this edition of the [no hustle] huddle went out on Monday 4th February 2024

I entered 2024 with a rather simple goal …

TO LET GO

To do a better job of letting what be, BE 👍

Because when it comes to life, we don’t get to control much. Each day, we interact with other people and their lives, and there’s a general fabric interweaving its way around us (and through us) at all times.

There’s little we can do to stop what’s going to happen.

if it’s to happen, it will.

We control some, to an extent, but most of it, not even a little.

It’s why one of my THREE WORDS this year is STOIC.

To study stoicism and dive down its rabbit hole … to practice its ways as I learn what I learn … and to simply be more stoic because one of the key aspects of the philosophy — in my opinion, the main pillar of it — is to LET GO 🙏

But doing so is easier said than done, as I share below with a practical example from my own world 👇👇 but before that, let me first show you this …

from the [no hustle] community

Why am I Tired But Can’t Sleep — if ever there was an article that shows how little control we have, it is this 😞

Learning From Failure and Mistakes — first I wrote the book about it … now, the video series 😉

3 actions to take this week

🔖 bookmark this → Pain is not only part of the process, but a key aspect you cannot live without (as this powerful article from Mark Manson shows).

📺 watch this → What can we learn about James Baldwin and the “rat race”? Turns out, quite a bit…

💪 DO THIS → Take a Few Minutes To *Just* Breathe — count your breaths for a few minutes and tune all that other “stuff” out; a few minutes goes a long way.

this week’s featured book

How To Calm Your Mind by Chris Bailey

After you read the end of today’s email, you’ll understand why I share this book with you because it’s “the” read to help you calm that frantic mind of yours.

🎙️ pass the mic

I have known AJ Leon for more than a decade, and he’s not only been a great mentor, but a guiding figure to help ground me.

… and an embodiment of what happens when you “let go”.

A true gent and scholar, and someone I hope you get to know.

If you choose to, I highly recommend you start with his essays.

🎤 drop the mic

Letting Go is good and all, but it’s far from easy.

Why? Because our minds are so damn busy.

It’s why so many of us slip into “the hustle”, often without even noticing 🤯

Each day, we’re bombarded with messages, choices, opportunities, and more. There’s so little time to think about what we want (and need), so we pursue carrots dangled in front of us in the hope they fill some kind of void 🥕

That’s dangerous, not only because it leads you to pursue worthless pursuits, but because it also makes it harder to LET GO.

Because you compare yourself to others 😞

Compare what you have to what you wish you did 😠

linger on the “could haves” instead of the “what is” 😡

In theory, letting go is easy. We know we don’t get to control much, and we know we should focus on what we can control. Yet we lose ourselves in the chaos because the chaos is around us at all times 😵‍💫

It distracts us; always there, buzzing in our ears like some annoying insect 🪳

I’ve felt this to start the year, busy with the new job, family life, the process of buying our first house, maintaining my health, working on myself, being a husband, and remaining committed to the [no hustle].

Not just the articles and videos and this very newsletter, but my relationship with the [no hustle] so I don’t get caught in its grip.

a day becomes two, and then, out of nowhere, an entire month 😳

Too much time trying to remain in control, even though I’m affected by dozens of people (at least) each day. What they do and what generally happens remains out of my control.

I need to LET GO, just as you do 👍

Although that’s only the first step, because as well as letting go of everything outside of your control, you have to commit to taking hold of the few aspects you do — treasure your values and guiding principles; the quirks that make you, YOU.

So make the day you not only LET GO (if only a little)…

… but also the one you grip hard to the things you hold dear.

Thank you for reading, and, as always, for being YOU 🙏

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