Non-Scientific Lesson from Your Favorite Scientist - Andrew Huberman
Andrew Huberman needs no introduction, so I won’t write one.
Why am I writing about a non-scientific lesson from the world’s favorite scientist at the moment?
Because the most overlooked quality of Andrew Huberman is his wisdom. And that’s to be expected, since his work and his entire online presence revolve around sharing digestible and useful scientific information for free. For those who might not be used to making that distinction, knowledge of scientific information, or any sort of information, for that matter, has nothing to do with wisdom.
However, even though it often goes overlooked, you find yourself in the fortunate position that I am actually more interested in Huberman’s real-life wisdom than in learning what the best temperature for sleeping is. So allow me to share with you one of the nuggets of wisdom I got from him.
The following question/thought experiment can be used when you find yourself with new opportunities opening up and you want to be able to say no when needed and set your priorities straight.
How much money would it take to get you not to do something ever again in your life?
Huberman says that lately he’s been having many business opportunities because of how successful his podcast is. However, there are three things in his life that he wouldn’t stop doing for any amount of money: his podcast, physical training, and spending time with the people he cares about. And he sees all those business opportunities not as offering him the chance to make X amount of money by engaging in some new project. He sees them as offering to pay him not to do those three things that he cannot put a price on.
You might think that this is not useful to you since you don’t have business opportunities lining up for you because you have a podcast that is listened to by millions worldwide. But I would ask you to think again. Everyone’s life involves a series of opportunities. Maybe not as lucrative as Huberman’s, but still opportunities.
The truth is that most people set their priorities and make choices simply based on looking what they could get in exchange for their time and effort.
Rarely do people consider how far and for how long a certain opportunity will take them away from the things they really care about.
What I invite you to ponder is this:
As you go through life and have your share of opportunities, maybe money and social status that you could gain shouldn’t be the only pieces of the equation.
Maybe the time and energy you will have left for the people and things you care about are worth considering as well.
Thank you for reading.
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