According to researchers who study neuroplasticity, between the ages of 0-32, our brains are primed for continuous growth and change. And we have the opportunity to keep learning beyond that.
Our insecurities may try to hold us back but remember what science proves: our potential is unlimited.
Did you know you can control who and what you become?
Your brain is wired for learning and growing, and through its neuroplasticity, you can empower yourself to become something more, something you never thought possible.
You owe it yourself to test the limits of your capabilities.
Your Mom shows you how you can be a supportive friend and what to expect from those you extend your valuable friendship to.
She demonstrates how meaningful friendship requires empathy, time, loyalty, attentiveness and commitment.
I’m proud to call her my friend and she’s yours for life.
This lesson is about friendship…and your Mom.
She is and always has been a truly wonderful friend. Any of us who have been lucky enough to call her ours can attest to this.
The way she honours her friendships can be instructive to the three of you.
They need to be challenged.
Or they atrophy.
You won’t be able to escape using AI throughout your life but you can decide how reliant you are on it.
Use it smartly but save the analysis, debate, critical thinking and creativity for you.
You’ll need this to become the best version of yourself.
You and your generation will have access to the most powerful technologies in human history and I believe your greatest challenge may become not letting them rob you of the ability to learn, to concentrate, to experiment, make, do and grow.
Our brains are like muscles.
They need to be worked.
Today’s lesson was written by me and only me. No AI used here.
It’s not a flex. But it turns out, according to MIT, that consistently relying too heavily on AI to do the thinking (or writing or creating) for you reduces neural activity and that’s something our brains need.
Music that makes you dance or move or feel or reflect or relax. There are no right or wrong options to consider. Though, I have highlighted a few tunes that are special to me in this lesson.
Music can take you to another place.
And I hope it remains a part of your life long after I’m gone.
It’s no panacea but it is a tool in our toolkit ready to serve us when we are down or tired or seeking to reframe or refocus our minds.
Make certain you fill the soundtrack of your life with beautiful, meaningful and joyful songs.
The right song at the right time can truly change you. Maybe you’ve experienced it, yourself. Music has the power to boost our energy, our spirits, it can help us pause, reflect and navigate stress or grief. I’ve experienced personally how music can help overcome challenging situations.
This doesn’t mean they always reach their goals but I admire the self-belief it shows to imagine a future where you achieve your dreams. Whether you use a vision board, a pen and paper, a Google doc. or a journal, setting and recording your goals can help put you on a path toward achieving them.
For this 70th lesson, let’s look to Aunt Adina and Uncle Jared for inspiration. Especially, when it comes to goal setting. Both have used vision boards, over the years, to capture their goals and visualize their successes.
You don’t live your life for anyone else, you live it for you. If that means making choices that matter to you and nobody else, so be it. At least you will have been true to yourself.
But sometimes the right choice for you is the one that isn’t necessarily right for someone else. We must consider carefully our needs, our desires, our wants, our goals and dreams and prioritize them, since no one else will.
Selfishness is often portrayed as a negative trait reflecting someone’s lack of care for others. But choices aren’t that simple. There are times in life that call for self-focus. This can mean displeasing others.
I don’t pretend to have it all figured out but I have witnessed enough cautionary tales to know we must keep trying to resist capitalism or risk becoming its victims.
We have no choice but to live in a capitalist society but we can choose how to live and how to empower ourselves through our choices.
By strengthening our knowledge in different areas, including economic systems, and informing ourselves based on diverse perspectives and evidence-based research to remain empowered and boost our critical thinking skills, we become more aware of the world around us and resist the harms of capitalism.
By saving our money, building an emergency fund, living within our means, and managing credit and debt responsibly, we resist the harms of capitalism.
By purchasing the things we need and being thoughtful about items that are nice to have, recognizing we are constantly being sold to, we resist the harms of capitalism
By investing in and caring for our physical and mental health, and making sound nutritional choices, we resist the harms of capitalism.
By not conflating our self-worth with our career status and valuing our time outside of work, we resist the harms of capitalism.
This means being conscientious about your career, health, consumerism, finances and knowledge.
I don’t expect perfection because it doesn’t exist. But I do expect thoughtful consideration of your choices to minimize the harms capitalism can bring into your lives.
In a system like this, we’ve got to do what we reasonably can to fight back.
We live in a capitalist system trying to extract as much of our money, time, attention, health and labour as it possibly can.
It took me awhile to wrap my head around this particular lesson. Mostly, because I continue to struggle with it myself.
And yet our only path following a loss is forward. It’s important to acknowledge the loss, and the feelings associated, consider the learning opportunities from the experience and then move onto what’s next. That last step may be the hardest. Ultimately, though, it’s all we can do.
The Blue Jays losing the World Series in a heartbreaking Game 7 is what led me to share this lesson with you. Losses can be painful in baseball and in life. They can feel like something approximating a punch to the mouth and sting for days, weeks, even years, though time and distance can dull this.
Asking for what we want won’t guarantee we get it but it does create the opportunity for others to understand what we value. This doesn’t replace the critical step of taking action to pursue what we want but it does precede it. Validate your needs and watch the world bring you happiness in return.
