Challenge Conformity, Joy Over Accolades, and Sustainable Alternatives
Curious.Conscious.Change.
Happy Friday — I hope it’s a joyful one!
Here’s an idea, quote, and resource to spark curiosity, consciousness, and change.
Curious
An idea from me about challenging the status quo:
When we are growing up, we question everything. As we navigate adolescence and adulthood, curiosity levels often drop, and our acceptance of conformity rises.
I’ve been part of too many discussions in boardrooms where the response to why is met with, “That is how we’ve always done it.”
Ironically, the “How we’ve always done it” practices often don’t perform well.
What’s worse is when people stop seeking to understand, the broken status quo remains.
Tried and tested has its place, but if nobody ever challenges norms — we will never evolve.
Cars, airplanes, space exploration, the internet, and now AI.
These are a handful of life’s significant evolvements that started with curiosity.
Never cease to be curious. Question everything.
Reader reflection: What status quo are you following that isn’t bringing you joy or fulfilment? What step can you take to change the narrative?
Conscious
Quote about the importance of intrinsic success measures:
How do you interpret that quote?
Do you interpret it as those who enjoy the work they do will eventually achieve external validation like money, status, and awards?
Or do you read it as those who have fun in what they do are already successful?
Both might be true but only one is guaranteed.
You could be waiting a lifetime for success on the outside to occur, or you could be successful now — which will you choose?
“When success is determined by the joy you feel from an experience — no additional layer of success is required. It is already abundant.”
Waiting for success to arrive from an external source, insinuates that the joy you feel from experiencing the work you do — is not enough.
It comes from a place of lack and when you operate from that place — you’ll always be there.
Lesson #15 from endurance running:
Keep your feet on the ground.
Leave ego out of the pursuit.
Whatever you do, whether it be a career or hobby — success should be viewed through the lens of the intrinsic fulfilment you experience from doing the thing... not accolades or shiny objects.
Change
A resource to support your rest and recovery:
Since I’m on the topic of exercise this week, I want to share a resource that helps me recover.
Prioritizing rest and recovery are essential factors to sustaining your performance.
No product should ever be a substitute for proper diet, sleep, and stress management but some amazing natural resources can help support long-term health.
Last year my Achilles flared up and in search of a natural alternative to pain medication — I discovered CBD muscle and joint products.
I ordered a freeze roll to apply pre-exercise. I love this product for its cooling effect.
For post-run recovery, I apply a CBD balm that can be massaged into muscles and joints to provide pain relief.
Anytime I have an irritation — these are my go-to.
A brand that leads the way with natural products is Puresport.
I’m not incentivized to recommend them.
The reason I love this brand is because its mission is to challenge the status quo of how we live — by shifting our focus from quick-fix solutions to sustainable long-term practices.
Puresport is also setting standards for what it means to build community as a brand at a time when we need it the most.
Keep an eye out for an upcoming email from me about community. It’s an important one.
In the meantime — I’d love to hear from you about what helps you rest and recover.
Live Free,
Niall
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Niall,
I have so many thoughts on what you wrote today.
Recently, I was mulling over the concept of intrinsic crusty l versus external motivation, a psychological construct I learned about in college. I plan to revisit it in one of my Substack posts, so it felt validating to read your take on it.
The other thought that came to mind as I read your post was Adam Grant's book, Think Again. Here's one of my favorite quotes from it:
"When we're reading, listening, or watching, we can learn to recognize complexity as a signal of credibility. We can favor content and sources that present many sides of an issue rather than just one or two."