Terry Grier
6:30 am CST
Cedar Park, Texas

“You use cash? You put real $ into envelopes?”

This was a conversation I was having with a new friend of mine Yvonne - She is on this email list - and she learned and implemented a strategy on how to get herself and her family out of debt and into the black. The changes she made changed her life forever.

I was giving push back in my mind. Cash? In 2023?
How do you buy something on Amazon?

This week I interviewed a 32 year old woman who is 5’5 and gained weight until she was 360 pounds and in the hospital.

She had autoimmune, PCOS and a host of other issues. She could not leave her house without a walker. Worse, she was unable to clean her private areas at all and had to ask her husband to help her daily. Her name is Amanda.

She changed her diet and has lost 100 pounds in the last 8 months. She has another 100 to go but the confidence she has that she will reach her goal was strong. (I will be posting that video later this week)

What did she do? She ate an all animal food (carnivore diet). Controversial. But Effective. It has worked for me as well.

And then there is me. Mr. Flip Phone - who caved in and put my SIM back into my iPhone this week. Why? It is SXSW - and I was going places and meeting people - Insert every excuse in the book.

I put out some videos on using a flip phone vs a smart device and posted a link to this email list. It is a small but growing list. I know about 30% of you and I have had conversations with about half of that 30%.

What I am learning is that addiction is a complicated but very human.
And Addiction lives on a scale. Meaning that if you use an addictive substance or behavior there is some level of addiction to it - the consequences are not manifested.

The dopamine feedback loop that was designed to help us find things of value in this world has been used against us by our fellow humans to motivate us to give them more money.

• Alcohol / Drugs
• Smartphones
• Spending $ / Shopping
• Food
• Online Porn
• Gambling
• Gaming
• Social Media

The list goes on and on.

Steven Pressfield in his 2012 book Turning Pro has a chapter called BORING.

The first step out of any addiction is awareness.

Just “I think this is a problem I need to address in my life”

Sometimes that is all we can muster. It takes a lot of courage to get to this place. This is your day 1.

We were meant to contribute to our family, friends and society. To make the world a better place than when we entered it.

Addictions can divert us. Keep us in a circle instead of moving forward.

Make a list - on an index card - of the possible things that are keeping you living in a circle.

Contribution

Each of us has something to give.

Let’s commit to getting out of our heads this week and into action. Write 1 thing you can do this week to help someone.

I am going to close with this….

I am part of a community uses index cards to built an analog Zettlekasten. Notes in a box. Handwritten notes in a box.

Scott Scheper who is the creator of the group and the ANTINET movement - took time to speak with me and several others in his group. Like on the phone.

That led me to reach out more and give people I did not know my phone number. Like Yvonne in the start of this story. Like Kathleen. Like Paige. Like Amanda. Like Anna.

These conversations have had a tremendous impact on me. And in different ways that I expected. Although the conversations often came about because of a desire to solve a problem the real take away was awareness. Others are in the same place as me. That they understand what I am going through and are walking the same path.

Pick up a pen. Write. Be aware of the things that cause fear and discomfort.

Doing hard things is how we find our purpose and meaning.

Thank you for being out there.

Your Friend,
T

I have a couple of openings this week for phone calls with you. Free. No Agenda. Just me and you. If you have an idea or thought you want to discuss. I am here for you. https://calendly.com/grieraf

PS. This week I am a little scattered. I am working on a short video to introduce myself to you.