How to rewire your brain to winner's mentality

Hi, my friend.

It's 4:25 AM.

I couldn't sleep.

I got up at 3:59, 1 minute before my alarm.

I dressed, drank a big glass of water, went to the toilet, and wrote several sentences in my journal.

I put my hat and headphones on. Spotify -> Deep Future Garage Playlist.

It's all automatic. I've done it hundreds of times before. My mornings look the same.

It's writing time.

The urge to check NBA results is strong. But it will distract me.

The first coffee of the day would help now. But because of Andrew Huberman, I delay my first caffeine intake to 90+ minutes after I wake up.

Luckily, I've been fasting for 14 hours, so my focus is good.

No, I'm not hungry.

It's my sister's birthday today. She turns 38.

We haven't talked in a while. 18 months ago, we had a big argument. We didn't manage to rebuild our relationship ever since.

I'll call her later today.

I really wanted to stay in bed.

But I didn't.

Because of Naval.

Yesterday I opened "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant" on a random page.

And I read about mental models. One of them was: Run Uphill.

Choose short-term pain.

That reminded me of Atomic Habits.

At 36, I'm paying for bad habits from my teens and 20s.

I've always been a quitter.

My brain is wired for quitting.

For over 30 years, quitting was my coping mechanism. When things got hard, unpleasant, or boring, I headed for the exit.

Pain avoidance has become my nature.

That's why:

• I was a terrible college student.

• I've never been a good employee.

• I've left a graveyard of unfinished projects.

To avoid short-form pain, I've used my Escape List:

• YouTube

• going out

• social media

• video games

• drinking alcohol

• surfing the internet

And because I've quit so many times, my quitting "muscle" is too strong.

It's like with an alcoholic who was sober for 10 years. A single drink would destroy everything.

Because it would activate the strong but inactive pathways in his brain. 1 drink reactivates the pathways.

Let's go back to James Clear.

After avoiding short-term pain for over 30 years, I started taking votes for my new identity.

The winner.

Winners choose short-term pain. Losers avoid it.

Some short-form pains I choose every day:

• planks

• writing

• reading

• waking up at 4 AM

• riding a stationary bike

• delaying my first coffee

• fasting (OK, not every day)

• avoiding social media till noon

Just to be crystal clear here. Not all of these things are painful per se. However, the alternatives are more pleasurable. Just look at my Escape List.

Writing this newsletter is choosing short-form pain.

Although I love writing, I'd rather stay in bed.

I've been procrastinating on it for 2 weeks.

After reading Naval yesterday, I kept asking myself, "What pain am I avoiding right now?"

This newsletter was the answer.

With today's writing, I vote for my new identity.

The winner's mentality.

When will I see the reward?

In the future.

Hopefully, not in the distant future. But even if, I'm prepared.

I'm becoming an entrepreneur. And it requires a huge mindset shift.

Let me explain.

As an employee, I see rewards for my work every month (the paycheck).

As an entrepreneur, I invest plenty of time and effort without seeing any rewards.

Do you see the connection?

Becoming an entrepreneur requires a winner's mentality.

Choose short-term pains but play the long game.

It's 5:51 AM already.

I've finally grabbed my coffee.

Been writing for almost 90 minutes.

I've got 60 minutes till breakfast. Then, I'm off to work...

Announcement

I'm "rebranding" this newsletter.

Between September 2022 and March 2023, I sent 25 newsletters about neuroscience, learning how to learn, and raising smart kids.

But my interests change so often.

I love exploring new things. But my new obsessions usually last 2-3 months.

Some call it Shiny Object Syndrome. I call it curiosity.

So this newsletter is NOT going to be about any specific topic.

It's going to be about my journey.

And here's my first goal:

Making at least $2000/month online by the end of 2023, so I can quit my day job.

My brand is my story. (Shout out to Dan Koe).

And this newsletter will be the pillar of my content.

What can you expect?

• I'll share everything I learn along the way.

• I'll teach profitable skills I'm learning. Currently, it's copywriting, marketing, and prompt engineering. Yes, I love ChatGPT.

• I'll break down my journey. It'll include my current earnings and action steps to achieve my goal.

The newsletter will be more personal. My writing used to be too mechanical. Robotic even.

But I want a deeper connection with my readers.

That's why I started this newsletter describing my early morning.

My current journey.

This year, I've enrolled in 3 cohorts and communities:

1. Ship 30 for 30 by Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole.

2. Digital Economics by Dan Koe.

3. CopyThinking by George Ten.

All of them have been great investments.

I've become friends with dozens of inspiring people having the same interests as I do.

So I spend a lot of time in these communities.

I've met experts in the skills I'm learning:

• selling

• writing

• marketing

• copywriting

• making money.

How am I going to make money online?

I love writing and teaching.

So I'm offering coaching/tutoring for digital writers.

I help people I've met during the Ship 30 cohorts. After the cohort, engagement drops. So we talk about the content strategy for the growth on social media.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

Here's how I can help you.

1. Book a 1:1 Writing Workshop (still FREE) to discuss your writing, content strategy, and growth.

2. Steal my Simple Guide for Powerful Writing. Also FREE :)

It's 7:08 AM. 1,066 words.

Thank you for reading.

See ya next week.

Kris