Welcome to my weekly newsletter! I'm glad you could make it! Today is Muse Monday, where I go over 5-10 things that I learned this week or found interesting!
The Batman effect
We all know the story of Bruce Wayne and his battle with himself trying to balance the rich playboy everyone saw him as and the caped vigilante no one could see, but did you know that having an alter ego can actually help you with anxiety and facing your fears? It's called the Batman Effect. The way it works is that when you pretend to be someone you want to be, you can adapt to the traits they have. If you want to be fearless, then pretend your Batman he is human just like you, but he's not afraid of anything. Several students have backed this theory and found it especially helpful for children.
Call out your anxiety
The other day I was talking to a friend, trying to help them through some things, and during that conversation, we started talking about coping with anxiety. And instead of telling him to ignore it, I told him to face it head-on. This is something that has worked in my life for some time now, and I know it works. At the end of the day, anxiety is just anxiety, and rarely does it actually hurt you. We always make things worse than they are, so the way to get around it is to call it out. The stoic philosopher and king of Rome, Marcus Aurelius, once said:
“Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions — not outside.”
He later talks about a morning ritual in which he would wake up and tell himself that the day would be difficult. I may meet bad people. They will be cruel. But that does not affect who I am. Of course, I'm paraphrasing, but what he did was acknowledge that he would most likely experience anxiety today, and by doing so, he has now prepared himself for when it occurs. I have applied this to my own life in regards to relationships and situations that I am afraid of, and it truly has helped me, so I recommend you try it too.
Your time is limited
The other day I was watching Ali Abdall’s podcast Deep Dive, where his guest speaker of the day was Alex Hormozi, a YouTuber and multi-millionaire. During that conversation, Alex mentioned a way of thinking about one's life that really stuck with me. He said, "Imagine Everyone starts their day with 24 dollars and must choose how best to spend them. Eight dollars have already been spent on sleep, but the remaining 16 dollars are up to you. We tend to think of time as something we have, but it is actually something we are given every day and must use. Everyone has the same amount of time, but some choose to watch movies all day while others pursue their passions, see success, and live the life of their dreams. I think it just really puts in perspective how valuable our time is and how easily we spend it.
Be an Observer
The other day I was listening to a talk done by Alon Watts, in which he talked about how, in order to live a happy intellectual life, one needs to separate themselves from the world around them and become an "observer." The majority of our lives are spent with either past regrets or future goals, but rarely do you see anyone living in the present. This is why self-awareness will separate you from 90% of the population. Just by observing yourself, without the crutches of past and future, you will see things others do not. This is basically why meditation can be so powerful. At its core, meditation is just observing yourself, acknowledging who you are and where you are in the now.
The Stockdale Paradox
How being an optimist can be your downfall For 8 years, from 1965–1973, an admiral by the name of James Stockdaleman was captured during the Vietnam War and subjected to unimaginable conditions, including being tortured over 20 times. While all the other US prisoners would slowly lose their minds, he never did; he believed that one day he would leave, and that would become the defining point in his life. Once he got out of an interview, someone once asked him
"Who didn’t make it out?" he said.
"Oh, that’s easy, The Optimists." They were the ones who said, "We’re going to be out by Christmas." And Christmas would come and go. Then they’d say, "We’re going to be out by Easter." And Easter would come and go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. "And they died of a broken heart."
The moral of the story is that, on the one hand, you need to have hope that you are going to make it through hard times, but on the other, you also need to embrace your current reality and understand that, although it may not be what you want, how you respond to it is what defines where you will go.
I hope you enjoyed this installment of Muse Monday; if you did, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. Until next time, my name is Ace, and thank you for reading.
