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You’ve heard of the mind-body connection, and maybe also the brain-gut connection, but have you heard of the mind-body-gut connection? I just made it up for this blog post, but I think it’s something interesting to noodle on. I think the term “mind-body connection” has existed in the minds of health and wellness folks for quite some time, but the gut-brain connection is a somewhat newer concept. Only in the past few decades have we began to scratch the surface of how the gut and brain communicate with each other.

I think most people are artists, in one sense or another. We don’t generally do much to cultivate artists as a society, aside from the occasional optional art class in school. I like to cosplay as an artist, but I don’t think of myself as particularly talented or skilled when it comes to making art.

I have a saying, or perhaps a mantra, that I like to repeat to myself: “High hopes, low expectations”. I think I could do a whole stand up comedy routine about this subject. Some people, I suspect, go through life feeling disappointed for the simple reason that they expect too much. Whether in their relationships, careers, or personal lives, they set themselves up for constant disappointment by setting their expectations far too high.

When it comes to personal growth, if that’s something you care about, it’s worth thinking about your blind spots, your biases, and anything else that might be holding you back. I tend to have a lot of conversations with strangers, and lately I’ve been making more of any effort to listen rather than speak. It’s quite a simple yet powerful way to learn about others, and yourself too, in the process. People will reveal a surprising amount if you simply give them space and keep your mouth shut. A few questions here and there to move things along helps, but the questions matter less than giving others time to speak (and you’ll find that people will often fill the gaps themselves).

It’s surprisingly easy to form habits. And it’s less difficult to break them than it may seem at first, with some exceptions (nicotine, for example, is notoriously addictive and hard to quit). I read Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, and I found it to be a lot of words to say something that could be summarized in a few sentences. But the core idea is solid: start small and slowly build up until a thing becomes habitual. Breaking habits is the same but opposite: quitting cold turkey often fails, but slowly reducing the habit can be effective.

Rejection always stings, and it may or may not get easier to handle over time as you age and experience more rejections. Why it stings is complicated because sometimes we anticipate rejection, but when it hits, it still feels bad. I think of myself as an expert in rejection. I’ve been rejected by colleges, jobs, friends, family, and romantic partners. I’ve been rejected by people I’ve admired and respected, people I’ve loved and trusted, and even people I’ve never met.

Writing is not easy, and it’s easier for some than others. Personally I don’t find it hard to write about things that interest me, but I know some do. I suppose some types of writing are easier for me than others, i.e., I find writing fiction difficult, so I don’t do that. Perhaps I should try harder.

Thought leaders worldwide have been weighing in on the AI mania that has gripped the world. There are many amusing predictions, some of which are on the doomsday end of the spectrum and others that are more optimistic. But one thing is clear: whatever happens, biology will self-correct. Biology is OG technology: it has been around for billions of years and has had a really, really long time to perfect itself. One neat thing about biology is how evolution is self-correcting: failures and errors are weeded out, and the best solutions are kept and allowed to flourish. Humans do much to stop this process, but it still happens. We spend a lot of time trying to pick the winners and losers, but ultimately nature decides.

To be present is to live in the moment, to be aware of the here and now. It is a state of mind that allows us to fully experience life as it unfolds without being distracted by thoughts of the past or future. Being present is crucial to many spiritual and philosophical traditions, including Buddhism, mindfulness meditation, and Stoicism. It’s also an essential concept in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which teaches us to focus on the present moment rather than getting caught up in negative thoughts or emotions.

Much of modern psychology is borderline wishy-washy pet theories wrapped up in scientific jargon. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), on the other hand, is a practical, evidence-based approach to changing your thoughts and behaviors. And it’s been around for thousands of years. We can thank Freud for doing two things: bringing the idea of talk therapy into the mainstream and making it seem like a mystical, magical process. Freud practiced pseudoscience, and unfortunately, his ideas still permeate our culture today. Thankfully, we have (in some circles at least) replaced his style of magical thinking with more evidence-based approaches like CBT.