Hello and welcome to 4-Minute Friday where I share, in four minutes or less, the latest things I’m doing to enhance my health, save money, and make day-to-day life easier and more enjoyable.
All comments and follow-up questions can be posted directly below, on my Facebook page or emailed to me at zach.griffith1@gmail.com!
Post #100 coming soon which means another round of Q & A. Use this link and code 16392 to submit! As you can already tell, it’s a free-for-all in there so ask away! It’s the last week to add questions!
Can’t put into words how much I appreciate the ongoing support.
Healthy Swap I Recently Made:
Although I’d say I’m a health-conscious person, there are certain behaviors I’ve struggled to adopt, and the day-to-day usage of environmentally safe household items is (unfortunately) one of those I’ve been dragging my feet on.
However, after recently reading about the potential harm that dryer sheets can have on our health because of emitted toxins left on clothes, I decided to make the switch and purchased a pack of wool dryer balls.
They work incredibly well for me.
Not only do they promote drying and wrinkle prevention by separating clothes and increasing air flow, but they’re cheaper than purchasing dryer sheets or fabric softener in the long run.
A pack of six on Amazon is only $12 and supposedly lasts up to five years.
There’s only a single downside I’ve noticed.
They don’t add a fresh scent to your clothes as does your typical chemical alternative.
If a fresh scent is something you desire, you can add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil to the balls, let them dry, and then use as you normally would. I’ll report back when I give it a try but apparently it works great!
Such “healthy swaps” may seem insignificant on the surface but consider how often we are exposed to toxins every single day in our environment.
Any reductions in exposure we have control over are worth considering and will likely pay dividends down the road.
Mindset I’m Embracing:
We can only control the output, not the outcome.
I heard this on a podcast a couple of weeks back and it hit home with me.
Although we all would love it if it was the case, we rarely (if ever) have control over the end result… whatever that may be in your particular circumstance.
Maybe it’s a job promotion.
Getting elected to your district board.
Winning the family fantasy football challenge.
Yet, we have full control over the effort we exert to INFLUENCE the achievement of the desired result.
This means your energy should be directed to what it is that you’re doing rather than what it is you hope to gain (or not) from the doing itself.
There's a caveat here — it's going to take hard work and grit to achieve your goal if it's truly meaningful. You can’t sit around and hope good things will magically happen.
As if that needed to be said.
Oftentimes even when we are putting in the necessary output for a period of time (sometimes long periods of time), the result still isn’t on par with what we had in mind which can lead to throwing in the towel.
Revisit the image of the diamond miner turning back after years of hammering and being only inches away from striking the jackpot.
It’s the journey itself that you must keep a 20/20 focus on – getting caught up in what may (or may not) come takes away from the present and often deters your output… the very thing that influences the outcome more than all else.
The process is more enjoyable and more likely to lead to fruitful outcomes when approached this way.
In the end, most of your time is going to be spent doing rather than achieving some arbitrary result anyhow. Embrace it.
Re-Reading Books:
I’m not the type of person to re-watch old movies, binge out on television shows I’ve already seen, or re-read books.
My thinking is that there are so many others out there that it doesn’t make sense to waste the time going back through something already experienced.
However, I’ve heard time and time again about the value of re-reading books.
Many say the message will really resonate with you the second time, others say the plot thickens as you catch more details during the subsequent read and, of course, the common one is that your perspective will be different this time as you have more life experience under your belt.
So, I decided to go against my ways and pick up a book I read in the early days of college to give it another crack.
It’s a book called Awareness by Anthony De Mello and brings along a truly life-changing message when given the time and effort to let it soak in.
It’s one of the books that Tim Ferriss, an avid reader/podcaster/author himself, keeps an ENTIRE bookshelf of to give to every single guest that visits his home.
I’d say this confirms its significance.
It was neat looking back at my old highlights/notes as I was in a unique chapter of my life at the time; this time around, I applied the message in a completely different way.
It makes me wonder if the books I didn’t finish earlier in my life (because the message wasn’t resonating) would be meaningful to me today with a different perspective.
Therefore, a new goal of mine is to read at least one book I’ve read previously for every three new ones I finish.
Give one of your favorites another glance – it’s worth the time!
What else?
Turn off the news and go outside to catch the sunset on a long walk this week… we all could use a little more fresh air during these times we’re living in.
This is my 99th post on HIB meaning next week will be the beginning of the Q & A mailbags, so get your questions in now!
What was your output today? Is it moving you toward where you want to go?
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DISCLAIMER
This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.