There's a study that changed how I see everything.

Only 2% of people take the stairs when there's an escalator available.

We all know the stairs are better for us. Yet 98% of us step onto that moving metal and let it carry us up.

I think about this all the time now.

Last month I had a phone call with a friend to fix their marketing strategy. Big meeting. I could've sat at my desk, stared at my monitor, and taken notes while we talked.

Instead I threw on headphones and walked 4 miles through my neighborhood.

By the end of the call, I'd figured out three things we needed to fix in their customer journey. The movement unlocked something sitting never could.

This is what happens when you choose the slightly harder path: your brain works different. Better.

After a 33-day Arctic expedition, the researchers found people get about a month of post-expedition zen. A month where everyday stresses just... don't hit the same. The contrast between what you endured and normal life makes everything feel easier.

But you don't need to go to the Arctic. You can get this effect daily.

I've been experimenting with what I call "micro-misogis" - tiny challenges that reset your baseline:

Physical: Cold shower in the morning. Not because it boosts dopamine (though it does). But because starting your day doing something you don't want to do changes how you approach everything else.

Mental: Reading books instead of audiobooks. Dense ones. The kind where you have to reread paragraphs. I’m on Sapiens and The Almanac of Naval Ravikant right now.

Emotional: My girlfriend and I do these 8-mile walks where we talk about the hard stuff. The forward motion makes difficult conversations flow. You can't have these talks on the couch watching Netflix.

Silence: Humans have made the world 4x louder than it used to be. So I seek quiet. No podcast on walks sometimes. No music while cooking. Just me and my thoughts.

Non-exercise activity burns up to 800 calories a day. More than most people's workouts. But that's not really the point.

The point is that choosing discomfort rewires you.

When you park in the furthest spot, carry your groceries in a basket instead of using a cart, take calls while walking - you're building something.

Not just physical strength. Mental calluses.

The ability to choose the harder thing when it matters.

Boredom is data.

It's your brain saying "the return on this activity is running thin, go find something better." Our ancestors used this signal to forage better spots. We use it to open Instagram.

But if you sit with boredom, magic happens.

Stand in the grocery line without your phone. Let your mind wander. This is where ideas come from. Not from consuming more content. From the space between.

Enlightenment isn’t something you reach after shaving your head and sitting on top of a mountain in silence for years. It’s something we can all achieve, every day, at any moment.

- Jacob, The Renewal