The hottest Self-Improvement Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Your weekly links and recs round-up #37

The Shift With Sam Baker • 379 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Self-Improvement
  1. The post is a weekly roundup featuring interesting articles on various topics like moving on from chapters in life, divorce stories, resilience, friendships, and interviews with experts.
  2. The content includes thought-provoking pieces on caregiving expectations, being an old friend, and insightful discussions on marriage, divorce, and aging.
  3. The subscribers get access to a curated collection of readings on diverse subjects, as well as exclusive content reserved for paid subscribers.

I am offering mentoring

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 1062 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
🚌 Education Self-Improvement
  1. A mentoring program is being offered to help people achieve their goals. It's open to anyone, regardless of age or career stage.
  2. The mentor will have three 30-minute video sessions with chosen participants, focused on helping them with their specific challenges.
  3. This program is free and based on an application process to select three people that the mentor believes they can assist most effectively.
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Change what you do, to change where you go.

Elevate • 517 implied HN points • 16 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. Our lives are influenced by patterns and routines, some chosen consciously and others unknowingly. Changing habits can propel us forward or hold us back.
  2. To change where we go, we must change what we do. Setting clear goals, creating action plans, and building support networks are essential for effective change.
  3. Embrace failures as learning opportunities, cultivate a growth mindset, and regularly review and adjust your actions to transform obstacles into stepping stones for growth.

How Are You Crazy?

What's Important? • 36 implied HN points • 18 Jan 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. Understand your partner's cognitive strengths and their matching weaknesses — a trait that feels like a superpower in one setting can be a curse at home, and recognising that breeds compassion.
  2. Speak about feelings instead of blaming — saying how something makes you feel (not what they did wrong) lowers arguments and invites cooperative problem-solving.
  3. Invest in self-awareness and couples work — therapy and deliberate inner growth build resilience and help marriages survive big crises.

"Unbundling" experiences

Civic Renaissance with Alexandra Hudson • 439 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Self-Improvement
  1. Our experiences and those of others may not always represent the whole picture, so it's important to avoid generalizations.
  2. Unbundling experiences can help us avoid negative assumptions about the world and others based on limited encounters.
  3. Choosing stories of exoneration over condemnation can empower us to see the dignity in others despite their mistakes.

The Stories We Tell: Myth, Memory, and the Self

Mind & Mythos • 159 implied HN points • 04 May 24
🎭️ Culture Self-Improvement
  1. The stories we tell about ourselves are important for understanding who we are. They help us make sense of our experiences and give our lives meaning.
  2. Everyone creates a personal narrative or myth that shapes their identity. This story involves past events, emotions, and lessons learned, influencing how we view ourselves and our future.
  3. Rewriting our personal story can improve our mental health. By changing how we interpret challenges and failures, we can craft a more positive narrative that enhances our sense of purpose.

The Truth About Courage

Play Permissionless • 139 implied HN points • 14 May 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. Internal barriers to courage often find support in the world around us, such as fear of damaging our ego or social status.
  2. Overcoming these barriers involves understanding and reframing the opinions of those who mock failure - their views may not align with our values or goals.
  3. Many fears lose their power when we make them specific, evaluate them objectively, and question the worst-case scenarios, revealing that the risks are often not as severe as perceived.

Want to Build Your Client Base? Get Started with These 3 Things First

VERY GOOD PRODUCTIZED GUIDES • 79 implied HN points • 22 Jun 24
💼 Business Self-Improvement
  1. Start with identifying a problem that needs solving. Focus on what others need instead of just your own ideas.
  2. Choose the right clients who align with your values and needs. This helps you work better and smarter with a specific group.
  3. Give before you ask for anything. Start by offering something for free to build trust and show what you can do.

What I’m Working On

Deep Fix • 491 implied HN points • 08 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. The author shares updates and opportunities with readers, inviting them to participate in new projects.
  2. The author is launching a podcast called 'Deep Fix' and creating an online course on overcoming modern addiction.
  3. The author mentions projects like 'Sons of Now,' 'Natura Care,' and offers direct coaching services.

Old Dog + New Tricks = Life Hack

Ladyparts • 798 implied HN points • 17 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. Society often pushes us to constantly achieve, but sometimes it's okay to do things just for the joy of doing them.
  2. Engaging in new activities, like improv classes or learning to play an instrument, can bring unexpected joy and purpose, even if you're not aiming to be a pro.
  3. Taking a chance on trying something new in times of despair can lead to life-changing experiences and discoveries.

There's nothing wrong with doing things because you want to look good

Sasha's 'Newsletter' • 2150 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Self-Improvement
  1. It's okay to strive to look good while pursuing your goals. Enjoying vanity-focused efforts alongside practical training can lead to better results and enjoyment in the process.
  2. Balancing aesthetics with functionality is important; looking good can have practical advantages, such as increased social opportunities.
  3. Engaging in the game of appearances doesn't make you vain; it can be a way to navigate social dynamics effectively and enhance your creative work with audience capture.

FROM THE VAULT: A Master List of Dating Advice

Default Wisdom • 344 implied HN points • 28 Jun 25
🎭️ Culture Self-Improvement
  1. Always pay attention to how someone treats you when you're feeling down. It's a good sign if they are supportive.
  2. People will show their true colors over time, so give them a few dates to see who they really are.
  3. Be careful of obsessing over someone; it often reflects your own feelings and needs more than it does about them.

Gen Z’s Sexual Apocalypse. The Case for Marriage. And: Is It Time to Ditch the Apps?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2207 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Self-Improvement
  1. There is a growing political divide between young men veering right and women leaning left, complicating dating and relationships.
  2. Consider ditching dating apps and try more traditional methods like asking for setups from friends or striking conversations in real life.
  3. Getting married can lead to a happier, more prosperous, and more meaningful life, despite common myths about relationships and career choices.

Do Nothing & Do Everything

Investing 101 • 69 implied HN points • 22 Nov 25
💼 Business Self-Improvement
  1. Taking time to pause and reflect is important for personal growth and mental clarity. It may feel like doing nothing, but it's actually a valuable activity.
  2. Finding a balance between working hard and being smart is key. Sometimes, working too hard without thinking can lead to exhaustion and poor results.
  3. Both action and reflection are necessary for success. You need to know when to push forward and when to take a step back and regroup.

You Think Freelancing Means Freedom? Think Again

VERY GOOD PRODUCTIZED GUIDES • 59 implied HN points • 29 Jun 24
💼 Business Self-Improvement
  1. Freelancing can feel freeing, but it often leads to stressful situations, like juggling client work with personal life. It's important to recognize when to seek help or create a team you can trust.
  2. Transitioning from freelancing to entrepreneurship requires a clear understanding of your lifestyle goals and what success means to you. It's not just about making money, but building a fulfilling life.
  3. Personal growth and willingness to change are key to evolving your business. Being open to learning and shifting your role can help you create a more sustainable and enjoyable work environment.

Joy or Perfection?

Seven Senses • 479 implied HN points • 11 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. Choosing joy over perfection can lead to a happier life. Perfectionism often steals our joy and makes us feel disconnected from others.
  2. It's okay to struggle and not be perfect at things. Embracing the learning process can bring more fulfillment than focusing solely on being the best.
  3. Our past experiences of feeling inadequate can affect us today. Accepting our imperfections allows us to find happiness and connection again.

What I wish someone would have told me about relationships.

Changing The Channel • 498 implied HN points • 10 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. People, including ourselves, are capable of change despite the belief that they cannot.
  2. The idea that people don't change can lead to prematurely ending relationships that have the potential to grow into something great.
  3. Believing in our capability for real change is vital, rather than subscribing to the notion that personal transformation is impossible.

Chaos Comes Back

NOW IS GOOD • 491 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. Chaos is a force that touches everyone, neither good nor bad, just is
  2. We have choices when faced with chaotic moments: ignore, obsess, or ride the waves
  3. Recognizing chaos as a constant practice – lessons, experiences, and chances for change

The Problem With Stuff

The Commonplace • 2132 implied HN points • 04 Dec 23
🎭️ Culture Self-Improvement
  1. Christmas has become a prolonged, consumer-driven season that can lose meaning.
  2. Minimalism may offer a surface-level solution to excess but doesn't address deeper issues.
  3. Consumerism thrives on the idea of filling internal voids with external possessions, but true contentment comes from within.

From Intentions to Actions: Achieving Goals with Implementation Intentions

UX Psychology • 297 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. Form implementation intentions to bridge the gap between intentions and actions by creating specific if-then plans linking cues to goal-directed behaviors.
  2. Research shows that forming if-then plans can significantly increase the likelihood of achieving goals in various areas such as health, consumer choices, and personal goals.
  3. To apply implementation intentions, choose specific goals, identify situational cues, specify goal-directed responses, form if-then plan statements, and commit to following through.

Exploite tes peurs

Venture Prose • 658 implied HN points • 05 Feb 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. Recognize and exploit your fears as a way to drive yourself to do better each day.
  2. Entrepreneurs should not shy away from acknowledging and utilizing their vulnerabilities as a source of motivation and growth.
  3. Seek feedback from others to identify recurring behaviors that may be limiting you, and work towards understanding and overcoming them to reach your full potential.

TBM 316: Ultra Founder Mode

The Beautiful Mess • 925 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
💼 Business Self-Improvement
  1. Ultra Founder Mode is all about taking raw honesty and owning up to your weaknesses. It's crucial to be really self-aware and willing to face hard truths about yourself and your work.
  2. In this mindset, you take full responsibility for everything—successes and failures. There’s no blaming others; you say 'I' messed up, and you own that weight fully.
  3. Being a leader means being deeply involved in your team's day-to-day struggles. You need to feel their pressures and grind alongside them, absorbing all the chaos without immediately trying to fix everything.

The Art of Emails

Niko McCarty • 79 implied HN points • 25 May 24
🚌 Education Self-Improvement
  1. Cold emails are powerful tools for making connections. They show you are proactive and really want to connect with someone.
  2. Writing cold emails can improve your writing skills. It helps you think clearly about what you want to say and how to say it to the right person.
  3. When writing, treat it like you're emailing one person. This helps you focus and makes it easier to express your ideas simply.

Meet the Sons of Now

Deep Fix • 432 implied HN points • 17 Feb 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. The Sons of Now is a men's group addressing the crisis in masculinity and aiming to redefine modern masculinity within a supportive community.
  2. Masculinity is unfixed and evolving, and men benefit from reclaiming the Father archetype by understanding emotions, providing a safe space, and prioritizing relationships.
  3. Men cultivating expansive consciousness can provide power, bravery, vitality, and leadership, becoming stewards of the spirit of evolution.

Tom Sawyer your way through life

Supernuclear • 239 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Self-Improvement
  1. Ask people to do work for you, especially physical work, as a way to build connections and community.
  2. Contributing to something or someone makes you truly feel connected and a part of it.
  3. To fully belong, move from being a consumer to a contributor in a community or event.

Rational beliefs

VS Blog • 99 implied HN points • 28 Apr 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement
  1. Believing in rational beliefs unlocks immense energy and motivation, unlike irrational beliefs.
  2. To hold rational beliefs, it's key to ground them in what we know to be true and frame them as possibilities rather than certainties.
  3. Maintaining a positive state of mind is beneficial for leveraging beliefs, alongside reframing and reducing them.