#40 The 23 ideas that truly shape how we live
On Health, Wealth, Faith, Relationships and Education
👋 Hey! We’re Alex & Marc, two longtime friends and curious minds.
Welcome to 3x, a publication about living a meaningful life. We explore ideas that help us live wiser, freer and more intentional lives.
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Over the years, we’ve taken a lot of notes — from books, podcasts, conversations, late-night realizations, and lessons we learned the hard way.
Those who know us know we are endlessly curious.
What follows is a personal distillation: 23 ideas that truly shape how we live — across what we believe are life’s most important areas.
They come from mentors, friends, thinkers, and experience. And we share the original resource where we got them from (check the links) - podcasts, articles, books, youtube videos or Ted Talks.
We don’t claim to have it all figured out, but these are the ideas we come back to, again and again.
We hope at least one of them stays with you.
Health
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Michael Pollan
→ In a world obsessed with nutrients and hacks, the real wisdom is restraint, tradition, and what grows from the ground.
“The best medicine is not getting sick in the first place.” Peter Attia
→ Don’t wait to treat disease; avoid the Four Horsemen through Zone 2 cardio and strength training“Sleep is the superpower.” Matt Sinclair
→ It resets your hormones, repairs your cells, clears your brain, and adds years to your life“Stress isn’t in your head — it’s in your body.” Andrew Huberman
→ Most of us live in survival mode. Breathwork, sunlight, and movement help reset the nervous system and bring calm.
Wealth
“Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep.” Naval Ravikant
→ You will not get rich by renting your time
“Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world.” Warren Buffett
→ Invest passively and consistently in low-cost index funds
“Be extremely cautious and extremely bold.” Nassim Taleb
→ Anchor 80% in low-risk assets; use 20% for bold bets. Protect the downside, expose the upside.“Savings buy freedom.” Mr. Money Mustache
→ Save 25× your yearly spending and you can retire.
Faith
“God is love” 1 John 4:16 (Christianity)
→ The purpose of life is simple: love
“Free will is an illusion” Sam Harris
→ God might not exist, but live as if something greater does. God symbolizes the deepest human truth: you are not in control (God is)
“Memento Mori: Remember you will die.” Marcus Aurelius (Stoicism idea in general)
→ Death clarifies what truly matters
“Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.” Dōgen (Zen Buddhism)
→ Faith isn’t belief — it’s radical presence and connection.
Work & Impact
“Start with why.” Simon Sinek
→ Finding your purpose (your why), leads to a flywheel of meaning and strategic direction“To be a leader is to serve.” Robert Greenleaf
→ Your job as a leader is to inspire trust, set a clear vision, and help others grow
“Build a stack of rare and useful skills.” Scott Adams
→ Stack a few good skills and you become uniquely valuable. Uniqueness beats perfection.
“Growth is the engine of progress.” Patrick Collison
→ Economic growth is the very foundation of social progress
Relationships
“Love is something you do, not something you feel.” Shasta Nelson
→ Real love shows up in actions, not just emotions.
“You only get a few more times.” Tim Urban, Wait But Why
→ Once you're an adult, you’ve already used up most of your in-person time with your parents, siblings, and closest friends — so make what’s left count.“Value people for who they are — not what they do or what they own.” Alain the Botton
→ Worth isn’t earned — it’s recognized.
Learning & parenting
“School is not enough.” Simon Sarris
→ The purpose of education is to develop agency in a child — and that can’t be outsourced“The most important skill of all: Learning how to learn” Barbara Oakley
→ You can learn to learn
Bonus: 5 timeless talks that changed our lives
These talks don’t just share one idea — they offer many, and each has deeply shaped the way we think and live.
1. Naval Ravikant on Wealth, Happiness, and Leverage
Naval breaks down how to build wealth without luck, why happiness is a skill, and how to use leverage to scale your impact.
2. Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture”
📺 YouTube
A dying professor delivers a talk on childhood dreams, resilience, and what really matters. It’s not about dying — it’s about living.
3. Clay Christensen – How Will You Measure Your Life?
📺 TEDxBoston
→ A powerful reflection on success, integrity, and meaning — reminding us that the most important decisions in life are not about strategy, but values.
4. Peter Attia – The 3 Levers of a Longer Life
🎧 The Tim Ferriss Show
→ Attia breaks down how to extend healthspan by focusing on three levers: nutrition, exercise (especially Zone 2 and strength), and emotional health — all rooted in prevention, not reaction.
5. Andrew Huberman & Andy Galpin – The Science of Physical Performance
📺 YouTube
→ A practical deep dive into training, recovery, and performance — covering strength, hypertrophy, endurance, and how to design workouts that actually work long-term.
Closing: Curiosity, Agency & Balance
These aren’t just values — they’re the foundation of 3X.
And they’re behind every idea in this article.
Curiosity is what drives us to ask better questions, to dig beneath the surface, to gather ideas from Pollan, Attia, Naval, Harris, and more.
Agency is what gives us the courage to live differently — to not just consume ideas, but act on them.
Balance is the goal. Not perfection, not optimization — just a life where health, wealth, faith, work, and love actually coexist.
That’s the heart of 3X. And it’s what this article is really about.
Now I’m curious about you:
👉 What’s one idea that shapes how you live?
Drop it in the comments — I’d love to learn from you.
P.S. Big thanks to the original masterminds — not just for helping shape these values in us, but for generously sharing many of the ideas in this post.
Grateful to Miki, Toni G, Toni A, Toni B (yes, a lot of Tonis 😄), and Aniol!
Thanks for reading 3x!
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Great compilation! Geat post!