Be Consistently Not Stupid

by | Aug 30, 2017 | Blog

Months ago I found a beautiful quote on Instagram and have shared it a couple times since. It says “starve what keeps you stranded. Feed what makes you fly“.

If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click here to listen on Anchor. Please note, Anchor is NOT the Primal Potential podcast, it’s just a short form audio content channel I use for these blogs & personal updates.

It instantly reminded me of a quote, albeit in a very different tone, from someone I deeply admire: billionaire investor & undeniable genius Charlie Munger.

Speaking about the investment success he’s had with his partner Warren Buffett he says,

It is remarkable how much long-term advantage we have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid instead of trying to be very intelligent.

Let’s go back to the first, more eloquent quote…

Starve what keeps you stranded. Feed what makes you fly.

What makes you feel stranded, stuck or isolated? What choices lead to those end points?⠀

Seriously, sit down and make a list of the choices, thoughts & behaviors that make you feel those ways.

For me, it’s over-eating, over-indulging, procrastination, thinking negatively & focusing on problems instead of solutions.

Once you have your list of choices, thoughts or behaviors that leave you feeling stranded, frustrated or defeated, ask yourself what it means to starve those things.

To give them no energy, attention or time. What does that look like for you?

That’s the part that makes me think of the Munger quote:⠀ ⠀

It is remarkable how much long-term advantage we have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.

Once you’ve identified the things that make you feel stranded, you can avoid them. Instead of trying to stuff your days full of white-knuckle-willpower-disciplined-choices, what about just trying to be “consistently not stupid”?

Before you exhaust yourself trying to do all the things that are new and not yet habits, work to gradually avoid the things that make you feel your worst.

When you aren’t constantly making choices that make you feel bad, you’ll be amazed by a natural desire to choose things that make you feel better.

When you’re ready, feed what makes you fly.⠀

What makes you feel strong, capable, hopeful, joyful, free and confident?⠀

How can you incorporate those in the next 24 hours?⠀

If you aren’t sure, just work on step 1 for a while longer. ⠀

For me, I feel free when I’m eating clean, when I’m sleeping enough, when I’m making time to have fun and I’m working out with intensity. I feel free when I’m focusing on opportunities & solutions instead of fixating on problems or challenges.

Starve what keeps you stranded. Feed what makes you fly. 

Onward with the day – let’s talk about today’s workout & food choices.

When I first looked at today’s workout I thought, “that’s it?” It was a CrossFit benchmark workout called Strict Lynne and it’s all about strength and 2 major movement forms: the push & the pull.

“Strict Lynne”
5 Rounds:
Max Bench Press
Max Strict Pull-ups

Athlete moves directly from Bench Press to Pull-ups.
Rest 3:00 between rounds.

Unfortunately, since I’m still allowing my shoulder to recover, I can’t do anything hanging from a bar or really anything overhead. So, I did ring rows instead of pull-ups and it was a tough workout.

I wish I could have stayed to do a metcon afterwards but I had to get to the Jeep dealership for a service appointment.

I did, however, get in some sprints on my Airdyne bike in the afternoon. It totally boosted my energy and improved my mood.

One thing that I think is totally undervalued is our own ability to generate energy. You know that afternoon slump when you’re feeling tired and just want to nap?

We can absolutely generate energy with our thoughts, actions or both. For me, blasting some great music and doing a short sprint workout on my Airdyne in my living room is a game changer!

Don’t settle for low energy. You are in control. Create it.

On the food front:

I don’t usually eat before my workouts but this morning I had bulletproof coffee before heading to the gym. I wasn’t all that hungry but I wasn’t coming home after my workout & I wasn’t sure how long I’d be at the car dealership so I made the call to put a little fuel in my system.

Around 11am I had my cabbage salad bowl with raw cabbage, 2 eggs, 1/2 an avocado and a couple slices of bacon.

Around 2:30 pm I had 2 keto kookies – I shared my thoughts on them on yesterday’s blog.

Dinner was purely the result of a dream I had last night. For some reason, I had a dream about cheesy cauliflower rice. I’ve never made it and I try to limit dairy, but after last night’s dream I decided to give it a try.

Using a bag of cauliflower rice from Trader Joe’s, some ghee (clarified butter) from Thrive Market and some goat cheese, I quite literally made my dream come true. 😉

I had a few ounces of grass fed steak along side it. Pretty tasty. Certainly not bad for a random dream!

I’ve had a few of you guys email me about ghee versus butter versus grassfed butter. Here’s the super short version scoop:

  • grass fed butter is more nutrient dense than conventional butter
  • looking at the fat in conventional butter, about 12-15% of it is in the form of short & medium chain triglycerides
  • grass fed butter and ghee are about 25% short & medium chain triglycerides – these are easier to digest and take a different metabolic pathway than long chain triglycerides. This alternative metabolic pathway means they are less likely to be stored and more likely to be used as an immediate fuel source
  • ghee is butter with the milk fat removed – that means it doesn’t have lactose & casein (both of which are common allergens)

There are more differences but those are the big ones. Ghee and grassfed butter can be expensive but by far, the best prices I’ve found on ghee are via Thrive Market.

The brand I often buy is Organic Valley Purity Farms. On Amazon, a 13oz jar is $17.20. That same jar is $10.95 on Thrive Market. C’mon now! Those kinds of savings on staples really add up!

In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.

To hear more about how I’m working hard to save grocery market by comparing prices on my fat loss friendly staples, take a listen to episode 379 of the Primal Potential podcast.

Make it a great day!!

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