22 ways to invest in yourself in 2022
The Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - for YOU
👋Hello to the 804 smart, curious and motivated readers receiving today’s newsletter. In the final edition of Intentional Wisdom this year, I come bearing gifts. I make a lot of recommendations - about content to consume, about food and supplements to consume, and about mental and physical practices to help us achieve progress in different parts of our lives. Today, I’m sharing with you “the best of the best” for 2022—a list of my favorite ways to invest in YOURSELF in the year ahead. For those who follow me on Twitter, this is an enhanced version of the thread you saw earlier this week. Let’s get to it!
💡The big idea
Get smart on:
• Sleep
• Nutrition
• Supplements
• Mental health
And so much more. You'll be surprised by how much you learn about your own body.
Cost: Free
2/ Headspace app
Just 10 mins/day and you'll be calmer, happier & make better decisions.
I've tried all the meditation apps. Headspace is an enjoyable, user-friendly on-ramp with excellent content.
Pro tip: Take the Appreciation course.
Cost: $70/yr
Why meditation? Read this.
3/ Not Boring Newsletter by Packy McCormick
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, had a better 2021 than Packy. From newsletter writer to launching his own VC firm to being the new darling of CNBC, Packy had the type of year that inspires anyone who dreams of making it on their own.
For the technophiles, his newsletter is the perfect combination of humor, wit & curiosity to help guide us through this web3/crypto/metaverse whatever-the-heck-is-going-on world we now live in.
Cost: Free
4/ Whoop
No purchase impacted my health more positively in 2021 than my Whoop.
Learn about yourself: your sleep, your fitness & important metrics like heart rate variability. (Learn more here about HRV).
Lebron James, Rory McElroy and Justin Thomas are members for a reason.
Cost: $288/yr / Get a free month here.
5/ Gratitude journal
Take a pad of paper, write down three things you are grateful for.
Do it every day.
Watch how your perception of the world changes.
Cost: $2
Why is gratitude so powerful? Read this.
6/ The Tim Ferriss Show (@tferriss)
Quite simply the smartest, most USEFUL podcast on the planet.
Become a better, more-informed version of yourself.
Cost: Free
7/ Push-ups
Set a timer for 10 minutes.
Do 100 push-ups before the time is up.
Repeat every day.
Result: Increased strength, discipline and muscle size & definition.
Seriously, try this. And get a STREAK going.
Cost: Free
On streaks 👇
8/ Draft No.4 by John McPhee
You need to be a better writer. So do I.
Let storied Princeton professor, John McPhee help you become one.
Pair this with Stephen King's "On Writing," and you will be unstoppable.
Cost: ~$10
Getting micro-nutrition right has compounding effects. Invest the money now to make life easier for your future self.
All of your essential vitamins in one place + pre/probiotics & a whole lot more.
Cost: ~$1000/yr
10/ Carb Manager App
What gets measured gets done.
If you're attempting to follow a low-carb or keto diet, this app will help keep you on track.
Bonus: Barcode scanning makes the input of popular foods incredibly easy.
Cost: Basic version = Free
Okay, this is random but if you're dried out or have post-nasal drip all winter, you're going to be of no use to anyone—especially if your life requires you to use your voice.
26k ratings on Amazon can't be wrong. And it looks pretty slick, too.
I'm enjoying mine so far.
Cost: ~$23
In a world filled with sensational, click-bait content, legendary investor, author and thinker, Jim O’Shaughnessy, is a beacon of light.
Incredibly smart, nuanced & important conversations on topics ranging from philosophy to technology to sleep.
Cost: Free
13/ Peloton "off-the-bike" workouts
I highly recommend Total Strength with Andy Speer for high-quality, full-body strength-training in a structured program.
And they just came out with Total Strength 2 just in time for all those New Year’s resolutions.
Join me for this six-week program—I’ll be starting on January 3rd.
Cost: Free 60-day guest pass 👇
14/ Atomic Habits by James Clear
It's quite possible that this is the best self-help book ever written.
Listen to it. Then read it. With a highlighter.
Then follow James' strategies for sustainable behavior and habit change.
Cost: $13.99
15/ High-quality supplements
I'm no doctor. But I do play one on TV listen to Andrew Huberman’s podcast.
A few favorites:
• Magnesium L-Threonate (sleep)
• L-theanine (calm, mental clarity)
• Omega-3 fish oil (heart, brain)
Best episode to learn more 👇
16/ Dune by Frank Herbert
Our brains are overly stressed and thinking non-stop.
Reading fiction helps us to escape and lose ourselves in a story.
The world of Sci-Fi has the added benefit of helping us to imagine what is possible.
As VC, futurist and all-around smart guy, Josh Wolfe likes to say, “it’s science fiction before it’s science fact.”
Cost: $9.99
17/ Beef jerky
File this one under random, too, but if you're on a low-carb, high-protein diet, there may be no better food.
I like Chomps and my friend Chris S. Cornell (who has lost 80 lbs doing low-carb) recommends Simply Snackin’.
Cost: Varies
18/ Netflix
It's still good to sit on the couch once in a while.
Fortunately, some of the most beautiful, richest storytelling ever is available to us at the click of a button.
Top picks: Narcos & Peaky Blinders
Cost: $13.99/mo.
19/ The Metaverse by Matthew Ball
Matthew Ball may be the world's preeminent expert on the world's new favorite topic: the Metaverse
Learn all about it in what is one of 2022's most-anticipated books.
Cost: Pre-order for $14-$25
20/ Intermittent Fasting
WHEN you eat can be just as important as WHAT you eat.
Seriously.
It is worth getting smart on this topic.
In his last appearance on this list, I am recommending one more episode of the Huberman Lab podcast.
Cost: Free.
21/ Something YOU create
Consuming all of this content is great. But if you want true satisfaction, make something yourself:
• An article
• A book
• A song
• A poem
• A picture
• A tweet
• A video
Anything that you first see in your mind, and then turn into reality.
Don't die with your music inside of you.
Cost: Priceless
22/ Rest
Maybe more important than anything else on this list. Taking time to come down from it all.
Rest is when the growth happens.
I'm inspired by the work Nathalie Rachel Sinyard has done on burnout.
Listen to her on James Altucher and Paul Millerd’s podcasts
Cost: Free
And here’s a reminder on why rest is so important. 👇
And that's it! (well, almost)
No “Content Diet” section this week because much of this article has been content recommendations.
But before you go, let me just thank each and every one of you. This community stood at 153 readers to start the year. Now it is over 800 strong! You all have made this effort extremely rewarding for me. So THANK YOU. And I feel like we’re only getting started. There is so much more to come.
Well, what is to come? The Intentional Wisdom podcast! It’s coming in January so get ready! If you want a sneak preview and/or want to subscribe to make sure you’re the first to hear it, follow this link to find the show on your favorite platform. And here’s a quick trailer to give you a taste.
Have a wonderful holiday season and happy new year! I will be back in January!
— Greg
I really enjoyed this, Greg! And I'm going to explore the rest of your excellent newsletter!