🩻 Feel over Figure

Hey friend,

I’ve been diving into Joe Hudson’s podcast The Art of Accomplishment lately.

While he offers an 18-month course, I’ve discovered that many of the core concepts are explored in his podcast episodes, starting with the Masterclass Series #1.

My favorite so far is Episode #5: Feel over Figure. It’s making me rethink how I approach decision-making. I’ve always prided myself on being “rational” and thinking everything through carefully.

Here’s what surprised me:

I might have been approaching this all wrong.

There’s fascinating research showing that people with damage to the emotional centers of their brains—even those with extremely high IQs—struggle to make even simple decisions. Their intelligence remains intact, but without emotions, they become paralyzed by choice.

Antonio Damasio describes this in his book Descartes’ Error.

This discovery has led me to start a new practice: I now spend 15-20 minutes daily just sitting and checking in with myself.

• What am I feeling right now?
• If I don’t notice anything, how does it feel to not notice anything?
• Does this feeling have a shape or form? Does it flow, or is it stuck?

As Joe Hudson explains, what really causes us suffering isn’t the emotions themselves—it’s our resistance to feeling them. It’s this layered resistance that keeps us stuck.

The beautiful part? Simply paying attention to our emotions, even noticing when we want to avoid them, starts to shift something inside us.

I’m still wrestling with the “enjoy over manage” principle, especially since I’m simultaneously reading the best business book for small businesses I have ever read that advocates for more managing and control. I’ll share more thoughts on that paradox next week!

Have a wonderful week!
Lukas 😁

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P.S. Here’s a tip: When I discover valuable content like Joe’s podcast, I transcribe key episodes into NotebookLM. This lets me ask specific questions and explore themes more deeply. It’s like having Joe Hudson as a personal coach—try it.