đ„Montparnasse CafĂ©
Weekly Playlist #12: A real-time âwrite with meâ with Ali Abdaal, coffee ASMR, the sound of Montparnasse, a very Parisian coffee shop, camping in the rain.
This weekâs featured sound was selected by Coffeehouseâs founder, Andrew.
Whatâs in the playlist?
A real-time âwrite with meâ with successful entrepreneur Ali Abdaal, coffee ASMR, the sound of Montparnasse, a very Parisian coffee shop, camping in the rain, a pomodoro session, and lo-fi music that will make you feel like youâre walking around Tokyo.
Train of thought
Iâm currently reading Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr. Julia Smith. After years of helping patients in therapy, Dr. Smith decided to publish a book answering some of the most common questions she gets from her patients. This book provides you with the tools you need to ânavigate lifeâs ups and downsâ such as grief, change, relationships, and worthiness.
I initially bought it because the idea of sitting in a chair talking to a stranger about my private life for an hour made me extremely uncomfortable. As it turns out, the author taught me one of the most important lessons of my life.
What is success?
When I quit my 9 to 5 last year to become a freelancer, I thought it would feel great. Oddly enough, it was the complete opposite â without a job title to define my worth, I felt like a complete, utter failure. It seemed like unless I got a proper job at a proper company, I was failing.
This pattern of thinking affected most areas of my life. My relationships suffered because I was always comparing myself to others and felt like I was not good enough. I didnât find joy in my work anymore, and my head was filled with constant criticism.
Then, I read a chapter from Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? on worthiness and success in which Dr. Smith advises to reflect on what success really means to us. Before reading this chapter, to me, success was external validation. If no one was praising my work, if I didnât win an Academy Award â then I wasnât successful.
But if you remove external validation from the equation, what does success mean to you?
I didnât have to think for too long to find an answer. External validation apart, itâs money, freedom, and creativity that Iâm really looking for. If I have these 3 things in my life, then I consider myself successful. This is achievable. This definition of success doesnât force me to be miserable and beat myself up every day. It allows me to be happy and enjoy the process.
What about you?
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