11 shocking facts about money.

1. Money DOES BUY happiness.

It is not money that makes you unhappy.

It is chasing money as makes you unhappy.

2. It is (mostly) more profitable to rent than to buy

Buying is mostly an emotional decision, stemming from a worldview that ownership means success.

Buy, when you have excess.

Rent, when you are on a budget.

3. You play safe with your money, if you do not know how to make it again.

Until you do not understand a way of making more money from money, you will always hold on to the money you have.

4. Spending money for your well being is an investment.

Buying a comfortable chair to WFH, is an investment, not an expense.

Eating healthy, is an investment.

A good pair of shoes, a good mattress, a good pillow - are investments.

Therapy is an investment.

Don't be cheap here!

5. Your partner will influence your money, more than your knowledge.

Who you spend your life with, their worldview, their approach towards money, their risk profile - all have a far bigger influence on how you treat your money, than your own knowledge.

6. No one wants to get rich slowly.

The surest way of getting rich is to be patient with it.

- Build multiple streams of income

- Keep expenses low

- Do not take loans to buy things that make you look rich

- Invest every month, whether up or down

It is boring!

7. Money's job is to set you free, not make you rich!

Money gives you choices, it gives you options, it gives you freedom.

At the best end of the spectrum, it gives you your time.

That is when money has truly worked for you.

8. Rich does not mean wealthy

You are rich when your active income is a lot.

You are wealthy when your passive income equals or exceeds living expenses.

9. Money will not change you. It will reveal you.

If you are an inherently kind person, money will make you kinder.

If you are an inherently charitable person, money will make you more charitable.

If you are an inherently proud person, money will make you prouder.

10. You (most likely) do not know how much money you are chasing. Hence you will keep chasing forever!

Do you know how much money is that, for you?

11. We all have 2 lives when it comes to money

- Get to the amount you need to live life and do all the things you want to do and need to do. 

- Make more money

1 is mandatory.

Will take time.

If you try to find shortcuts, you won't get past it.

2 is optional & a LOT of fun!

Money is a good servant, but a bad master.

- Francis Bacon

Some references that might help:

1. Buy or rent a house?

youtu.be/cpw4Cg3Gpx8

2. Regular income from your investments

youtu.be/oNcs95JtUUM

3. How much money do you need in life?

https://youtu.be/13nhoS_XYfg

Tips to improve sleep quality

If you sleep less than 7 hours a night, read this:

When you regularly get less than 7 hours of sleep, you increase the risk of:

• Stroke

• Depression

• Weight gain

• Loss of memory

• Heart complications

• Increased blood pressure

Apply these 10 habits and you’ll experience the best sleep you’ve ever had…

1) Journaling

Stimulation, like TV or playing on your phone, creates open loops.

Putting them in a journal closes them.

How?

Journaling lets your mind actively come up with solutions.

Once it’s written down, your brain sees it as stored.

As a result, your mind rests.

Of course, cutting out TV, phone, not watching news is still the best way to avoid simulation.

Read a book. It's calming, no blue light exposure, increases vocabulary, enhances brain power. 

2) Limit blue light before bed

This artificial light comes from screens like your:

• TV

• Phone

• Computer

It makes your brain think it’s daytime and suppresses melatonin.

Avoid blue light 1 hour before trying to sleep.

If you can’t, invest in blue-light glasses.

Jump to end of point 1.

Read a book! 

3) Cut caffeine early

Caffeine destroys the quality of your sleep.

This stimulant blocks your adenosine production.

What’s adenosine?

The hormone responsible for promoting sleep.

 Caffeine will stay in your body for roughly 10 hours.

So if you go to bed at 10pm:

Don’t have caffeine past 11am.

8 hours of quality sleep beats 4 cups of coffee any day.

4) Sleep at a consistent time

Sleep is regulated by your circadian rhythm.

This is your system's clock.

If you go to bed early one night, then late the next, you throw it off.

Create a regular time to go to bed and wake up.

You’ll fall asleep quickly and wake up energized.

5) Optimize your room

To optimize for sleep, focus on:

1) Light

2) Comfort

3) Temperature

The easiest way to cover all three:

• Blackout curtains 

• An air conditioner or fan

• A high-quality pillow and mattress 

This is an investment in your health, not an expense.

6) Let your mind relax

The open loops created by stimulating activities gives your brain a problem to solve.

It keeps the analytical part of your mind engaged.

These “problems” keep you awake.

Schedule a zero-work time 1 hour before bed.

Your brain needs the break.

7) Meditation

Take 10 minutes out of your day to meditate.

In many studies, meditation has been shown to:

• Reduce anxiety 

• Calm your mind

• Lower your heart rate

Which all helps you fall (and stay) asleep.

Great apps if you’re new to meditation are Calm and Headspace.

8) Get sunlight

Get natural light for 5-15 minutes after waking.

This helps your circadian rhythm know the day is starting. 

And by doing so, regulates your sleep cycle and makes it easier to fall asleep.

The earlier the light exposure, the earlier you fall asleep.

9) Keep temperatures cool

The optimal temperature to keep your room is:

60°F to 67°F (15.6°C to 19.4°C)

This helps your body stay cool, and at a temperature that promotes sleep.

Invest in a portable A/C unit or fan if necessary.

If you live in a warm climate, you don't need to lower temperature all the way to 16-19 degrees. Lowering temperature by a few degrees than ambient temperature is more than enough. It's the relative temperature that counts as comfort to your brain and body. 

In fact, lowering temperature by too much can have opposite effect as too much cold will make you uncomfortable.

A/C means closed windows. This will also help you quieten your environment if you stay in a noisy place. Noise is also a stimulant and lowering noise helps quality of sleep immensely.

Make sure to get fresh air circulation in the room during daytime to avoid the room become muggy and stuffy.

10) Don’t exercise at night

The body prepares for sleep by reducing your:

• Heart rate

• Brain waves

• Body temperature

But exercise increases your:

• Heart rate

• Levels of arousal

• Body temperature

Make it a rule to not exercise 3 hours before bed.

10 tips for consistent sleep:

1) Journal

2) Reduce blue light

3) Cut caffeine early

4) Sleep consistently

5) Revamp your room

6) Let your mind relax

7) Meditate before bed

8) Get sunlight exposure

9) Cool your temperature

10) Don’t exercise late at night

Cheat codes I know now I wish I knew earlier

1. Use workouts to gain muscle, diet to burn fat and cardio to improve your overall health & longevity.

2. Eat a high protein diet comprised of whole foods for the best body composition.

3. When lifting weights use your mind to muscle connection to increase muscle contraction.

4. Upon waking drink water before coffee.

5. Delay coffee 1-2 hours upon waking. This lets cortisol clear out adenosine, which can lead to sustained energy into the afternoon.

6. Use your nose for smelling & breathing. Use your mouth for talking, tasting & eating.

7. Mouth breathing disrupts sleep, ruins oral health & can cause sleep apnea. Mouth taping at night helped me solve this.

8. Mouthwash is the biggest dental scam. Kills your oral microbiota. Avoid.

9. Avoid fluoride in your toothpaste. Use ones that have hydroxyapatite.

10. Sleep at the same times every day. Align your body with the rising & setting of the sun.

11. The 321 method for better sleep. No eating 3 hours before bed. No liquids 2 hours before. No screens 1 hour before.

12. If you look at screens at night wear bluelight blockers.

13. You sleep for 1/3 of your entire life. Learn how to optimize it and make it make it as awesome as possible.

14. Memory is fallible. When you have a good idea write it down immediately.

15. Your best ideas come in the shower, walking or in the gym. Keep a notepad ready.

16. Peel a boiled egg by rolling it around your plate for awhile until all the shells are cracked. This makes it easy to remove the complete shell in one shot.

17. Close the toilet bowl when flushing to avoid particles of filth sprouting up into your bathroom atmosphere.

18. The more you criticizes others the more you criticize yourself. If you want to judge yourself less judge others less.

19. Stay away from people who always complain. They are energy vampires.

20. Stay away from people who gossip. They are most likely gossiping about you.

21. Learn a martial art to increase discipline, confidence & release stress.

22. Seek rejection daily. This numbs you to the feeling. Also, you only get what you ask for.

23. Take complete ownership for every result in your life. The only constant in every result is you.

24. When someone is walking in your path look at their shoulder closest to you. 9 times out of 10 they will move out of the way.

25. Be in rooms where you're the dumbest person. Workout at gyms where you're the least fit person.

26. When you feel an emotion don't numb it. It'll only make it feel worse later. Feel it fully then let it go. Emotion is energy. We must let it pass.

27. You can tell a lot about someones character by how they treat service staff.

28. Money & alcohol amplify who a person is at their core.

29. When someone shows you their true colours believe them.

30. A few months a year go monk mode. Eliminate all distractions & vices and use that energy to build your health & business.

31. Who you choose as a partner will determine your level of peace, wealth & happiness.

32. Your perception is reality. If you want a better reality change your perception.

33. You'll never be as young as you are now. Do what you feel you're meant to do.

34. Your best decisions come from stillness. Stillness is amplified in nature & meditation.

35. You can only get stronger when you face problems in life. Embrace the fucking struggle.

36. Show up up, do the work & seek ways to grow. Do this every day & watch what happens.

37. Trust people who say "I don't know" more than the people who have all the answers.

38. Seek feedback from those in the arena. Not from the ones who are boo'ing from the cheap seats.

39. No one cares. Work harder.

40. Instead of giving your kids what you wish you had teach them things you wish you knew.

41. Keep a small circle. It's better to go narrow & deep than wide & shallow.

42. True wealth is about being physically & financially healthy while living in a household full of love.

That's it. Life's a game. Collect experience points, crush your enemies & explore. Hope these cheat codes help you in your journey.

If you got value out this thread:

1. Follow @FitFounder on Twitter for more of these. 

You can read this thread here. 

Science experiments you can do with your kids

More than any degree, what is needed in life is critical thinking, scientific temper and a curious mind.

I had made a list of experiments to inculcate the same.

🔬Create a Sea Breeze

Why is there breeze near the sea?

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/beach-wind

🔬Sink Or Float - Experiment With Oranges And Water

Concept explained - Life jackets

https://sciencekids.in/sink-or-float-experiment/

🔬Make a Human Sun Dial

Concept: Time, Shadows, Astronomy, etc

https://teachbesideme.com/fun-dial/

🔬How Much Salt is Needed to Float in Water?

Concept: Density

https://www.upliftingmayhem.com/much-salt-needed-float-water/

🔬How to fit a boiled egg in a bottle?

https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/egg-bottle/

🔬Make coloured Convection currents

Concept: Gravity, heat transfer

https://teachbesideme.com/colored-convection-currents-experiment/

🔬Separating colours

Separate colours into their constituent colours

https://buggyandbuddy.com/chromatography-butterflies-separating-colors-in-markers/

🔬Potato floating in the center of a glass of water?!

Show your kids some magic!

https://www.encourageplay.com/blog/creative-problem-solving-activities-for-kids

Which STEM activities have you done with your kids?

Do share in the comments.

10 books to read right away to change your life

If one could read only 10 books their entire life these are the ones....

1. Linchpin, by Seth Godin @ThisIsSethsBlog 

Tells you how to become indispensable.

Not just at work.

In life.

Powerful book!

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon. LINCHPIN https://amzn.eu/d/3p7Kcr8

#1 bestseller in Self-help for the workspace 

2. Sapiens by Yuval Harari @harari_yuval 

Tells you how did we as humans come to dominate this planet.

What made agriculture, money, religion happen.

What made us happen!

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind https://amzn.eu/d/0ANrbq8

#1 bestseller in History of ideas

3. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma @RobinSharma 

Tells us the miracles and wonders of living a fulfilling life, through the life of Julian.

But this is not Julian's story.

It is our story.

Everyone's story!

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari https://amzn.eu/d/1UosrhP

4. Man's search for meaning by Viktor Frankl

Shows us the way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living.

Tells us that our deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose.

Incredible!

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon.

Man's Search For Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust https://amzn.eu/d/6oWaYIw

#1 bestseller in US History 

5. Atmamun by Kapil Gupta @KapilGuptaMD 

This book is possibly the most powerful one I have read till date. 

The book is for everyone.

But everyone is not ready for it!

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon.

Atmamun: The Path to Achieving the Bliss of the Himalayan Swamis. and the Freedom of a Living God. https://amzn.eu/d/99xAlSC

6. Courage to be disliked by Ichiro Kishimi @kishimi and Fumitake Koga @fumiken 

Tells us how we are all free to determine our own future free of the shackles of past experiences, doubts and the expectations of others.

Life-changing book!

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon.

The Courage To Be Disliked: How to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happiness (Courage To series) https://amzn.eu/d/6t1te95

#1 bestseller in Society and Culture 

7. Rework by Jason Fried @jasonfried and DHH @dhh 

Tells us how to reimagine work, breaking most notions that have been set by the world, fed by the world. 

Possibly the most unique business book one will read!

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon.

ReWork: Change the Way You Work Forever https://amzn.eu/d/dxvNoXj

8. Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel @morganhousel 

Tells us that making money isn't as much about knowing how to, as it is about how you behave with money.

Possibly the only money book one needs to read!

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon.

The Psychology of Money https://amzn.eu/d/fIanpM4

#1 bestseller in Personal Transformation 

9. Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson @EricJorgenson 

A terrific compilation of @naval's thoughts on building wealth and creating long-term happiness.

A book that will inspire you to create your own path, as against follow someone else's!

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon.

The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness https://amzn.eu/d/dIUxu36

#1 bestseller in Psychology 

10. Atomic Habits by James Clear @JamesClear 

Tells us the power of tiny habits, that slowly and steadily bring about massive changes in one's life.

One of the most liberating books one will read.

Here is where you can buy it from Amazon.

Atomic Habits: The life-changing million copy bestseller https://amzn.eu/d/6KqrnaL

#1 bestseller in Healthy living and Wellness

You can read this thread by Ankur Warikoo on Twitter here.

How to give feedback the right way

How to have difficult conversations the right way.

For the longest time, I struggled with giving direct feedback.

I felt I was being too harsh, I felt they will feel hurt, they might not like me, they will confront me and I will not know how to defend.

A million things used to go on in my head.

Until, I read the book 'Radical Candor'.

In this brilliant book by Kim Scott, Kim explains 4 types of feedback and how only one of them is effective.

To explain that, she uses two determinants.

One, do you care personally about the person you are giving feedback to - whether your friend, your relative, your colleague, whosoever!

Second, are you direct with that person or not? Or do you twist and turn or sugar coat your feedback?

Basis these 2 determinants, Kim showed the four types of feedback.

Let's try and understand them:

Bottom Right Quadrant:

If you challenge the person directly, but you do not care for the person - then that is obnoxious aggression!

This is when you are harsh, you are rude, you are not being helpful.

We all know how that feels, because we have felt it.

The end result of such an approach is instant defensiveness. With little change in the person we gave the feedback to.

Bottom Left Quadrant:

If you do not care about the person but you do not challenge directly either, instead sugar coat and pretend to be all nice and warm - that is manipulative insincerity.

Most toxic relationships lie here.

This results in mistrust and again, no change!

Top Left Quadrant:

If you do care about the person, but do not challenge directly, it is ruinous empathy.

It results in ignorance (people do not even know what to fix, if at all to fix anything) and thus no change.

This is what I was guilty of, for the longest time!

Top Right Quadrant:

It is ONLY when you challenge directly AND you care personally about the person you are giving feedback - that it is Radical Candor.

RC leads to instant change and needless to say, profound in nature!

The book hit me hard.

Because now I had a way of managing my guilt of being harsh towards someone I cared for.

So today, before giving any feedback to any of my known ones, I ask these 3 questions:

Question 1: Am I saying this because I feel anger or frustration?

In hindsight - none of those remarks ever helped.

It just made them more defensive or exercise authority if they could.

Now, I ask a different question:

“What is it that they know that I do not?”

That helps me see their side and approach it from that direction.

Question 2: Do I want the other person to truly win, or would I feel happy watching them lose?

I found myself in situations where I wanted the person to lose, so that I could pin point their mistakes, go one up on them and thus establish authority the next time I said something.

Today, I make sure that I want them to win by whatever I say.

For ex:

"You do not even know why I am angry" - is an unfair statement to make.

It makes it sound like you WANT the other person to forget, and use that as an excuse to remind them of their failure.

Question 3: Will this feedback help them or help me?

Things that I said which, in hindsight helped only me and not them, was not feedback.

It was just my need to express myself.

The chart above helped me a lot.

I am most guilty of ruinous empathy.

It’s my biggest weakness because I still fall in that trap.

Of wanting to help myself (they should feel I am a nice person), than helping them!

I have come to believe that most relationships falter because they never engage in Radical Candor.

I hope this helped you realize where you could be going wrong.

Or, where someone you know could be going wrong and you can now, through Radical Candor, help them see it :)

Candor is a compliment.

It implies equality.

It is how true friends talk.

- Peggy Noonan

You can read this thread on Twitter by Ankoor Warikoo here. 

10 rules to change your life

These 10 rules will change your life today… (guaranteed):

Don't Neglect Your Health

To be at your best, you need to take care of your mind, body, and soul.

Every day I:

• Do a mindfulness meditation

• Stretch

• Lift

• Eat healthily

The best investment you will ever make is your own health.

Cut Toxic People Fast

Beware of energy vampires. 

They suck the life out of you and hold you back.

Create a Personal Board of Advisors:

Experiences > Things

We're all going to die.

You can't bring things to your grave.

Over the past 6 months, I traveled to:

• The Grand Canyon

• Costa Rica and went surfing

• Sedona and hiked the Red Rocks

Take a "mental vacation" every 6 weeks.

You deserve it.

Focus on The Process

Fall in love with the journey.

We all have our ups and downs. 

The path to success is a marathon. Slow down and enjoy the ride.

The goal isn't just to get there. 

It's to have fun along the way.

Find Your Calling

Find the intersection of your:

• Passion

• Mission

• Vocation

• Profession

You only live once.

Make sure you're doing work that feels like play.

If you're checking the clock, quit.

Here is an Ikigai template for inspiration:

Experiments > Perfection

I used to be obsessed with making things perfect.

I learned it's more important to continuously improve:

• Write

• Ship it

• Learn

• Iterate

• Repeat

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Edison

Learn Like Your Life Depends On It

The best entrepreneurs are lifelong learners.

I spend 6 hours a day learning from:

• Books

• Twitter

• Mentors

• Podcasts

• YouTube videos

Follow your passion. Be curious. Have fun.

Live By the 5-Second Rule

Start now. Don't waste any time. 

You are one action away from changing the trajectory of your life.

Hesitation is the kiss of death.

Have a bias for action.

“Your feelings don’t matter. The only thing that matters is what you DO.” - Mel Robbins. 

Do Things That Are Obvious

Eliminate distractions.

You must say no to things that are not in your calling.

Focus is the scarcest resource in life.

It's either a "Hell Yes" or a "No."

Make Something People Want

I've wasted 1,000+ hours working on shit no one wanted.

Seek feedback. Ask for advice. Listen.

You need 3 things to be successful:

1. Unbelievable people

2. Spend as little money as possible

3. Make something customers want

Let's win together 🥇

You can read this thread on Twitter by Matt Gray here.