Connor Macip

I spent 5 days in the Ozark mountains with no phone. Here are 29 things I learned: 1. Modern technology has us in a constant state of overstimulation. 2. Nature is one of God’s greatest antidepressants. 3. The less time you spend consuming social media and the news, the less susceptible you are to lies, fear mongering and deception. 4. When you’re in the middle of nowhere, the best form of entertainment is exercise. 5. If you want to better connect with the people you’re with, put down your phone. 6. The more active you are, the better you sleep. 7. To better solve problems, remove distractions. 8. Downtime provides you an opportunity to grow closer to God. 9. Packed calendars create anticipation and kill creativity. 10. Peak mental clarity cannot be achieved with constant stimulation from screens. 11. Humans are batteries and our charger is alone time with God. 12. The modern lifestyle of living fast is a recipe for stress. 13. The more time you spend outside, the better you feel. 14. When you remove conveniences like electricity and running water, your gratitude skyrockets. 15. If you want a calmer mind, you need to place yourself in a calmer environment. 16. Being self-sufficient breeds confidence. 17. To better hear the voice of God, make all other inputs as quiet as possible. 18. Exploration is one of the best sources of creativity. 19. Presence and anticipation cannot coexist. 20. Detachment provides new perspectives; time away from my business exposed the problems with my business. 21. If you want better sleep, align your sleep schedule with the sun. 22. Whatever you become anxious about back home reveals your true values. 23. We’re often more scared of breaking the “rules” than we are of doing what it is we want to do. 24. Walking alone in the dark is scarier than walking with others; find community. 25. Focus and distractions cannot coexist. 26. Read the bible, pray and journal at the beginning of the day so you can fight off the enemy's attacks throughout the rest of the day. 27. Conquering challenges gives you proof that you are capable of great feats. 28. A fire only continues to burn if you keep feeding it; never stop working on you. 29. Life is better when you regularly consume coffee and home-made cookies.