#31: Motivation, brain health & ego

I’ve been hearing from a few people lately that they feel lacking in motivation.

Of course, there can be many reasons for that at a time of such uncertainty and worry. If you’re feeling a little out of sorts, it is certainly understandable and I can definitely empathise.

But then I came across this article which made me realise that there could also be some very practical steps we can take to reconnect us with our mojo. Little habits that we barely notice have changed from our ‘regular life’, that we might consider replacing. 

For as the writer explains, highly motivated people do in fact have a secret source of motivation. It’s so secret that many of them don’t even realise what it is. But this piece lays it bare.

According to experts aspects of our modern lifestyle are chipping away at neural pathways and making us slower, denser and less capable of original thought.

When it comes to our health, we don’t always think about nurturing our brains the way we nourish our bodies. But to be our most creative and productive, we need to do more of what improves our brain health, and less of what causes cognitive decline.

This article details seven everyday habits that we might consider changing for the good of our brain health. 

One plus of the global lockdown situation is that many people have begun experimenting with different ways of exercising their body, discovering great new online resources to keep moving at home.

For a lot of men this has meant turning to Youtube and trying do-from-anywhere activities like Yoga.

In my years as a yogi I’ve seen many other men try yoga for the first time, and the extent to which they enjoy the experience depends to a large degree on their mindset going into it.

This article addresses that well. So if you still haven’t taken the plunge, or are considering giving Yoga another chance, give this a quick read first. 

If your personality was a car, what would be driving it – your ego or your spirit?
This article examines the difference between the two and the pros and cons of leading an ego-driven life, versus a spirit-driven one. 

SXSW is among the thousands of festivals cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis, meaning many independent filmmakers were robbed of an opportunity to get their work in front of an audience this year.

Looking to support these up and coming filmmakers, SXSW teamed up with Mailchimp to launch a digital platform for the short films.

The #SupportTheShorts initiative features a selection of 50 short films from the 2020 SXSW Film Festival available to stream online – perfect to pass the time during lockdown.