Issue #129: Love Thyself
Good morning. It’s Thursday, February 16th. Umm... it's National Almond Day?
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
From the Lab: Treat Yo' Self
Take Action: How to Self Love
Speed Read: Quaoar the Creator - Reimagined
Thursday Night In: Sheet Pan Fried Rice
Moment of Fun: ChatGPT in Love?
The percent of people in the U.S. with low self-esteem at some point in their life. Remember, there's only one you, so learn to love yourself for who you are. (Read more)
From the Lab
Consider this…
How did you treat yourself yesterday? This past week? Since the New Year?
If you treated your partner the same way would you still be together?
The relationship I struggle with the most in life - myself.
(Even as I write this, my inner critic is saying - “umm…how are you going to write about this when you’re not even good at it”).
But I don’t think I’m alone.
Many of us don’t give ourselves a break. We overanalyze our faults and mistakes; we don’t celebrate our own wins.
When I finish a run - I wonder how it could have been faster; when I shoot an 87 on a tough golf course - I look back and think of all the bad shots that I could have fixed; my focus goes to what's wrong even when "I'm winning."
As you can see - way too much time grilling myself and not enough time loving myself.
Self-love is a tough concept. It’s not the same thing as having self-esteem or deserving respect.
Even self-confidence and worth aren’t enough - we need to love ourselves.
While we might feel tough by setting higher expectations and constantly striving for more - but self-love is actually what makes us truly tough:
We can give more fully to others and are open to real vulnerability
We are more resilient and not dependent on others for our happiness
We earn respect from others
There’s a book from Kamal Ravikant, “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It.” He went through hell and back.
He says we should ask ourselves:
“If I loved myself, truly and deeply, would I let myself experience this?”
For more on his full set of practices - including two meditations click HERE.
Take care of the relationships in your life and don’t be afraid to love.
That starts with you.
Take Action
If you haven’t already, name your inner critic. It separates you from this voice so you can have more control
Focus on appreciation, not expectation. You can still push yourself to be the best, but celebrate wins and treat yourself like you would your partner, parent, or kid
*For more reading:
Life Force by Tony Robbins (Chapter 25 - ironic?)
"Stop Being So Hard on Yourself" by Harvard Business Review
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Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Put a Ring on It: How do you like these crazy space updates? There’s a ring around a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, and it shouldn’t be there. Quaoar (named after the creator god of the Tongva people of ancient LA), which also has a moon named Weywat (Quaoar’s son), is doing its best Saturn impression. The ring is 2x beyond the Roche limit, and should have already formed another moon. Point is - we're learning about planet formation. (NYTimes)
Workout Wife: We’ve hit on the value of both accountability partners and workout buddies to stay motivated. But a workout wife or husband? If it works for you! (WSJ)
Did We Just Talk About This?: The need to navigate might have been the starting point for all memories. If that’s true, what does GPS do to our memory? Likely limit your hippocampus, deeply associated with spatial memory, spatial navigation and mental mapping - if you don’t use it, you lose it. Perhaps you don’t remember - we gave you this task in Issue #125, Brain Games. (Scientific American)
Thursday Night In
Got some leftover rice from earlier in the week? Try this healthy "fried" rice. And it's not just about leftover rice - go ahead and clean out your refrigerator and include any extra vegetables. Get some oyster sauce on hand - with several essential minerals (Fe, Mg, Na, Zn, B12, etc.) it's a healthy addition, and makes this baked rice taste really good.
Moment of Fun
ChatGPT in Love?
ChatGPT is everywhere right now. So we sat down with it and asked two really important questions:
Can you love? As an AI language model, I do not have feelings, emotions, or personal experiences, so I cannot be in love in the same sense that humans can. I have been programmed to understand and respond to questions about love and relationships, but I do not have the capacity to experience love myself. I exist solely to assist users by providing information and answering questions to the best of my ability.
Ok, then tell us some good jokes about love? Here are a few love-themed jokes to make you smile:
Why did the tomato turn red? Because it saw the salad dressing!
Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field!
How do you catch a unique rabbit? Unique up on it!
What did the frog say to the princess when he asked her to marry him? "I'm your prince charming!"
Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired!
What did the left eye say to the right eye? Between us, something smells!
What did the math book say to the history book? "Don't bother me, I've got my own problems!"
Remember, laughter is a great way to bring people together and to lighten the mood in any relationship. These jokes may bring a smile to your and your partner's faces and help to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere in your relationship.
With all those "love" jokes, it's safe to say the singularity isn't happening tomorrow...maybe we've got until GPT-6.
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.