Take A Walk With Nick

Hi, folks. My name's Nick the poet. Thanks for taking a walk with me. Maybe you want to join in by taking a walk around the block or even just a couple of loops around the kitchen. So I've been playing a little bit of tennis lately, and I've got this really huge racket. I don't know, it's like 140 inches surface area, which is, you know, about twice as big as a normal racket. And it got me thinking that, you know, some days we need that extra surface area. You know, yesterday my arm was hurt a little bit.

I was a little bit tired. And this big racket really came in handy. So I got to thinking, what are some ways that we can increase our own surface area and capacity on a given day? And so I just want to throw some ideas out at you. Let me get my script ready to go here. So the first thing is, try giving out two compliments a day. So this is just a fun little exercise that gets you out of yourself. I know I get in trouble when I'm just thinking about myself, my own words and concerns. And by giving a compliment to someone else, we can change their day and we can change our day.

The next thing is to ask yourself, what if there was no problem to solve now? Now my mind's always going in problem solving mode, trying to figure things out, trying to make things happen. Sometimes it's good to just take a break. And what if there was no problem to solve right now? You know, what if I could just be for this moment? Another question to ask yourself is, how would I do this if it were easy? I tend to overcomplicate and overthink. So even with work tasks or anything, a great question, I believe this is from Tim Ferriss, is, how would I do this if it were easy?

So the next thing I wanted to talk about is the placebo effect. And the placebo effect is very powerful. The placebo effect is a psychological phenomenon where a person experiences an improvement in their condition simply due to the belief that they're receiving treatment, even when the treatment has no therapeutic properties. This perceived improvement can result from complex brain processes influenced by expectation, leading to changes in pain, stress, and even physical symptoms. It's a crucial element in clinical trials, where a placebo group helps distinguish the actual effectiveness of a treatment from these psychological effects.

And so I saw this thing from Mindvalley where you take a glass of water at night and you drink half of it, and you basically say, the problem that I'm thinking about is already solved. And with this thought that then when you sleep overnight, your super conscious will work on it. And in the morning, you drink the second half of the glass of water and you repeat that same affirmation. And, you know, I think that this kind of thing can be really beneficial. The power of belief, you know, what we tell ourselves is, you know, can oftentimes become true.

So now I have my weekly. If you're feeling gloomy, here's a quote from Rumi. So here's the Rumi quote for the week. The very center of your heart is where life begins, the most beautiful place on earth. So now I want to talk to you a little bit about practicing beginner's mind. So beginner's mind involves adopting an attitude of openness, eagerness and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level. Here are some steps to cultivate a beginner's mind. Number one is openness to the present.

Stay fully present in each moment as if you were experiencing it for the first time. This can help to clear your mind of any preconceptions. Now, this is really difficult to do, and so this is a practice. I mean, my mind is always filled with preconceptions, but occasionally I can find that moment. And when I do, it's really, really awesome. And so we can let go of expectations. Number two, try not to have predetermined expectations or judgments. Give me one sec here about your experiences. Instead, let experiences unfold naturally and be open to their outcomes, whether they are good, bad, or neutral.

This one is tough to do, not trying to control that outcome. Number three is to practice curiosity. Approach things with a sense of curiosity and eagerness to learn, ask questions, investigate, and be willing to see things from different perspectives. Number four is to embrace not knowing. Recognize and accept the fact that we don't know everything. Being comfortable with not knowing or uncertainty is a key aspect of the beginner's mind. Uncertainty can be very, very difficult to deal with. It can sometimes help me to think.

Just, you know, take that breath, just take that step. It's all going to be good. So practice mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation, in which you focus on the present moment without judgment, can be a useful tool for cultivating a beginner's mind. Mindfulness helps to tune into the present moment and allows you to see things as they truly are. And number six is patience. Progress takes time. Be patient with yourself and understand that maintaining a beginner's mind is a process. It takes time. I think it takes a lifetime, you know, and we can keep just practicing this.

And when we do, you know, this beginner's mind leads to a lot of openness and curiosity and goodness, and it allows us to be more creative and less judgmental about yourself, others, and your experiences. So, next from Kyle, cease. If you try to solve it with your ego, you don't give the universe a chance to help you. So let the universe help you out. This is a really good one to remember, you know, when we're always trying to, you know, make things happen, and we're. And we're worried about this?

Worried about that. Take a deep breath. The universe has our back. And I'll close with a little poem for me. What an exquisite pleasure it is to be alive. Whether I'm in the mode of survive or thrive, I can always look at the sky and realize that happiness comes in the blink of an eye. I'm nick the poet. This is Cadre. I'm wishing you a lot of peace, positivity, prosperity, and I think those are all the. All the things I wish you today, and. But whatever's going on, just remember to keep taking that next step, and we're all in this together, okay?

Have an awesome day. It.