april '22
preface
Most of this newsletter was written before April 01, 2022. I did not release it on time because life was thrown into a bit of a washing machine cycle and needed to chill out first. Shit happens, sometimes you just have to clean it up before anyone else sees it. I understand there’s only a few days left in April, but I wanted to send this out before May so I can start over with a clean slate. So yes, imagine this is all just one big April Fools joke, and it’s still the beginning of the month.
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Hello! It’s been a minute! The last few months have been quite chaotic and busy for me and I had to take a few things off my plate. Although this newsletter didn’t take up too much of my time, it took up a good bit of mindspace and so I set it on the back burner and figured I’d resume it eventually. For the 3.6 of you that read this, thank you for subtley holding me accountable. So here we are, already in April of 2022. Time has been a very weird dimension in 2022, and it moves exponentially quicker as we fly through this year. So I suggest we slow things down, and take some time to breathe and reflect before we keep sprinting.
i’m feeling lucky
This is easily my favorite part of this newsletter, as it keeps me on my toes with new music. I love finding new gems and sharing them with y’all. This month’s playlist is a little bit all over the place but also sets up the summer-vibes in a way. I think it’s one of the best collections we’ve had in a while! Listen, and let me know what you think!
[Archive playlist can be found here]
Humanly Dimensions
In the Marvel Universe, there are six infinity stones. Each infinity stone has a unique purpose and when used together, they can be very powerful. The article linked above tells you all about the infinity stones, where they came from and what they do. In short, here are the six:
Mind - Reality - Soul - Space - Power - Time
I’d like to propose a translation of these stones and qualities into our (real) human world and devise a way in which we use our dimensional capacities. Ofcourse we have some real dimensions such as space and time but at times we take other dimensions for granted and don’t keep track of them. I know this doesn’t make sense but hang on.
Let me make this simple and start with an example; In one day, 24 hours, we all have a certain number of tasks to do. Our day is already divided into time modules and we devote certain amounts of time to each task. Brushing teeth takes 2 minutes, lunch takes 45 minutes, and work is from 9-5 so it takes approximately 8 hours. Ofcourse we need some hours for sleep and some time to shower and what not. But we only view these things as chunks of time. One of my biggest inspirations, Casey Neistat, divides his day in this way; I highly recommend watching that. But if we only view our days in the time dimension, are we really seeing the whole picture? I think we have to factor in a couple more dimensions: Mind and Power.
In the Mind dimension, we are forced to think about our responsibilities and tasks and plan ahead of time. In reality, the mind dimension works faster than time does. We have to think 3 steps ahead, add things to a calendar, and schedule our life segments out well in advance - all while completing tasks in the moment. Actually, doing this planning and putting the mind to use in foresight is actually a task itself! Every task that takes Time in our world, also takes Mindspace. Even if you Doordash for dinner, the mind needs to make decisions and find the right restaurant, pick the right dish, pay with the right card, order to the right address and select the right delivery time. The mind dimension should be viewed as a finite resource, similar to Time. We all have a certain capacity of mindspace that we can continuously devote to working on tasks, planning our days, and the rest. Our mind also NEEDS activities that are not burdens but rather loose moments that regain the Mind dimension’s power. Laying in the grass at the park for 30 mins with a book or some headphones allows us to shut off the productive side of the Mind dimension and regains the Mind’s ability to work again once those 30 minutes are up. Also note that we “sacrifice” 30 minutes of our Time, to regain our Mind’s power to function for the rest of the day.
The Power dimension, is a similar yet simpler idea. We all have physical bodies, and we need to take care of them in order for them to keep functioning in the long run. These bodies deteriorate over time and for that reason, we need to view our Power as physical beings as another finite resource. You only have XX many years where you can run 5 miles again. You only have XX many years to play video games until 3am before you have kids; at which point, you’ll be up at 3am because your son had an accident in bed. (Yes, I was that kid) The point is, your body is able to do certain things at a high functioning capacity but the more you wear it down, the less it can perform at that capacity. If you workout everyday a week and also play volleyball and tennis twice a week, you are not going to have enough energy to get your office work done. Our body’s Power is a finite resource, similar to Time and the Mind.
Now we have 3 dimensions/resources: Time - Mind - Power.
Life is a game of balance. We must balance these 3 resources in order to function properly. If our time is spent with work and other productive duties, we no longer have time to devote to the Mind. Our Mind will overload, causing for “burnout”. In order to not burnout, we need to make Time to focus on the Mind and maybe recharge bodily Power. Like all things in life, these dimensions require balance and we constantly search for the perfect balance. The perfect balance doesn’t come at once, but rather dissipates over days/weeks/months. One month might be a solid work month where we are pressed on time, and our mind is constantly busy. But maybe we didn’t overwork our body. And then the following month we take 3 trips to Utah and go hiking and drain our body’s power. But in that way, we recharge the Mind and then recalibrate the balance. Everybody’s balance is different but it’s important to keep it in check.
Last but definitely not least, however, there is a 4th dimension. This dimension is a valuable finite resource and we all have differing amounts of it. Some of us take this resource for granted while others simply don’t have enough to live properly. We use this resource to BUY more Time, Power, and Mind.
The 4th dimension is Money.
We live in a society where money can literally buy back time and mindspace and bodily power. If you are traveling to an important meeting and need to finish the presentation deck, an Uber can buy you that time to finish it on the way! But it costs money. But it saves you the Time that it requires to drive there; it saves the Mindspace that it requires to pay attention to driving; and it saves the bodily Power it might take to drive (or even bike there). Ofcourse Uber is a simple example but there are much larger examples of ways in which Money can literally buy back our other finite resources. The important thing to note is that money can be bought too. We use our other dimensions to buy money. The more money you have, the more you can buy Time, free up the Mind and regain Power.
All the dimensions are finite resources and we balance them everyday in order to function. Everyone balances in different ways and prioritizes each resource uniquely.
How do you balance your Time, Mind, Power and Money?
patience
Why are we all running at full speed? Life is not a race. It’s not a marathon either. Life is just a fun little walk in the park with the people you love and the flowers you enjoy smelling. So why do we all pretend like we have a meeting to get to all the time or somewhere to be?
I’ve been a victim to impatience in the recent past and it’s such a curse for the productive creative in me. A lot of this is because our world is so easily run by instant gratification. From smartphones, to online shopping, to social media, to streaming entertainment, we all send and receive information at such insane speeds. I think this completely numbs our ability to wait. Waiting is one of the most important skills in life because no matter how fast you can send a message or quote a tweet, you’ll still be forced to wait for a response. You’ll wait for the likes to come in and wait for someone to “love” your message. But waiting doesn’t have to feel like a huge burden. Waiting can be viewed as the art of appreciating the time it takes for the world to digest your inputs. Read that again. Wait with the idea that whatever you just put into the world, something better is coming back to you. If you applied for 10 jobs, be patient and know that promise and opportunity are on their way to you. If those 10 jobs didn’t come back fruitful then maybe you didn’t knock hard enough. But don’t grow impatient, grow confident in the message that the world will send back to you.
This might just be a reassurance piece for myself but I truly believe all good things take time. It’s not easy to wait for the right person or the perfect job, but I can assure you that when you start to appreciate the waiting and look past the instant gratification, good things will come. Be patient, grow your roots, manifest greatness without rushing it.
link dump
apparently when we die, our lives do flash before our eyes
beautiful story by a talented photographer
It’s fun to listen to this man speak
more about Elon and his new toy
if you’re interested in metaverses, read this
Apologies for the delay on this month’s newsletter. I know not a whole lot of you depend on it or care about it, but the small amount of accountability allows me to set this as a priority and keep it on a back burner at all times. April was subpar for me. I’ve seen better months. To be honest, 2022 has been a weird year so far too, but I’m not losing hope for the rest of the year. There is so much life to live and so much life to give. I’m hopeful and optimistic for the summer we are leaning into, and I’m sending all that hope and optimism your way. Enjoy this last week of April and please do reach out if you have anything to say. And tune into the playlist before I update for next month!