#1031 Death's Interest Rate

Not too long ago, we chatted about Ryan Holiday’s latest book Stillness Is the Key. (Since then, he and I connected for an interview you might enjoy.)

Today I want to chat about another brilliant passage from that book.

This one’s on sleep.

Here it is.

Ryan says: “The philosopher and writer Arthur Schopenhauer used to say that ‘sleep is the source of all health and energy.’ He said it better still on a separate occasion: ‘Sleep is the interest we have to pay on the capital which is called in at death. The higher the interest rate and the more regularly it is paid, the further the date of redemption.”

That’s Today’s +1.

Two parts.

Part 1.

Know that, as Schopenhauer puts it: “sleep is the source of all health and energy.”

Or, as we’ve discussed so many times, sleep is the foundation on which all the other pillars of health rest.

(Thanks again to Matthew Walker for that distinction. Recall his wisdom: “I was once fond of saying, ‘Sleep is the third pillar of good health, alongside diet and exercise.’ I have changed my tune. Sleep is more than a pillar; it is the foundation on which the other two health bastions sit. Take away the bedrock of sleep, or weaken it just a little, and careful eating or physical exercise become less than effective, as we shall see.”)

Part 2.

You know that debt we all have on our Life Balance Sheet called “DEATH”?!

(Memento Mori, baby!)

Let’s manage it well as we remember: “Sleep is the interest we have to pay on the capital which is called in at death. The higher the interest rate and the more regularly it is paid, the further the date of redemption.”

In other words…

Here’s to Optimizing our sleep so we can feel great TODAY for a lot more (yet always finite!) Todays.

Practically-speaking: How can you Optimize your sleep?

Get on that.

TONIGHT.

😴 → 🥳

P.S. We cover a LOT of ground in our Mastery Series/Heroic Coach program. In fact, we systematically integrate the wisdom from 300 +1s, 101 PhilosophersNotes and 11 Optimal Living 101 classes.

But… I tell our aspiring Coaches that if I could recommend just ONE book for them to read, it would be Why We Sleep. Why? Because, as per that chat above, it’s HUGE. But only if you want to feel more alive Today and, ahem, die later. (😲)

While we’re on the subject, here’s a little note from Joaquim Matos, one of our Coaches from Portugal on how his sleep (and other aspects of his life) have been Optimized as a result of his participation in our program (his note happens to be the most recent one we’ve received):

“Heroic Coach has been a transformation journey for me.

I have evolved in every domain and today I am a different person from what started in February this beautiful walk.

In the field of energy and following the principles and recommendations allied to the fundamentals, namely eat, move and sleep, today I sleep an average of 8 hours a day, I exercise every day and eat healthy food. As a result I regained my weight, going from 78kg to 72kg and I have the ratio W / H = 0.4941.

The use of the 1,10,100,1000, 10k, 25 protocol also contributed to maintaining a very useful energy level throughout the day.

In terms of work I have the result of high energy levels, associated with deep work discipline which allows me, focus, concentration and productivity in the execution of my projects, namely in Heroic Coach.

In terms of relationships I am also a person who is much more interested in others looking to practice Love 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0. I really listen to people more, focus on them and make myself feel more human.

In all Heroic lessons there has been added value, there has been wisdom that with practice I have been including in my identities which I have also stoned over time.

The contents as well as the tools made available throughout the various sessions are very useful and important for everyday life as a person or as a coach.

As for me, this program adds a lot to anyone who is committed and wants to change and evolve in their life. It requires work and continued commitment and has the great team of Heroic doing an excellent, amazing and a professional job, with a lot of love and dedication that provides a deep service in which besides sharing a lot of knowledge permanently challenged us.

To Brian, Michael, Patrick, Calman and the rest of the team that worked a lot behind the scenes, my deepest gratitude. You guys are amazing and it was wonderful to participate in this course.

Many, many, many thanks.”