Eat, Pray, Love lied to you

Don't blow your life up (unless that's your kink)

I got a huge response to my last newsletter.

Thanks to everyone who read, shared, or forwarded on. And to everyone who suggested I, “take more drugs” – that’s great advice, thanks.

Who would’ve guessed a newsletter about drinking less would hit home during Christmas party season?

Well, besides my friend Kade…

He did read it, and took it all back

Something else that seemed to really strike a chord wasn’t just the subject of drinking – it was the idea that life doesn’t have to be “all or nothing”.

I had another mate write and tell me that he needed to cut down on booze. He was contemplating going sober in 2025, but he felt it was unrealistic. The newsletter was a timely reminder that there were other ways.

And this goes beyond alcohol.

If you want to start a side hustle, you don’t have to quit your job. Keep the pay check. Use mornings and nights to chip away at it.

If you want to reduce screen time, you don’t have to lob your phone in the sea. Phones are essential now. Plus, someone would probably fish it out, sell it, and use the money to buy another phone.

If you want to get fit, you don’t have to empty your fridge, or sign-up to 75 Hard or start posting Strava screenshots. Because I’ll throw your phone into the sea.

Posting CrossFit photos is different

Too often, we fall into this trap of thinking we need to make drastic, sweeping changes to “fix” our lives. We see our only options as “staying stuck” or “leaping into the unknown”. And that’s terrifying. Or reckless.

Eat, Pray, Love has a lot to answer for.

It sold us this dream - the idea that you need to quit your job, leave your partner, and move halfway across the world to “find yourself”. To change the direction of your life.

Like uprooting your life will fix everything. When often, it causes more stress.

If you want to change the direction of your life, you can start making what author Dr Martha Beck calls, “small 1º turns”.

Think of it like flying a plane.

If you make a 1º turn north every half hour, no one on the plane would notice.

But by the time you land, you would be in a completely different place.

Yes, technically you will be in a completely different place had you stayed the course. I know how air travel works.

But my point is:

Change doesn’t have to feel monumental in the moment to have monumental effects over time.

Incremental mini turns can have an equal amount of impact.

Dedicate one hour every morning to your side-hustle. Sleep with your phone in a different room. Start tracking your calories.

We can expand ourselves, without having to make dramatic changes.

You don’t need to burn down the house to rearrange the furniture.

Small changes can lead to big outcomes.

Start with a 1º turn.

See where you land