Reading Is to the Mind What Nutrition Is to the Body

I am the nutritionist that brings you a 7-course meal.

Most hobbies give you not just a great way to pass your time, but also add a new skill to your repertoire. Reading and writing however are hobbies that don’t just give you skill but give you priceless life lessons and wisdom that no other hobby has to offer.

When you write, you allow your mind to go that extra mile and contemplate over thoughts that you may otherwise ignore. You also do a ton of research and learn new things that you may otherwise never learn.

Reading gives you all those benefits, and more, with much less effort. All you need to do is to find a brilliant mind, and a piece of work they’ve written — and give a few minutes of your time to read and absorb all that wisdom for yourself.

Writing is like working out — you need to put in an effort to get results, reading is like your diet or nutrition — all you need to do is eat the right things and enjoy them.

Yet, most experts will tell you your fitness is 70% diet, 30% exercise — the same goes for your mind — your mind’s nutrition is 70% reading, 30% writing. You just need to ensure you read the right things.

I am going to be the nutritionist who, free of charge, in this case, gives you the perfect 7-course meal that will leave you nourished and enriched, with life-lessons that to me are invaluable.

#1 — Your mind’s a garbage truck, go find a landfill — by Maddie McGuire

Maddie brings up a beautiful analogy that she credits to her therapist — our brain is like a garbage truck that gathers crap from everyone, all day long. This means that we all need to find an outlet for all that crap so we don’t start to stink — literally and figuratively.

Here’s how Maddie puts it:

Create a landfill for yourself. Whether you visit it once a week, or once a day, you need to visit your landfill and get rid of your garbage.

What exactly are those landfills? Well, there’s only one way to find out — by giving a few minutes of your precious time to this amazing piece of wisdom.

#2 — Learning to appreciate and be appreciated — Holly Kellums

There are some individuals that are at a whole other level of spiritual or mental awakening and are on a mission to elevate others to their level.

That’s how I describe my dear friend and brilliant writer, Holly. She talks about something that we all encounter everyday but don’t pay attention to. There’s something about accepting compliments that makes us feel we’re being “cocky” if we start believing we deserve them. Holly teaches us the importance of being able to both give and receive appreciation — because it is a key part of being.

As she says,

We are incapable of the trust required to accept the acknowledgment, acceptance and love that we wish to receive.

#3 — Don’t let fear stop you, because the regret will hurt more — Godofredo Rojas

There are a ton of fears that we all have, unique to each person, that often stop us from doing certain things. Often, the fears are big enough that they stop us from chasing our dreams.

However, Godofredo is quick to remind us that fear can hold us back from attempting something, but the regret of not being able to give it a shot and the big “what if” we will live with all our lives is a more bitter pill to swallow than facing your fear.

As he says,

Many people keep their eyes on the goal, others on the process. But what about both. In my humble opinion, I truly believe you can have a crystal-clear goal meanwhile focusing on enjoying the process.

#4 — True friends keep you honest, even if the truth is bitter — Michael Papas

The thing about reality is that it isn’t always beautiful, and as they say truth is often bitter. You could wish to be surrounded by people who always only say things to you that are pleasing, but you’ll more than likely be surrounded by fake relationships.

True relationships and friends are the ones who will tell you the truth — especially the bitter ones because it is an important part of growing up. It is also only the closest of bonds that are able to muster the courage to speak the truth without worrying about the impact on the relationship — because these bonds will shine through tests of fire.

But how do you find such friends, as Michael puts it,

This begs the question — what can you do to make friends with those who love you enough to call you out on your shit? And this begs a further, related question: how do you make sure you’re a person your friends are comfortable criticizing? The answers are the same.

#5 — The most profound incidents often teach us the biggest lessons — by Claire Kelly

We’ve all gone through personal loss — especially that of a loved one — and we all know how devastating it can be. Yet, Claire’s experience of losing a best friend to addiction will move you to tears, but will also leave you with hope.

Hope springs eternal — indeed. Claire learned from her friend’s addiction that what she grew up being told about addiction wasn’t true — it isn’t a flaw or a weakness, it is a pain that clutches you so hard, you can often never come out.

As Claire says, we’re all fighting some kind of a battle, some win some lose — but we all need help along the way,

Kindness, less judgment, empathy, and understanding are some of the few things that matter in the end. All any of us are doing, really, is the best we can with what we have. Sometimes people just need a little kindness and help along the way.

#6 — Your phone’s supposed to be your slave, not the other way around — Rina Zhubi

This one is just for everyone. We all spend more time with our phones than any living being, by a significant margin — and if asked to admit, none of us will say that it is how they planned for things to be.

Our phones are probably the biggest and most widespread addiction in the modern world. So, like every other addiction, we need a solution and we need one before it is too late.

What does a phone rehab look like then? Well, as Rina says, she’s got it all figured out in five simple steps, and she’s kind enough to give out her secrets:

As anxiety spiked up and productivity tailed off, I knew there was a problem to tackle. I educated myself and found solutions along the way. I became aware of how my phone was making me feel. In one year, I build a healthy relationship with my phone, dropping my screen time from three to less than an hour.

#7 — Now that you have all this wisdom, write like a wombat and share it — Tim Ebl

When I saw the title of the story from Tim, I was certain I had met a man who’d partly lost it. Boy, was I wrong!

Tim’s figured out the mantra to success when it comes to writing, by following none other than the curious creature called the Wombat.

I am not even going to start on this one in terms of what this means — but a small hint — it involves a hardened butt and food digested over days — in a way that you can’t even imagine.

As Tim puts it,

Wombats can go head-first into their burrow and wedge their big butt in the doorway. It’s mostly made out of hair-covered cartilage and can take some real abuse without killing the wombat. A predator could be out there scratching or biting the wombat’s butt and never get him to move.

Just trust me and read this one and you’ll come out of it a better writer.

Now that I’ve given you all the wisdom you need for the day, or the week, condensed into a short 30 minutes, you can thank me for the favor and tell your real nutritionists how they’re ripping you off for food that’s not half as good as this sumptuous meal! Happy reading!