Change Your Environment, Change Your Life (And Your Chess)

Introduction

Hello chess friends!

I took a break from posting for a few weeks (as I was overwhelmed with IRL things), so I have many things to share with you.

The thread, however, that ties together events from the last couple of weeks is the impact of our ENVIRONMENT on our lives and results.

One Of My Biggest Struggles

One of my biggest struggles in the last couple of months was launching my new coaching program for 2000+ FIDE students.

I wanted it so badly, but revisiting what happened with my family in 2022 (after launching a new program) outweighed the pain of not doing the best I could to help my current private students.

Change is uncomfortable, but it's also necessary for growth.

Two Changes, Two Results

I tried sleeping early and using Facebook much less in the last few weeks.

The experiment of not using Facebook was a disaster - Discord quickly replaced it, and I soon discovered that you're simply not going to connect well with the vast majority of people, no matter how nice you are or how varied your interests may be. (I'll discuss finding your 'tribe' in another post).

However, sleeping early paid dividends for me in the last days on the poker tables - my quality of play increased significantly, to the point where I started to gain ELO again on my poker puzzle app (for the non-poker players - it's where you play against a 'perfect' computer and the computer tells you how well you played).

A Change Of Scenery

It's wild how much more relaxed I am in Vietnam, walking on the streets with my wife and enjoying the time with her, as opposed to either of us constantly worrying about things. I no longer feel the urge to eat unhealthy food, which makes me feel a lot more energetic (whereas I was previously exhausted by early afternoon, killing my productivity).

The only negative is that the poker site I play on is blocked in Vietnam, but that's also an opportunity to focus more on chess coaching (and writing) while I'm here - one less distraction.

What This Means For You

Now you know some of my experiences. Here's how you can concretely apply them in your own life:

1. Surround Yourself With People Who Uplift You/Are Where You Want To Be

Jim Rohn's well-known saying is, 'We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with'.

I'll let you figure out which people fit where you are heading/want to be and who could be better.

2. Clear Your Space

You'll be much more productive working on a clean desk than a messy/chaotic one. You can extend this to having clearly defined purposes for each room. One of the problems I faced at home was that I did all my work in my bedroom, making it much harder to 'switch off' my brain and fall asleep.

Understanding what your current environment is 'costing' can motivate you to improve.

3. Look At Things From Another Angle

I was reminded of this concept while watching the great Disney film 'Big Hero 6' on the flight to Vietnam. If you need help figuring out the solution to a problem, try looking at things from a different perspective.

The 'another angle' wording is quite fitting, however. Looking to the left activates the right hemisphere of our brain, which is Responsible for creative thinking and spatial awareness. Looking to the right activates the left hemisphere of our brain, which is responsible for analytical thinking and logical reasoning.

4. Embrace Change

I already talked about this one, but it’s worth repeating.

5. Do Something Different

If things aren't working for you, stop doing them! Try something different—you have nothing to lose if you're unhappy with your results.

The Main Challenge

The hard part of this is breaking out of old bad habits - but this becomes a lot easier when you have:

- WHY (a compelling reason that you feel deeply within you)
- WHAT (being very clear on your direction)
- HOW (knowing the steps to achieve your goal and how to implement those steps)
- WHO (having the right people and support around you makes the process much easier).

In a later post, I'll share how these concepts relate to my new chess coaching program.

What's the central insight you got from this post?