Introducing Neurons: Micro-Teachings of Practical Wisdom, Personal Development Frameworks, & Groundbreaking Science To Help You Grow (& To Stop You From Drifting)

I am excited to introduce a new content format: Neurons.

Neurons are bite-size pieces of wisdom to help you create the small, consistent changes that result in big transformations.

Neurons will keep you Tuned Up.

But, where did the inspiration for Neurons come from? And how exactly will a Neuron serve you on YOUR path?

The Power of Compound Growth

Fresh out of college and hungry for growth, I would watch—every day—a “+1” video from a prolific personal development content creator named Brian Johnson.

I never met Brian, but I consider him to be one of my greatest mentors for “ancient wisdom, modern science, and practical tools.”

“+1s” were bite-sized (2-3 minute) video clips that he published EVERY DAY for years. “+1” generally implies compound growth, or getting +1% better every day.

Why is constant growth so important?

Here’s the cold hard truth: you are always getting better OR you are getting worse. You NEVER stay the same.

Let’s explore the perils of starting to drift in life (i.e., not growing and getting complacent).

Imagine you’re flying out of LAX to New York City. But, the nose of your plane is pointing a seemingly innocent 3.5 degrees size more south than required.

This is only ~90 inches off course, depending on plane size. No big deal, right? Let’s find out.

In this example, you’d end up HUNDREDS of miles off course.

Instead of gazing at the Statue of Liberty in New York City, you’d land on the front lawn of The White House in Washington, DC. Not where you wanted to go, is it?

A measly 3.5 degrees off turned into a massive 100 miles off course.

And if you stayed 3.5 degrees off course over a longer period of time than from LAX to the East Coast, you would end up thousands and thousands of miles off course.

This is analogous to how most people live. Eventually, they wake up and don't know who they are or how they got there.

Don't let the world determine the trajectory of your life.

Instead, do the work to consistently and consciously recalibrate yourself, to point the nose of your plane in the right direction. EVERY DAY.

As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says about seemingly insignificant small wins: “…over the span of moments that make up a lifetime, these choices determine the difference between who you are and who you could be.”

The Privilege of a Lifetime Is Being Who You are

When I first started listening to Brian’s +1’s, I was hellbent on living someone else’s life in investment banking, faking my way through the world and pretending that finance was my ultimate dream.

In my finance career path, I was drifting far away from who I was deep inside.

But, the +1’s served as my daily Tune Up to help me discover (perhaps remember) who I was, why I was here, and how to recreate myself.

Now, I am excited to create my version of “+1s” for you, which I call Neurons.

Think of Neurons as micro teachings of timeless wisdom that you can consume in 2-3 minutes AND apply in your life immediately.

The purpose is to keep you Tuned Up and to positively alter the course of your life.

Neurons will help you remember who you are, why you are here on Planet Earth, and how to recreate yourself.

Life is too short to waste it building someone else’s dream.

I have found NOTHING to be more true than Ralph's perspective.

The heaviest misery is living someone else’s life, day after day. Most often, this misery doesn’t make a sound. But I promise you - it is deafening inside your soul.

In today’s hyperconnected and overstimulating world, there are infinite forces that are relentlessly trying to turn you into something else.

Thus, we often live “by default”, rather than by design. Society designs us. Then, we become them without even trying.

This is the most effortless, yet meaningless, form of change.

To spare you from that pain, consider a Neuron to be a counter-force.

Each Neuron will help you become more of who you are and who you want to become, and less of who the world wants you to be.

I will create thousands of Neurons over the years, which will eventually connect with other Neurons to form “modules”, “courses”, or “books”.

Neurons will be the golden thread throughout my body of work.

And you may enter this web of wisdom web at any place.

Disclaimer: I certainly do not claim to be a master. I have plenty of work to do on myself. I too am a deeply flawed human who stresses out about what to eat for dinner before I have even eaten lunch, among many other shortcomings. However, I consider myself to be a Neuron of the universe. Over the years, I’ve learned a few things and organized them inside of my brain in a unique way that could be helpful to at least one of the 7.8 billion people on this planet. So, here I am.

Now, we’d be remiss if we didn’t ask a basic question: What is a neuron?

In the next newsletter, I will answer that question by turning to David Eagleman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University and an internationally bestselling author.

Thank you for your time and attention. It means the world to me.

Did anything come up for you when reading this? Reach out to me and let’s connect.

Let me know what lands and what sounds stupid. Your feedback is invaluable.

And, if you need someone to talk to, want to ask a question, or if I can be of service to you in any way, it would be my greatest honor and privilege to speak with you.

Sending you everything you need to live an extraordinary life.

Love, Connor

ICYMI

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