Welcome to ReadtoSucceed. Where one idea can change everything.
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1% Notes
Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
You are one decision away from a completely different life.
That is the whole book in one sentence. Tony Robbins wrote it in 1991, and it is still the one he is known for best. Coach to presidents, athletes, and billionaires. His whole career is built on one idea. Real change happens the moment you actually decide.
This was one of the first self-help books I ever read. And still one of the best. It set the tone for everything I read after it.
- You are exactly where every past decision has put you. Nothing more, nothing less.
- Change is a moment, not a process. It happens the second you truly decide.
- Trade "I should" for "I must". Should is optional. Must gets done.
- Bad questions keep you stuck. "Why does this always happen to me?" leads nowhere. "What can I do right now?" leads somewhere.
The part on goals stuck with me most. Robbins says writing your goals down is not enough. The moment you finish writing, take one action for that goal. On the spot. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now.
Sign up for the class. Book the appointment. Send the email. Buy the ticket. Anything that makes turning back a little harder. That first action locks it in.
I still remember doing this myself. I worked through every exercise in the book. I wrote down goals for the next 20 years. Short ones. Long ones. Big ones and small ones. And I stayed pumped for months, maybe close to a year. I did more in that stretch than I thought I was capable of.
Grab the book. Actually do the exercises. That is where the magic happens.
The Best 15 Minutes I Wasted This Week
I always find it interesting to see what strange tools people build. This week I came across one I cannot stop using.
It is called Drive and Listen. You pick a city. You get dashcam footage of someone driving through it. And in the background, a local radio station from that city plays live.
That is it. That is the whole thing. Rome. Tokyo. Buenos Aires. New York. You just drive. You just listen.
Interesting music in Mumbai, but you better stay focused in that traffic.
With the holiday season around the corner, this is actually useful. Thinking about a city trip? Drive through it first. Fifteen minutes tells you more about a place than any travel blog ever will.
Something fun to try next time you feel like scrolling. Try it here →
The Healthiest Man Alive Just Got Bad News
I have shared a lot about Bryan Johnson in this newsletter. I follow him closely, and I will keep doing that.
But this week he shared something I did not expect. He was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune gastritis. His immune system is attacking the lining of his own stomach. In his own words, his stomach is eating itself.
He says he is going to try and solve it. Of course he is. That is who he is. And I hope he does.
But this made me stop and think.
Here is a man who measures everything. Sleeps perfectly. Eats perfectly. Trains perfectly. Tracks every marker in his body. And still, something slipped through.
Some people online think his lifestyle itself is part of the problem. So much pressure. So much control. That kind of stress does something to the body over time. And stress is one of the biggest known triggers for autoimmune conditions. I would not rule it out.
The thing I have always found strange is how much he avoids the sun. I understand the science on skin aging. But I believe we are built for sunlight. I feel a completely different person in summer. Better sleep. More energy. Sharper mood. That is the sun doing its work.
It reminds me of something I learned a long time ago. Even when smart people tell you what to do, keep thinking for yourself. Their answers are not always your answers.
I will keep following Bryan. He is one of the smartest people out there on health, and if anyone can figure this out, it is him.
I really hope he gets it under control soon.
30 Years, Zero Mistakes
In a time when everything is about AI, I sometimes just want to share something that reminds us how amazing human talent still is.
This week I came across a video of Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett. Michael Jackson's drummer for 30 years. I am not a drummer. I have no clue about drums. But this man plays like an AI. And somehow I can watch this for hours.
There is a famous quote from Michael Jackson about him:
They call him the human metronome. Watch him for one minute, and you will understand why.
Tiny Upgrade
The 2-Minute Health Routine
I love super simple things with a high return. This is one of them.
Every day I make a shake. It takes two minutes and gives me a real energy boost. You can have it in the morning, during an afternoon dip, or take it with you to work.
No fancy setup. A cheap little electric blender that you can pick up anywhere for a few dollars. Some frozen fruit from the freezer.
The best part is you can put whatever you want in it. Fruit you love. Vegetables you would normally skip. Protein if you train. Whatever matters to you, you can get it in one glass.
Also perfect for kids. Most of them love smoothies, and it is one of the easiest ways to get real nutrients into them without a fight.
It is one of the easiest ways to get your fruit and healthy stuff in without any effort.
Small routine, big return.
Reading list
What I’m Reading
Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:
- I finished A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. He realizes his own life would make a boring movie, and sets out to live a better story. A simple but sharp question: would your life make a good story?
- I started Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. A plastic surgeon who noticed his patients felt no better after surgery. The problem wasn't their face. It was their self-image. A classic from 1960 that still holds up.
- I'm still reading Addicted to Thinking by Jan Geurtz. A Dutch book about the trap of non-stop thinking. We mistake our thoughts for who we are and miss our actual life.
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