In case you were wondering…
We are so fucking back.
Glad to be writing to you all again. Thanks for your patience during that incredible hiatus.
So much was released and so much growth has occurred — it’s actually insane how much has dropped away since I last wrote a newsletter.
So much so, I’m curious to see if you perceive a difference in my content going forward. Because for me, the creative process is an entirely different experience than it previously was, and I wonder how much of an effect this will have on the end consumption of the content.
You can expect these newsletters to be shipped more consistently again for the time being as I’m noticing that these are naturally arising right now. And thankfully I am out of the way enough to allow this to unfold.
I’m pleased to share that I’m posting elsewhere again too.
The main channel is back. Here’s what changed:
- The niche. I’m not sure what my niche is at this point, but it matters not. I’m just posting whatever I’m interested in — spirituality, creativity, tech, politics, whatever arises and I feel I can bring value on
- The strategy is completely different. I’m finally executing on the simplicity strategy. The editing is almost non-existent right now because it doesn’t matter. The creative value I can bring will always be secondary to the impact I’m able to have through constant communication of ideas, principles, strategies, etc. so I’m finding myself yapping about all sorts of topics now with extremely minimal creative changes. Back to the basics, baby. (which, is a video I posted on my channel in the middle of the summer if you haven’t seen it)
I have around 7 videos in the queue that are coming shortly — half of which are political and covering Trump’s dominant victory in the 2024 US election — so make sure you’re subscribed in the small chance that you aren’t yet so you get a chance to see all these.
I’ve also become decently active on X, where I’m sharing shorter writing on the aforementioned topics. You’ll also get early ideas and shares from future newsletters + reminders of things you may have forgotten from past newsletters. I love this platform so much. Free speech for life.
As you’ll see in the near future, the content strategy has shifted tremendously as I let my mind stop running the show and dissolve the apparent illusions that used to seem so real.
Everything in life is all just coming together, the less I try to force things to come together. It’s absolutely wonderful.
I also have some exciting news to share regarding how to make your 2025 completely different than every other year of your life, which came from the hiatus. Will update more on this soon.
Anyway, let’s get into it.
Ideas
More important than adding another action to your “to-do” list is removing an inessential action that no longer belongs there. Just because you committed to it in the past does not mean you need to re-commit to it going forward. If it’s no longer required, de-commit.
There are no perfect tools for “productivity” or getting things done. While each tool is better at certain things, there is no such thing as a perfect tool and it would behoove you to drop your obsessive search for it and channel that same energy into the work because that’s what actually matters. Trust me, the pursuit of this is almost always self-sabotage. Simplicity is the path to productivity — less is more. At this point, while I opt for a simple digital system for managing projects, even just a prioritized checklist with pen and paper would be more than enough.
As objective as we try to be, almost every single being inhabiting a body on this planet is going through life experiencing their own subjective haze that clouds themselves from perceiving objective reality accurately. Very few are actually living in reality. The rest are letting their mind’s fantasies and fictions run free, while they get dragged behind in chains.
A great way to filter out people in your life is to talk about insanely controversial topics. See how they respond, if they are capable of sitting with it.
If you’re always evolving, it’s impossible to run out of things to make content about. When you’re living life, learning, growing, improving and evolving, you’ll never run out of things to talk about. There will always be more material to cover and more content that can be created based on the expansion that occurs. New lessons, insights, perspectives and paradigms will be perpetually unlocked so that even if you were covering a familiar topic, would allow you to say things in a slightly different way, with nuanced takes, and a greater level of mastery and brevity. It’s never ending content, especially when you are the niche.
Past creative does not mean it’s bad or outdated. This newsletter as well as the past couple are filled with insights and shares I wrote in the past handful of months, but were still valuable. Time does shift value — sometimes it lowers it, but also, sometimes it raises it. It depends on the context and situation. For example, in current events, speed of reporting is often a top value proposition. But as a personal brand, if I resurface something relevant I wrote in my journal a year ago, it can be even more valuable than it was when I wrote it at the time. And the combination of the date and passage of time, as well as the world changing in some way, would change the value.
The best work that occurs through me does just that — it occurs through me. The best work that occurs is not coming from a “forcing” or “doing it” in the conventional sense. An identified, ego-led mind is obsessed with doing it all, taking all the credit, forcing everything, trying to control everything, making the work hard, even when it doesn’t need to be) — the list goes on. But a free mind stops trying to force things or figure them out and instead lets the universal life force flow through and guide every step of the way, which changes the way the work occurs and how things are created. For example — if you could see how little I force my mind to “think” these days, you would laugh. Yet, I am receiving the greatest guidance, clarity and flow that I’ve received — and it’s an infinitely richer experience. That’s because it’s not about forcing things to work or making things work, it’s about letting things work and letting things that aren’t supposed to work, drop away, and taking the right action that follows and flows. Allowing yourself to step out of the way and let life flow through you — is the meta.
I wish we all had one word for life force. It’s the energy that runs through everyone and powers everything. I wish I didn’t have to list out “God, Source, the universe, life, or whatever you want to call it” — because it’s all the same. But people’s minds become so obsessed with what their worldview and texts told them the word should be for it, that they lose the ability to perceive that it’s all synonymous. But don’t believe me. Look for yourself. Beyond the mind, beyond the story. Beyond the voices and the mental chatter.
Shares
Note: This was formerly called resources, but this recently came to me as I was writing the next upcoming newsletter. And this is what they always were. Shares.
IKEA Bekant desk. Earlier this summer, this model was discontinued in favour of the “Mittzon” (RIP), so I got one during the “last chance to buy” sale and it’s been fucking incredible. My old Linnmon 78-inch desk was unnecessarily long in width yet narrow in depth, had an annoying leg in the middle that would hit my legs and shook like a motherfucker (my fault though due to neglecting the middle leg at first and caused warping lol). This new model is just enough width with a wonderful depth, there’s no middle length, it’s stable as fuck, has a 10-year warranty, has cord management built in and looks way more aesthetically pleasing. I’ve been extremely pleased with this purchase and I’m very happy with my current desk setup. If you had any interest in this, act fast before they’re gone forever. There may still be some models available at your IKEA.
The Gentlemen (2024 TV show version). I loved the original Gentlemen movie in 2019 and this wasn’t a reboot or a sequel, just a different project that lives in the same universe. Very enjoyable series and had to be one of my favourite things that Netflix has ever produced. I’m a massive Guy Ritchie fan, by the way. One of the better things from Hollywood this year. Looking forward to S2.
Coffee shop jazz on Spotify. Phenomenal background music playlist that I’ve been listening to a ton recently. Extremely calming.
Glad to be back.
Talk soon.
—Josh
