💡 Here are 3-tips to help you learn, grow, and be inspired this week!

🎓 Learn

Last weekend, I shared a few wisdom nuggets I gathered in 2023.

Now, I'm excited to bring you a handful of fascinating facts I stumbled upon in 2023.

These are intriguing insights about our world in 2023 that piqued my curiosity.

I hope you find them as interesting as I did!

***

#1: Patient S.M. cannot feel fear due to a rare brain condition. She's unfazed by creepy spiders, haunted houses, and even scary movies. Scientists find her condition super interesting as it helps them learn heaps about how our brains handle fear. She's almost like a superhero with the power of 'no fear'! [Rabbit Hole]

#2: It turns out that the number of coffee beans needed for a single cup of coffee is more than you'd think - around 70 to 100 beans! Most of these berry fruits where coffee comes from are hand-picked. So next time you sip your coffee, think about the journey of those 100 little beans that made it all possible!

#3: Surprising to many, light is the most important time cue for “resetting” your circadian clock and beating jetlag. Managing when to see and avoid light is critical to quickly adapting to new time zones. Jet lag can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. As a rule of thumb, symptoms persist for at least one day per time zone crossed. [Rabbit Hole]

#4: Our brain takes a break typically every 200 to 500 milliseconds, known as an “Attentional blink.” Studies have shown that regular meditation practice can reduce the attentional blink, meaning meditators get better at catching those rapid-fire stimuli. It's like tuning your brain to avoid missing out on quick bits of info. [Rabbit Hole]

#5: We're familiar with the fact that we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. But here's an interesting tidbit: practicing slow, extended exhales can actually help release stress from your body, leaving you feeling more relaxed. Conversely, deep inhalations can infuse your body with added energy. That’s why you feel more energetic and alert after breathwork and relaxed after slow breath meditation.

#6: The CDC says that the average American shower lasts 8 minutes. If you optimize your shower time to 50%, you will save 24.6 hours every year.

#7: We’ve all heard that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill like coding or golfing; in reality, science finds that some domains (like memorization) can be mastered in as little as 200 hours. With an expert coach, it can be even faster.

#8: Do you know what’s common among these billionaires and famous celebrities: Walt Disney, Tom Cruise, Bob Hope, John Wayne, Warren Buffet, John C. Bogle, Sheldon Adelson, H. Ross Perot, David Murdock, Martin Luther King Jr., Ed Sullivan, and John Paul DeJoria? They all delivered newspapers in their early life.

#9: There are five main brainwave (electrical signals our brain generates) types, and each represents a different state of mind. Out of these five states, gamma is considered the heightened state of awareness and is found in long-time meditators.

#10: The restless monkey breathes at a rate of 32 times a minute, in contrast to man's average of 18 times. The elephant, tortoise, snake, and other animals noted for their longevity have a respiratory rate that is less than man's. The tortoise, for instance, who may attain the age of 300 years, breathes only 4 times per minute. Slow and long breaths are good for health and longevity.

#11: The average American watches 5 hours of television per day. More than 55 hours of television per week. That’s like having a full-time job.

#12: The human brain is about 2% of our total body mass, but it uses about 20% of the body's total energy expenditure. This high energy consumption remains relatively constant, regardless of whether you're thinking hard, resting, or even sleeping.

#13: More than 80% of diseases are chronic in nature. Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases, are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. These chronic diseases are largely attributed to lifestyle factors, such as diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and environmental influences. In simple terms, 80% of diseases can be avoided with healthy lifestyle choices.

#14: People believe creativity peaks at the beginning of a session and then declines precipitously with time. But based on a study, The most creative ideas emerge when we give ourselves the freedom and space to sit in the creative mud long enough. If you are feeling creatively stuck, avoid frustration and allow yourself to persist. Scientifically, sticking with it may be what is required to feel that "a-ha!" moment of clarity.

#15: Do you know that speed increases the focus in simple or well-practiced tasks: reading, driving, writing, etc? The increased speed reduces the opportunity for the mind to wander, keeping it engaged in the task.

#16: I’m unsure if this is a fact, but it’s fun. The men fall in love with what they see, and the women fall in love with what they hear. That’s why women wear more makeup, and men lie. [Rabbit Hole]

🚀 Growth Tip

I've been gradually embracing a minimalist lifestyle, recognizing that having more stuff tends to increase stress, financial burden, and environmental impact.

Consequently, I've delved deeper into the subject of minimalism through reading and listening. A few months ago, I came across this book, which I highly recommend for its valuable insights.

Here's what you can expect to learn:

Enhanced Productivity: By eliminating what's unnecessary or overly complex, we often discover that we can achieve better results with less effort.
Effective Problem-Solving: The book introduces a novel perspective on problem-solving—subtraction over addition. It illustrates why subtracting is often a more effective tool than adding when addressing challenges.
Simplicity and Speed: While subtraction may initially seem challenging to conceptualize, it's surprisingly easy and quick to implement.

🤩 Inspiration

When you're in the middle of the work, set your expectations high. It's unlikely your performance will exceed the standard you set for yourself. High expectations encourage you to keep reaching and fulfilling your potential.

Once the work is done, release yourself from your expectations. The fastest way to ruin a good outcome is to tell yourself it's not good enough.

PS: Enjoy the Learn + Grow? Please share this to a friend. It only takes 18 seconds. Writing this one took 3 hours. And if you want to continue learning and growing, I would suggest subscribing and listening to my podcast, Peaceful Growth. It’s free, just like this newsletter.

May the Peaceful Growth be with you! 🪴

Learn + Grow

16 Fascinating Facts Of The World I…