An Ode To People Who Take Things Seriously - Visakan Veerasamy - #862

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
What's happening, people, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Visakan Veerasamy. He's a writer and an entrepreneur. It's perhaps the biggest competitive advantage no one ever talks about because it's so obvious, but what does it mean to be a serious person? And if it's such a help, why is it so hard to find? Expect to learn why being serious is so important, how to deal with being too harsh on yourself and holding high standards for everybody else, how to get better at being disliked, the relationship between seriousness and earnestness, ways to deal with procrastination more effectively and much more. This episode is brought to you by 8Sleep. I have been using my 8Sleep mattress for years, and I literally cannot imagine life without it. Having a actively cooled and heated mattress is the game changer. Now they've launched their newest generation pod, the Pod 4 Ultra. The Pod 4 Ultra can cool down each side of the bed up to 20 degrees below room temperature, keeping you and your partner cool. And for those of you who snore heavily, it can detect your snoring and automatically lift your head a few degrees to improve your airflow and stop it. This is your 3000 stuff. It cools, it heats, it elevates, and it is clinically proven to give you up to one hour more of quality sleep every night. Best of all, they ship to the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. You can get $350 off the Pod 4 Ultra by going to the link in the show notes below or heading to 8sleep.com/modernwisdomusing the code MODERNWISDOM at checkout. That's eightsleep.com/modernwisdom and Modern Wisdom at checkout. This episode is brought to you by Manscaped. If you're still using an old face shaver from three Christmases ago, please join us in the modern world. Manscaped brand new Chairman Pro brings a professional shave directly to your home. It comes with two interchangeable, skin safe blade heads, whether you want to go completely clean or leave some stubble. Plus, both heads are designed to help reduce razor burn and irritation, so your skin feels smooth and comfortable after every shave. Best of all, it can run for up to 75 minutes on a single charge, and it's waterproof, so you can use it in the shower, or if you've got a particularly hairy face. Right now, you can get 20% off and free shipping worldwide by going to the link in the description below or heading to manscaped.com/modernwisdom and using the code ModernWisdom20 at checkout. That's manscaped.com/modernwisdom and ModernWisdom20 at checkout. This episode is brought to you by AG1. Over the span of about a year, I tried pretty much every green string that I could find to try and work out which one was best. I came across AG1 and I've stuck with it for over three years now because it is the best. It's the most comprehensive, the most highly tested and the most rigorously formulated. They genuinely care about holistic health, which is why I've got my mum to take it and my dad to take it. Tons of my friends too. And if I found something better, I would switch, but I haven't, which is why I still use it. Best of all, there is a 90 day money back guarantee so you can buy it and try it for three full months every single day. If you don't like it, they'll give you your money back. Right now, AG1 is running a special Black Friday offer for all of November. When you start your first subscription, you'll be given a year's free supply of Vitamin D3 and K2, five free AG1 travel packs plus a free bonus gift. Just go to the link in the description below or head to www.drinkag1.com/modernwisdom. That's www.drinkag1.com/modernwisdom. But now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Visakan Veerasamy.
Why is being serious so important?

**Visakan Veerasamy** (3:59)
Why is being serious so important? Well, we have a limited life, we have limited resources, and we get to live it however we want. I just think it is really tragic if we don't make the most of it basically. And it's funny, it depends on who you talk to, because there are people who kind of get very hung up on the kind of thing I just said, and you can kind of go too far with it, and then you get really stiff and grimaced about, oh, I got to make as much money as possible, or I got to acquire as much status as possible. And in my mind, that actually isn't, so when I describe seriousness in my essay, that is slightly unserious. It's kind of a fixation on a particular model of trying to make some number go up.