6 building blocks to your evolutionary process

When I was growing up, people would ask me.

“Doss, do you read?”

My answer would always be “fuck no I hate it”.

The look I would get from the individual asking me would always rattle me as I thought to myself why is this person so offended?

I remember when I started in high school there was a pivotal moment in my reading abilities that changed the next few years to come.

And that was when I was told to read Macbeth.

Now for those of you who know this book, it's not that enticing, (well at least in my opinion).

This is when I decided that reading wasn't for me and the next 10 years I didn't pick up a single book.

The schooling system wasn't for me but I was the only one to blame for why I didn't explore my continuous learning.

Fast forward 10 years and I found my love for books again.

I remember going on my first travel trip around the world exploring different countries and the literature they had.

This was an interesting experience as half the books weren't in English.

I remember being in Lisbon Portugal and I had a friend say to me you should read “The Barefoot Investor”.

Which is a very typical Australian book to read, I listened to him and read the book.

I'll be honest, I didn't take a lot away from that book.

Although it did get me back into reading.

From that day forward I started to read more books I was interested in.

I start with this short story about reading because I speak to so many individuals today who say 1 of these 3 things:

• I hate reading

• I can't focus

• There are no books out there for me

I understand that a 400-page novel might not be for you, surely there has to be a book on an interest you are interested in.

Which brings me to my next point.

What are you interested in?

I see far too many people going about their days doing shit that doesn't inspire them or light them up.

They spend multiple hours on social media and in a pub, rather than sitting down for 10 minutes to read a book.

The world is constantly evolving and if you don't evolve with it, nature will force you to change.

As Ray Dalio states in his book Principles:

“Your machine will provide feedback”

What he means here is we are machines living in a machine.

Think of it like a car, you are always having to get it serviced.

• Get new tyres

• Adjust the oil

• New windscreen wipers

Nature will always optimise for the whole not just for you.

This is important to remember the next time you think to yourself “I don't like reading”.

Or I don't have time.

Educating yourself is a difficult process but it can be achieved.

We live in a time where we have so much information available to us that it is hard to decipher what is true to one's nature.

You have your nature and the things that affect you.

So it is up to you to educate yourself in the spaces that are true to you.

If you haven't been to a bookstore lately this is your reminder to go and see what sticks out to you.

Yes, this will be difficult but if you are “not” someone who reads this is the best place to start.

A great way to start is to go into the bookshop and go to the area that you are most interested in:

• Sports

• Politics

• Science

• Psychology

• Nutrition

Pick one have a flick through the pages and see if you feel inspired.

Once you get inspired grab that book, walk straight up to the counter and purchase it.

And always give thanks to where you are currently at in your life, because that book may or may not change the trajectory of your life.

Next, go home and sit in a spot where you feel most comfortable flick your phone timer on for 10 minutes and start reading.

If 10 minutes is too much start with 1-3 pages.

The crucial thing here is to make this a daily habit and something that you look forward to.

Leave the book somewhere you can see it, so it's a reminder for you to read it.

As you go about each day identify when you enjoy reading and schedule 5-10 minutes to sit down and read.

As time goes on you will find yourself wanting to read for longer.

When you tap into a book that is true to your nature you'll find it harder to not read the book than to read it.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

You need to go and buy the book so make this your priority.

As I have stated I do believe that there is an evolutionary process in every one of us that needs to be tapped into.

It comes down to these 6 principles:

Reading = A book

Writing = A daily journal or newsletter

Exploring = Travelling to a new location

Building = Your mind, body and spirit

Creating = A life worth living

Investing = Your time, money and energy

These are 6 principles that have helped me with my evolutionary process and they can help you too.

Stay tuned for next week's newsletter where I will be going into great depth on how you can implement these into your life.

And remember go the book shop.

Appreciate you all for reading.

Have a great rest of the week

Much love

Doss

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