How to be prepared | A matter of time | The perfect home
Every week we curate 3 ultra-focused ideas to reduce life complexity. On Saturday we share them with you via email.
Let’s start!
Stop Preparing For The Last Disaster
After the 9/11 terrorist attack, every country implemented new rules for flying. Onboarding a plane became an ordeal. But there have been zero hijacked flights since then. On the other side, terrorism organizations are grown in power and scope.
"The reality is that the same disaster is unlikely to happen twice."
Shane Parrish
The standard answer to an unpredictable event is to intervene on its evident and specific causes. This way, we remain unprepared for the next unpredictable disaster.
The same happens at the individual level. You prepare yourself only against the enemy that you know.
To change this paradigm, investigate the deep causes of a crisis. The Twin Towers fell because the plane onboarding process was too easy. That's what made it possible not the deep cause of the attack. But fixing those elements doesn't block the spread of the ideology behind terrorism.
The same goes for your personal life. If you hate your job, a simple boss swap won't fix your problem.
You have to investigate the deep causes of any disaster. Only then you'll be able to improve your preparedness.
A Matter of Time
Our genes don't like delaying gratification. Till the 20th century, the average human lifespan was 25-30 years.
Plus, we didn't have reliable property rights. What you had in the present belonged to you (maybe). Everything else was just a roll of dice against famine, war, and some other apocalyptic menace.
Then the industrial revolution kicked in, with a pinch of capitalism. And here we are in the first age of human prosperity.
The only problem is that our emotions haven't adapted yet. We still have the urge for instant gratification. We feel that:
"famine is just behind the corner, no point in sticking to any diet",
"life is too short, no need for that eye-opening conversation with our partners".
Your emotions imagine a lifespan of 25 years: that's a recipe for disaster in modern times.
Do you plan to stay on the planet till 80 or more? Then you need a different strategy.
Stop your concern with immediate results. Focus on the process.
Create a system of more or less repetitive actions that you apply for a decade or longer. The daily outcome will be irrelevant. But week after week you will create a better and more ambitious life.
Instead of comparing your immediate outcomes with other people, check the daily application of your system. Did you improve it from yesterday? Then you're on the right track.
All high-achievers apply this approach to their lives. Your emotions will try to trick you, from time to time. Remember that you don't have only 25 years on the planet.
The Perfect Home
You need a comfortable home. Not a "perfect" one.
And it will not be relaxing, if you non-stop run from store to store for the new, better, oh-so-necessary stuff.
Optimize your home for comfort and minimum distraction. It will become a source of mental strength.
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
Now, we’re curious about you.
What decisions are challenging you at the moment? What are the mental strategies that you find more helpful?
Write us back!
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Until next week,
Samuele & Alberto
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