HUMAN AS MACHINE
“you're a machine. inputs (exercise, diet, thoughts) control outputs (feelings, actions).”
The Lesson
Think of yourself as a machine with clear input-output relationships. Exercise, diet, and thoughts are inputs that control body chemistry. Body chemistry controls feelings. Feelings control actions and happiness. The key insight: exercise and diet heavily influence thoughts. They're not independent. Bad day? Check: exercise, diet, thoughts. If thoughts are the problem, fix via exercise (especially outdoors). Positive self-talk (corny but effective) adjusts body chemistry. Most people think thoughts are magical and uncontrollable. They're not. They're outputs of a machine you can tune.
Real-World Example
A founder has a terrible week. Anxious, unfocused, negative thoughts spiraling. They've been skipping workouts and eating badly due to deadline pressure. They remember: machine model. They force a workout, eat clean, repeat 'I've got this' (feeling stupid doing it). Within 48 hours, thoughts normalize. The machine responded to better inputs. Now they protect exercise and diet even during crunch time.
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