On Love:

Last year I had an emotional breakdown. I was studying for the LSAT(law school admission test) for 20 hours a week on top of working a full-time job. I would go to bed at 9:00 pm and wake up at 4:00 am to fit it all in. I was spending most of my days by myself while working remotely and my schedule quickly became a well-oiled machine allowing me both to work and study for law school (later in the year I decided law school wasn’t actually the right path for me). Never in my life had I been more productive. Then, I had a breakdown. I felt intensely lonely and disconnected. I was burnt out. I couldn’t keep focus. I started pushing people away who were close to me. I’d get emotional for no reason at all. I had no idea what was happening to me, I just knew that I wasn’t happy and couldn’t explain why. I came to the realization I had been prioritizing my productivity over connecting with people I cared about. My productivity was isolating me and preventing me from experiencing the deep relationships that had so often brought joy to my life.

After talking it through with important people to me, I made some adjustments to make sure I continued to intentionally invest in my relationships. This included setting up weekly phone calls with close friends and one of those changes was starting “New Meal Monday,” a weekly dinner challenging me to cook a new meal and host people I care about. This weekly meal has now become a hallmark practice in my life and there’s not many things that bring me more joy than good food, good music, and good people. We all need good and healthy relationships in our lives. Find the way that you best connect with people, then do more of that - it will only bring more joy and love to your life.

On Justice:

In the early 1900s The Times in London sent out a question to prominent authors: What’s wrong with the world? Authors responded with pages and pages of what they believed to be the greatest social ills of the time. There was a man by the name of GK Chersterton who responded with an unorthodox answer, but one The Times ultimately featured. It was also the shortest:

On Generosity:

Drops of water - enough of them can cause a creek, a river, a rushing waterfall. My good friend Spencer Fermo is now driving because people gave enough drops of water to cause a waterfall. Eight months ago people collectively gave $5,302 within 48 hours to get Spencer hand controls for his car because of his inability to use his legs after a freak accident that paralyzed him from the chest down. Now, Spencer is able to drive and experience greater independence. Generosity changes people’s lives. Don’t stop giving, it may just change your life too.

A question for the day:

• Who are three people who bring you energy but you don’t see enough of? What ways can you increase the frequency of those three people in your life?

Resource of the Week:

• The Alchemist

  • One of my favorite books of all time. If you’re at a turning point or facing big decisions in your life, this is the book for you.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in taking this journey towards more Love, more Justice, and more Generosity in their own life and in the world, please send them this link which will allow them to sign up (or copy and send: https://ljg.beehiiv.com/subscribe).

Thank you for being here.

With Love, Justice, and Generosity,

Michael LarsonLove