth and fame.
Motivation disappears instantly in this state, and so perpetuates the infatuation with the lives of others.
Paradoxically we spend less time with the people holding us personally accountable and invest more time in the lifestyles of the rich and the famous.
Begging the question, "why is it so hard, when they make it look easy?"
The Answer is Not That Simple.
As with most things, we anticipate only the good parts of our dreams.
It's like Jim Carrey says, "I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer."
It's easy to look past all the pain, hard work and sacrifice it takes to get to the top.
Survivors of fame very rarely talk about their struggle, and when they do, people rarely listen.
It's like climbing to the top of Mt. Everest.
It sounds like anyone can do it, and you might decide it's a good idea. You make the decision from the comfort of your couch.
Then you start to climb, and your perspective changes to realise the gravity of the situation that you might not have anticipated while sitting on your couch in your pyjamas.
Taking The First Step
You will not go instantly from 0-100 because that would be no fun at all.
The cheat code makes any game short-lived because the joy comes from playing the game, not finishing it.
Instead, we change the world with momentum compounding little by little.
The best place to start is where you are.
Look around you for something that bothers you and fix it.
This can be in your immediate environment or possibly in the broader environment.
For me, my recent win was replanting all my indoor succulents. My plants were so overgrown that their roots had taken over and had started to penetrate the walls. It was bothering me for ages, and now that it is done, I can move on.
Next, I have a series of small tasks to perform to get my life in order.
Completing each of these tasks clears some space in my mind for my more extensive and loftier goals.
Once I have momentum, I can start to affect the external world, but first, I need to improve my internal state of mind by alleviating some mental strain.
Solve immediate problems step-by-step and notice how the momentum starts to build.
Each act builds on another, and the series of small wins prepares you for the more significant