In the previous email, we wrote about how we should use our brain’s ability to focus, memorize and think actively instead of constantly being driven passively.

But that’s more challenging.

In fact, it’s straightforward to be passive; it’s a lot harder to be active. In other words, it’s easy to consume and much harder to produce.

Consuming requires very little energy. In comparison, producing requires much more energy.

When I say producing, I’m referring to everything we do that creates something in the world.

For example, any TV series you faithfully watch requires many hours of production, designing, recording, etc. Many more hours than you spend watching or even thinking about it.

Or, as an example, much closer to your present moment, my effort to write this email is a lot greater than your effort in reading it. Hard to produce, easy to consume.

We all consume information or entertainment, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Except if the time you spend consuming is much greater than the one you spend creating – in whatever area or field you are into.

We can only evolve our brains by producing. Consuming turns us into mindless sheep.

Except…

If you transform your passive consumption into active consumption. Instead of passively watching something, you can actively monitor and reflect on it.

Just like a painter looking at a master’s artwork and actively thinking about how the master did that particular stroke, lightning, positioning, etc., instead of simply being blown away by it.

Or, instead of simply discarding this email, you can actively think about the type of consuming and producing you are currently doing and how you can improve it to involve much more brain areas (and energy).

But, for sure, it takes a lot more effort.