Hey everybody,
Here’s another batch of actionable insights to start your week off right, so you can be more intentional with how you live, work, and create.
Let’s get started.
Insight 1: Mortality as a motivator to live fully
How many times has fear stopped you from putting yourself out there or doing meaningful work?
A few years ago, I came across an idea that 10Xed my quality of life: the Stoic concept of memento mori, which translates to “remember you will die.”
It’s meant to be inspirational—not depressing.
From ancient Roman emperors to modern tech titans—the greatest leaders throughout history have used memento mori to help them overcome fear, gain clarity on what truly matters, and inspire them to reach their potential.
Click here to read my latest article on how memento mori can help you overcome fear and do what you were meant to do.
Insight 2: A paycheck doesn’t equal value
“The real reasons were that the money was good and The Path was a siren’s call to a life of comfort.”
In this article, Chris Wong talks about why he left a lucrative career in finance to build a values-driven life to explore his curiosity and do meaningful work.
Here’s an excerpt:
“I still didn’t even know where The Path led. I realized I didn’t want my job, I didn’t want my boss’ job, and I didn’t even want my boss’ boss’ job. I was making a significant amount of money, but I wasn’t actually creating value. To be successful in this industry was not by creating value but by making your boss look good.”
Insight 3: Leverage means doing hard work
Innovation and disruption happen when we question the problems everyone else turns a blind eye toward and set out to solve them.
In this article, engineer and psychologist Artur Piszek deconstructs why most people avoid hard work, and the benefits you can unlock for yourself and your company if you’re willing to do what others aren’t.
Here’s an excerpt:
“Doing the hard things is both the best thing for the company, for you and counterintuitively – your lifestyle.
Corporate environments and more established companies tend to be risk-averse. Everyone tries to be in the middle – do a little more than enough to be considered a good employee.
But surely in your workplace, there is a couple of things to tackle that are considered too hard, way out there, maybe not now. It is my long-standing career strategy to go after those things with guns blazing.”
Question for the Week
What is the most valuable work you can do this week—both in your personal life, and your professional life?
Insights in Action
One of the best ways to clarify your thinking is to write it out.
So if you want to develop your thinking on this question or start applying insights from today’s newsletter, send a tweet to @CoreyWilksPsyD with your thoughts and put #BuildingBlocks at the end so I can find it.
Not ready to “think in public” yet? No problem. You can also reply to this email if you want to share your thoughts with me.
Until next time,
Corey Wilks, Psy.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Certified Professional Coach
Building https://coreywilkspsyd.com/
