#035 – Travelling More & Spartan Confidence

Quote, Podcast, Article, Inspiring Short Story, Tweet.

Author

Dimitri Gremos
November 08, 2023

Welcome to the Five to Thrive newsletter

Bringing 5 interesting ideas to your inbox every Thursday morning to ignite your curiosity and drive your growth.

read online on my website 

read time 3 minutes 

#035 at a Glance:

  • Quote that will get you thinking: This is how you will act.

  • Podcast you should listen to: Lex Fridman x Mr Beast.

  • Article you need to read: The Case for Travelling More by Jack Raines.

  • Inspiring Short Story: The unshakable confidence and wit of Spartan warriors.

  • Tweet I liked: Why children are happy.

Quote that will get you thinking:

“You will act like the sort of person you conceive yourself to be.”

Maxwell Maltz

Podcast you should listen to:

Lex Fridman Podcast #351 – Mr Beast

Re-listened to this recently and felt compelled to share it with you all.

I feel that Jimmy Donaldson (aka Mr Beast) is the embodiment of what can happen when you go all in on something you

a) really like, and
b) really care about.

There is something captivating about listening to someone speak about a topic that they’re obsessed with. It occupies their minds to the point that it grips their soul and almost forces them forwards to continue chasing new heights.

Even more than all of that, being able to get a 2-hour 17-minute candid glimpse into the mind of the most successful YouTuber the world has ever known – for free – is just a privilege.

Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple Podcasts here. Watch on YouTube here.

Article you need to read:

The Case for Travelling More by Jack Raines 

Warning: reading this will make you want to book a ticket and fly somewhere.

If ever you needed any convincing that you should travel more, this is it.

It is truly one of the best and most inspiring articles/blog posts I’ve ever read.

And as someone who reads 50+ newsletters a week and 25+ articles, I really don’t say that lightly.

I feel like it really taps into the need for us, especially when we’re young, to not passively conform to society’s expectations and consequently lose the opportunity to live unique and inspiring experiences.

Inspiring Short Story:

The unshakeable confidence and wit of Spartan warriors

Source: History.com

I’ve been reading recently about Ancient European history and managed to come across this incredibly entertaining anecdote about the Spartan Warriors who reigned successfully over Southern Greece and beyond for hundreds of years:

“In fact, the Spartans were famously witty. Socrates once said: ‘If you talk to any ordinary Spartan, he seems to be stupid. But eventually, like an expert marksman, he shoots in some brief remark that proves you to be only a child’. And when Philip II of Macedon [Alexander The Great’s father] invaded southern Greece [c. 350 BC], he sent a threatening message to the Spartans asking if he should come as friend or foe. The reply was: ‘Neither’. He then sent a nastier message to say that if he entered Laconia [one of the cities in Southern Greece], he would raze Sparta to the ground. Another one-worded message came back: ‘If’.

– The Shortest History of Greece by James Heneage (p. 20)

How bloody brilliant is that?

I mean, the audacity to so blatantly mock perhaps the second-most prominent military threat in the region at the time is simply sensational.

The absolute epitome of wit, courage, and patriotism.

Reading that put a smile on my face.

Still does.

I think each of us should try to tap into that unshakeable confidence a lot more often.

Tweet I liked:

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading!

Grateful for your support.

Stay hungry, stay humble, & stay curious. ⚡

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