10 Things To Remove To Unf*** Your Life.

If you click to read this newsletter, chances are you are committed to improving your life.

Most people automatically think the best way to achieve this is to add more to their already busy lives.

(Hustle culture certainly agrees…)

But truthfully, the most gains I have had on my self-development journey have been through the removal of things rather than the addition of things.

Doing so allows the space needed to think clearly, prioritise what's important, and maintain a healthy presence in daily life.

The best way to describe this phenomenon is one of my favourite quotes from Bruce Lee:

Here are 10 simple, yet impactful things I removed that unfuc*** my life:

Focusing on the uncontrollable

How often have you needed other’s approval to be happy?
How often have you felt unhappy waiting for something to happen?
How often have you tried to change something beyond your control?

If you're like me, you spend too much time and energy letting these things affect you.

We end up outsourcing our happiness to things or people we can't control.

The classic: “If I get X, then I can be Y” mindset.

For our well-being, we need to draw a line:

• What is in your control?

• What is out of your control?

Blaming external factors is easy and gives us an excuse for our situation. But it’s complicated...

Blaming and attachment are different from acceptance and surrender.

When we blame, we attach, causing tension and unhappiness.
When we surrender, we detach, causing release and happiness.

So, don't blame. Accept what is out of your control and take full responsibility for what is in your control.

Looking at health as a “side hustle”

Health is the most crucial part of my life.
It's what lets me keep experiencing life.

Nowadays, people treat health as a "nice to have" or an "optional extra" in life.

But this doesn't seem right to me…

When you're healthy, you have many wishes.
Dreams feel within reach, you have plenty of time, everything is fine.
When you're sick, you only have one wish: To be well again.

In health, like many areas of life, consistency is more important than intensity, and prevention is the best cure.

Not to mention basic things like hygiene, clean your teeth, have showers, smelling good people still seem to miss.

If you don't have a regular exercise routine yet, I encourage you to start doing anything.

Weights, walks, or a waltz — It doesn't matter, just move and maintain your body.

Staying up extremely late

The best energy is not coffee; it's a full 9 hours of sleep.

I used to be a night owl, staying up to all hours of the morning.
(Then, stupidly I would try get up early as well…)

One thing I noticed about that routine is everything seemed to slip.
Habits would slowly fade away, and I struggled to stick with anything.

When I adopted a regular bedtime and wake-up routine, everything changed.

The routine I have now is: Bed at 9:45 pm - Up at 7 am

This allows 15 minutes to fall asleep while getting six optimum sleep cycles of 1hr 30mins each.

By optimising for sleep cycles, instead of waking up groggy and tired, you wake up refreshed and ready to get up.

Playing small, procrastinating on potential

Every person you admire went through this thought pattern in one way or another. It's called regret minimisation.

To do so, imagine your 80-year-old self and if you would regret not taking the risk.

• Moving cities

• Starting a company

• Going on the adventure

Whatever it is with you. Start by asking your future self if it's worth doing.

Chances are, you can find at least 2-3 things you should do, that you would do, that you could do.

Most often, we don't regret what we did, but we regret what we did not do.

The best cure for regret is action towards your dreams.

Being around energy vampires

People, places and things. Anything. Everything.

Energy is infectious; if you spend time around negative things, you will soon feel negative as well.

So, the cure to this is what I call an “Energy Audit.”

Write a list of things during a week that give you energy and things that drain your energy.

I guarantee it will be eye-opening, to say the least.

Consuming more than you create

Would a business succeed if it spent more than it earned? No, right?

The same goes for the value we give and take from the world.

Be a net positive; give more than you receive in every way possible, and your life will transform.

If you're consuming quality, you're 20% there. The other 80% comes from using your resources to create something valuable.

Every human is innately valuable, but the value we receive from the world comes from what we create and contribute.

I had to face a question: Are you an asset or a liability to the human race?

I'll be honest; I was a liability for most of my life.

Now, I'm making every effort to become an asset.

Honesty is the best policy; but it doesn't mean hating yourself; it means being aware of your actions.

Comparing yourself to others

You're bombarded with endless seemingly perfect people when you turn on your phone.

We essentially end up comparing our daily lives to their highlight reel.

No wonder people feel depressed...

Instead, look to others for inspiration.

Understand why they do what they do, see what works and doesn't, and apply those lessons to your life.

That's where comparison becomes constructive, not destructive.

Anything else hinders more than it helps.

Seeing constraints as negative

Having a schedule was boring and restrictive, especially when I didn't create it.

Now that I have made my schedule, I see the benefits.

Think of a routine as a nice, flat surface.

Regular sleep/wake times, environment, and purpose create a strong, stable base for meaningful habits.

Each positive habit is like a spinning top.

With a routine, they stay stable and keep spinning well.

Without routine, they run away, and you can't manage multiple at once.

Spontaneity is essential too, so I leave a day for it while maintaining routine.

(For me, its usually Sunday)

Following the trends

You are the only person who knows what to do with your life.

Trends are like waves in the ocean of society; they come fast but are gone just as fast.

Trends become irrelevant when you maintain responsibility and authenticity for yourself while being in control of your life.

To spot trends requires a certain level of awareness.

A fish cannot perceive life outside the fish bowl.

When released into the ocean, it understands a new perspective.

True choice, the kind that empowers you, comes from being aware of many options, with the help of education, and weighing them up for yourself to become sovereign from trends, peers, or society.

A great way to do so is to learn broadly by reading as much as possible.

Only then can you see how things operate on a larger scale and make choices that are indeed your creation rather than of influence.

Also, this is not to say that you should throw your values, morals, and ethics out the window in the pursuit of “independence.”

A cluttered life

Yep, I was one of those…

Messy, unorganised and would impulsively buy things.

Things changed considerably when I moved from Australia to Bali.

1. I have far fewer clothes… (I live out of a 40L backpack.)

2. My desk is in a cafe, so it's always minimal and clean.

3. I can't buy stuff because It won't fit in the pack…

This results in a much simpler way of life.

(I thought it would make me unhappy, but it's quite the opposite)

Streamlining everything helps make fewer decisions and makes every day easier and more productive.

This resulted in reduced decision fatigue, no more expensive habits, less stress from unorganisation, more creativity, more productivity, and more.

Minimalism is severely underrated. I will adopt it as a way of life going forward. The benefits are just too good to go back to the old ways.

We just covered a lot, but these are crucial for your wellbeing and happiness.

I don’t expect you to implement all of this at once.
But you can refer back to this newsletter at any point for a refresh!

I want to pose a challenge to you:
Do 1 thing, from this list starting this week.

I know you can do it.

Just give it a shot, notice any improvements, would love to hear if you do!

Personal Progress 20th July - 27th July 🤯

Weekly discovery:

We all show up. Yet our perception is different.

Some show up because they have to, leading to unhappiness.
Some show up because they get to, leading to happiness.

It’s important to choose your life, not live a life chosen for you.

Favourite quote of mine this week:

Current Reads: (2 this time! Lucky you)

“The Kybalion” - The study of hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece. - Three Initiates - 4 hrs 33mins

I hardly have words for this book. If there is a blueprint to the universe, this would have to be close to it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The War of Art” (Book Summary) - Steven Pressfield - 36 Mins

Brilliant snippets for the creative, many of the common roadblocks are untwisted here in a short, easy to read format. Worth a re-read for sure.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can give you the tools, information, and resources to change, but at the end of the day, you are the only person who can change your life.

Action is an integral part of this process.
(Only learning leads to anxiety, been there, done that…)

My purpose in helping you is two fold:

1. Help you live with purpose to experience your ideal life.

2. Help you escape the system to unlock financial, location and time freedom.

To help another person live simple and happy - Share, Like and Comment.

Until next week,
Leigh.