Today we begin the ninth month of the year.
Two-thirds of 2024 are behind us but there are still 122 stories to write, pages to fill and days to live.
These are my 6 highlights of the last week of August.
H1: A busy September
Today I’ll start with a little personal update.
I’ve previously told about my responsibilities, travels and super busy schedule, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like what’s coming up this month.
In the 30 days of September I will have 19 flights and the following events:
– Tony Robbins in Cologne
– Mastermind in Barcelona
– Alberto Villoldo (in Rosenheim and Basel)
– Eckhart Tolle (in Essen and Basel)
– Gabor Maté (in Copenhagen)
– In addition to the international release of Dr Joe Dispenza’s new documentary (SOURCE)
A lot of work, a lot of responsibilities, but also a lot of joy for being able to live these experiences.
If you want to join me and see some of the things I will be sharing, I invite you to follow me (by clicking here) on Instagram where I will be posting some of my experiences during this month.
H2: Instinctive thinking = Lack of clarity
This week I had a little chat with some of my team members in which I talked to them about how important it is to think rationally.
In the middle of that talk, I told them about instinctive thinking something I learned from the book “Thinking Clearly” by Shane Parrish.
Most people fall into four thinking traps that hinder clear reasoning.
These traps, referred to in the book as instinctive thinking, can lead us to make poor decisions, especially in high-pressure situations.
To think rationally, it is essential to consciously insert a “pause” in high-pressure situations.
This pause creates a space for reflection and allows us to avoid falling into the 4 traps of instinctive thinking.
Emotional Reaction:
This mode of thinking occurs when emotions override facts and logic.
Ego reaction:
It occurs when protecting our own ideas feels more urgent than finding the best solution.
Social pressure:
It consists of following the crowd or obeying authority figures, even if we privately disagree.
Inertia reaction:
It’s about sticking to the status quo out of habit, even when change could bring improvements.
The best way to avoid falling into these traps, as I wrote above, is to pause reflectively before reacting, and think rationally about how you should act (or respond).
I hope you find it helpful 🙂
H3: Kintsugi and resilience
During the week I received this touching video in which Yokoi Kenji talks about the Japanese technique of kintsugi and how it relates to resilience.
Let me know what you think.
H4: Don’t save yourself
In response to the newsletter of 2 weeks ago (6H #18 > Apocryphal Poems), Aurora C shared with me, a poem by Benedetti that has a very special meaning for me.
I think I’ve mentioned it before, but back in my high school days, I loved reading Mario, and I think he’s still, after all these years, a source of inspiration when it comes to writing.
Simple, direct, clear, perfect.
Thank you Aurora for reminding me of this poem…
(And as a bonus I leave you a video of Benedetti himself reciting it).
Do not save yourself
Don't stand still
by the wayside
don't freeze the jubilation
don't want reluctantly
don't save yourself now
or never
don't save yourself
don't fill yourself with calm
don't reserve from the world
just a quiet corner
don't drop your eyelids
heavy as judgments
don't stay without lips
don't fall asleep without sleep
don't think without blood
don't judge without time
but if
nevertheless
you can't help it
and you freeze the joy
and you want to reluctantly
and you are saved now
and you are filled with calm
and reserves of the world
just a quiet corner
and you drop your eyelids
heavy as judgments
and you dry without lips
and you fall asleep without sleep
and you think you are bloodless
and you judge yourself without time
and you stand still
at the edge of the road
and save yourself
then
don't stay with me.
Thank you again Aurora.
H5: Self-confidence (reflection)
Earlier in the week, one person commented to me that “the security and confidence I conveyed was intimidating” and asked me what the secret was.
I thought it was funny because many times people judge appearances, without knowing what is behind them, so today I would like to share (something like…) what I answered to that person:
That self-confidence, that security,
they come from keeping my word,
and doing the right thing,
even when I am tired
and I don’t feel like it.
To keep moving forward,
when the only thing I have going for me
is faith and hope.
To make sacrifices,
for the greater good.
To have a purpose that motivates me,
values that guide me,
to have a clear goal.
They come from being so honest and straightforward
with myself as I am with others,
they come from all the sacrifices I’ve made
knowing what the reward could be.
They come from the thousands of errors,
thousands of failures,
thousands of falls…
They come from overcoming my fears,
they come from trying to improve every day,
the person I was the day before.
It comes from having believed in me when no one else
(or very few people) did.
It comes from having learned
that I can achieve everything I set my mind to,
having overcome thousands of challenges,
to keep going, and never, but never give up.
H6: Emotional agility
This was my fourth week in a row finishing reading the books I started this year.
On this occasion, it was the turn of “Emotional Agility” by Susan David.
And as has become a tradition, these are the main lessons I take away from the book:
- The importance of emotional agility
Susan defines emotional agility as the ability to distance ourselves from negative emotional patterns and examine them objectively to find constructive solutions to our problems.
In this process, being aware of and observing our emotions without judgment is critical. - Confronting negative emotions instead of repressing them
The book stresses that repressing negative emotions or forcing a positive attitude can be counterproductive.
Instead, it recommends facing and accepting all our emotions, even the unpleasant ones, as they can provide us with valuable information about ourselves and our circumstances. - Cultivating self-compassion
Self-compassion is a very powerful tool for managing painful emotions and improving our mental health.
Being kind and understanding with ourselves allows us to cope better with difficulties and recover more quickly from adversity. - The importance of mindfulness in daily life
Mindfulness is an effective technique for creating distance between ourselves and our emotions, allowing us to observe them without getting carried away by them.
This practice can improve our ability to manage stress and make more conscious decisions. - Define our own values and goals
Susan stresses the importance of making decisions based on our own values, rather than blindly following societal expectations or predefined standards of success.
Until next Sunday, with 6 new highlights 
Feedback? I would love to hear from you. Remember that you can contact me at any time through vladimir@younity.one.
