ANOTHER TRUCK LOAD of Cool Things I’ve Learnt on Substack:

1. “Those Who Die With The Most Toys Are Still Dead” - a great quote and reminder that chasing purely material goals won’t bring ultimate happiness from Kristi Keller 🇨🇦

2. We don’t have control over our lives and the things that happen in them … and that’s perfectly OK, from Alexander J. Porter

3. You can build a Substack newsletter and audience at a pace that suits you. No need to be frantic or “hustling 24-7” just write interesting stuff and interact nicely with people.

4. Stepping outside for air to get a little physical, and emotional distance, when difficult feelings arise, is really effective, from Selda Koydemir

5. Research suggests many people are spending 25% of their life consuming largely useless stuff (hello Tiktok, Facebook, Insta etc.) - a scary figure, thanks for sharing James Scott Henson

6. Being mindful is something you can do in the most mundane situations in life; thanks Sandra Pawula

7. “Reread books. You're not the same person you were the first time you read that book and you will get to experience something you love in a different way” - Amy Mantis

8. Doing ‘hard’ things regularly can paradoxically make us feel happier, more alive, and more resilient; Sophie S.

9. A GREAT all round workout in 12 minutes is Russian Kettle Bell swings. Do 30 seconds on followed by 30 seconds rest and repeat for a total of 12 minutes. It’s cardio and strength building and quick to do. Thanks Michael Easter

10. Substack is just a superb place to meet people who have similar interests and experiences to you. Mine range from cold water swimming, mindfulness, eating disorder recovery, rucking, humour, self help books and there are folks to connect with on all.

11. How many Mondays have you got left? Love this concept to give you a gentle reminder that life is limited from Lou Blaser

12. Just write Notes when you have something good to say, not because you feel you HAVE to. Hat tip to Tuğba Avci

13. Back up your email lists and posts regularly if you are a Substack newsletter in case you get cancelled and/or the internet dies for a bit need them.

14. People you’ve never met nor interacted with until Substack; really, really support you. Lots of examples from my Substack journey. One being Neela 🌶️who invariably takes the time to comment on my posts in a thoughtful and generous style.

15. Always park your car/get off the bus or train 10-20 minutes from your destination, to add exercise easily into your day. Another from Michael Easter

16. "Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better." -Love this Maya Angelo quote shared by Mili Burnette

17. “You will always regret wasting time scrolling mindlessly on your phone”absolute truism from Jess. I really like it as it goes hand in hand with something one of my cold swimmery friends once said “you never regret going in for a swim” (even when you’re freezing your arse off at 6am in January having a significant bout of self-sanity questioning, it’s always a joy to swim in nature)

18. Don Boivinin his Substack really shows how easy it can be to use simple mindfulness in daily life. I think it’s definitely helped me do this more, and has encouraged me to share little snippets of daily life mindfulness in my own newsletter.

19. Teri Leigh 💜 shared the great statistic that “we get 90% of our body’s energy from breathing, and only 10% from food”.

20. Endless doom scrolling on social media, news sites, games, emails etc. is basically a MASSIVE JUNK FOOD DIET FOR THE BRAIN. Arman Khodadoostshared this great analogy.

21. Being bored is a good thing; Katie Cake wrote on the joys of being bored and the benefits for your brain.

22. Returning your shopping trolley (cart) makes you a good human. Period; Grand Schemes

23. Mindfulness = Paying Attention to What’s Happening- I am quite new to this world of meditation and mindfulness and so love any simple explanations I can hold on to. This little 6 word sentence is good and simple. Thanks Jacqueline Nesi, PhD

24. One important form of self-care is setting boundaries. Can’t be your best and avoid burnout if you are constantly saying yes to everyone and super busy. Thanks Minaa B.