Hi Reader,

I have good news for you.

The fact that you keep coming back here each week means two things:

1. You're incredible and I love you
2. TikTok hasn't reduced your attention span to that of a goldfish

Their memory (supposedly) resets every 10 seconds.

If yours did too, maybe then you'd laugh at my dad jokes?

What I'm learning about 🧠

Why the afternoon nap might be the best thing for you.

I'm talking about hitting the hay, grabbing some Z's, and hopping on the sleepy express; destination: snoozetown.

Here are a couple of fascinating historical examples of some highly productive nappers:

John D. Rockefeller would take a 30-minute non-negotiable nap every day at noon.

Winston Churchill - famously remembered for his 16-hour work days despite his old age - would take a nap after lunch and one before dinner.

He'd also work from his bed every day until around 11 AM.

But why take naps?

For most of human history, we were biphasic sleepers.

This meant taking a nap at some point during the day (think: afternoon siesta).

In some cultures, this practice is still accepted.

In Japan, it is widely accepted that taking a brief nap during work hours improves morale and productivity.

This must be to sleep off the violent hangovers from the mandatory sake bombs at work dinners every night.

In the West, however, most of us blanch at the idea of taking a nap.

Naps have been (sadly) equated with laziness and there are only a few things worse than being caught sleeping on the job.

Sitting on the company Xerox machine and photocopying your bum falls in this category.

Even as someone who is #beyourownboss, I struggle with permitting myself to take an afternoon slumber.

But in the name of productivity and mental clarity, I'm going to give it a try this week.

I'll leave you with the most epic napping strategy I've heard of.

It's called a "nappuccino" and involves chugging a coffee before going down for a 20-minute nap.

Rest + the caffeine hitting = one hell of a ride!

What I'm thinking about 💭

How much life SUCKS when you're doing work you HATE.

I've been shying away from this topic for a while because I don't like offending people.

But I've just ingested too much caffeine while listening to a hilarious Ryan Reynolds podcast and I'm feeling SASSY.

Before I dive in, let me remind you of my credentials to speak on this matter.

My first job was in internal audit.

This means I was paid to do work that could be done by a dying monkey wearing a cheap suit from Men's Wearhouse.

I had the privilege of observing other people's work and telling them what they were doing wrong.

This went (exceptionally) well when I got the opportunity to tell a 60-year-old treasurer what he was doing wrong.

If I remember correctly, the words "young twerp" were uttered as I swept my ego up off the floor of his office.

All this to say, I am no stranger to hating your job.

Heck, I even hated my life during my darkest days in finance.

This brings me to the punchline:

The best decision I've EVER made is to pursue my dreams.

It fundamentally changed my life, and in the process, who I am as a person.

Growing up my parents described me as "cautious" and "timid."

Now, I often hear people say: "I wish I could be as bold as you."

I share this not to toot my own horn (what a funny saying), but to say:

I didn't use to be bold, adventurous, or purpose-driven.

Those qualities emerged when I decided to stop numbly stumbling through life because I hated what I did for 5/7ths of every week.

Think about it.

If you hate your job you are spending more than 70% of your life doing something you despise.

No wonder you're counting the minutes each weekday and living for the weekends.

What you don't realize is that hoping you "get through the day quickly" means you're unknowingly praying that the end of your life comes faster.

I'll get off my soapbox now and leave you with two thoughts:

1. I am NOT saying you should quit your job tomorrow. Unless you have enough money saved to live off of, this option is quite stressful
2. I AM saying that you should be investing heavily in figuring out what the f@#! you want to do with your life

You only get one shot at this big adventure called life.

What a shame it would be if you spent nearly ALL of it doing something you hate.

If your soul is screaming at you to make a change, click here.

Helping people follow their dreams is what I was put on this earth to do.

If you don't love the work you do, please don't wait any longer.

Quote(s) of the week 📜

“I was waiting for something extraordinary to happen, but as the years wasted on, nothing ever did unless I caused it.”

— Charles Bukowski

What I'm watching 👨‍💻

This hilarious video of Mini Ryan Reynolds Annoying Ryan Reynolds.​

It's from a Netflix movie called The Adam Project which I will be watching now that I've seen this.

S/O to my Uncle for sending me this funny clip!

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Sent with love,

Gregory Russell Benedikt

Website: gregoryrussellbenedikt.com

Podcast: The Dare to Dream Podcast​

Connect: Instagram & LinkedIn