Monk Mode | Letter to a Friend #1

Hey all!

​
Of course, when I'm in Mexico wandering around I somehow manage to remember to get this out on Sunday, but when I'm at home all day I manage to forget. Oh well.

​
Happy Monday? I've been thinking a bit about these and I've realized that the way I've been writing them (or trying to) has been as a "letter to a friend", of sorts. Not professional, just weekly thoughts written in the kind of way I'd write a letter to a good friend. So, not that it matters much, but I've decided I'll refer to these newsletters as "Letters to a Friend" (LtaF). Not the best acronym, but screw it. Works for now.

​
So what would I write to a good friend this week, short and sweet? Well, I finally made it back from Mexico. Back home and "back to work". I've decided to go into what others have referred to as, "monk mode", which basically means no coffee/drinking/drugs as a base level, plus, for me, meditation + yoga first thing when I wake up, work for a few hours, cold plunge in the frozen-over lake I have in my backyard now, eat a lil bit for the first time at noon, work some more, then workout and have dinner, and maybe a lil more work.

​
I say "work" but really I just mean learning, creating, and doing things that I'd do without anyone telling me to. It's a version of play. I'm really deep down the crypto rabbit hole right now and have to hold myself back from being in it 24/7. Not exactly the version of "work" most people think of.

​
Personally, that's the goal for me. Make work and my natural curiosity the same thing, then everything blends together and there's nothing you're dreading doing in the day. Sure, I can still think about jumping in a frozen lake and get a lil apprehensive, but if I go through the list of things I "have to do" today, there's nothing in it that I'm dreading, which hasn't always be the case and I'm sure won't last forever, but it's really nice when it's true.

​
I've gotten in the habit of asking a little question at the end of these, which I enjoy because otherwise I feel like I'm just rambling about myself without adding any value to the reader. Maybe that's not true (you can reply and let me know your thoughts if you want), but I suppose a question I'd ask is: What things do you dread? What things do you remember you have to do at some point in the day and just cringe? I've found it fruitful to explore those reactions and if there's any way I can either learn to not dread them (or even enjoy them) or, if that's not possible, get rid of them!

​
That's all for now. I'll be throwing up a Youtube video sometime in the next couple days, so look out for that.🙂

Thanks for reading!

​
Take care, Ryan