#03: On creativity and the Formula 1 mindset

laps > days

Welcome to Nuclear Wisdom, a weekly newsletter where I share personal observations and ideas on self-expansion and modern well-being.

Today at a Glance:

• Reflection: on creativity

• Idea: the Formula 1 mindset

Read time: 4 minutes

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Being on the road is one of my greatest dopamine triggers.

Often, it’s also quite exhausting.

Given the time I spent this week on the road again, I’ll keep today’s letter sweet and short - 2 ideas for your Sunday and the week ahead.

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On creativity

Having my Kindle with me is non-negotiable whenever I hit the road solo.

There is something magical when you’re flipping through a book.

Sometimes wide awake and conscious. At other times with heavy eyes and your mind wandering into the wild.

And then you come across a single sentence, and boom. That’s it.

Your brain is ramping up all neurons, your body is fired up, and thinking suddenly becomes childsplay.

It’s as if your brain is sucking ideas into your mind out of nothing.

A single sentence snapped me from being half asleep to being widely alert and conscious about the debate and relevance of creativity.

At school and work, we learn to associate the word with painting an abstract fish and brainstorming sessions with colorful Post-Its.

We think of inventiveness, using our imagination, and creating something “new” - like a new idea.

This is practical. And practicality is good.

But on a higher level, it goes beyond.

Creativity is by nature an act of boldness and rebellion. 
— Robert Greene

It’s a brutal act of authenticity, of fearlessly expressing your true self, often in the company of other people, facing the risk of disappointment and rejection.

This thought on creativity is key, because we all are gardeners of a graveyard of ideas that never make it to daylight.

There are only two reasons that graveyard exists in the first place:

1. insecurity

2. inaction

Looking at my graveyard of ideas and turning points, I learned that insecurity often causes inaction.

Therefore I practice eliminating insecurity. How?

By doing what I’m insecure about, such as writing and publishing this letter.

A healthy mindset on the idea of insecurity and its connection to creativity is helpful to me, as I know that if I’m insecure, the rest of the world probably is too.

That’s reason enough to eliminate thought loops fueling self-underestimation while putting the “competition” on a pedestal.

The point: You’re better than you think.

But why add creativity into the equation? Because creativity is the set of wheels that translates the power of the engine (your true authentic self) onto the road you seek to drive.

Early on, I learned that imposing restrictions can help us be more creative.

And while in practical terms, this is true, creativity has no set of rules or boundaries governing what it should be and should not be.

Because creativity means not conforming to what everybody else wants you to be.

It means doing things your way regardless of those watching from the sideline.

It means allowing your inner spirit to come forth and wave its wand.

It means investing yourself in work, you find meaningful.

Creativity is not being intimidated by opinions.

Creativity is setting yourself free.

Creativity is feeling alive.

But most of all,

Creativity is

a choice.

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Laps > Days 🧠

This season I picked up watching Formula 1 again.

The winner mentality and supremacy of Verstappen, Alonso, and Hamilton aren’t limited to the race track. Neither are they limited to race drivers only.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely not an F1 pilot (if you are, hit me up asap!), but a human with individual challenges daily.

If you’re like most people, on a bad day, you will think, “tomorrow will be better.”

It can. But it also might not. Why wait until the next day?

A wise man from Silicon Valley once tweeted this:

While his tweet refers to the 10,000-hour idea of acquiring and mastering any skill, I find a lot of universal wisdom in that simple sentence.

Twenty-four hours make one day, and we got 7 of them per week.

(At least on planet Earth)

Having reignited my curiosity about Formula 1 and just in time for the Belgian GP, I hope to present a better idea:

The Formula 1 Mindset

Why should anyone limit their shot at flipping their day from bad to great to 7 times a week?

Although there are events like the 24 hours of Le Mans in the racing world, a typical Formula 1 GP is raced in 50-70 laps (ca. 2 hours).

A lap is the track a driver and his car must travel to complete one round.

If we apply this idea in our day to day, infused with Naval’s wisdom, we get

1 day = 24 hours = 24 laps

We could also go with smaller increments like minutes, but I find it hard to “timebox” typical daily activities into 1-minute intervals, hence hourly.

If professional race drivers can start as 15th and end the race on the podium, I’d like to bet that anyone can have a crappy start to the day and end it with a smile.

Because now you don’t have to wait for the next day to fix things.

You can do it in the next hour. And oftentimes you can do it even now.

A shorter iteration cycle means more iterations, means more chances, means you’re more likely to succeed.

Therefore, when you head into the next week, embrace the Formula 1 mindset and tackle each lap with the spirit of a champion.

See you on the podium,

Mete