Manolis Kellis

So I was recently talking to students about this commencement address, and I was talking to them about sort of how they have all of these paths ahead of them right now.

And part of it is choosing the direction in which you go, and part of it is actually doing the walk to go in that direction.

And in doing the walk, what we talked about earlier about sort of you create your own environment, I basically told them, listen, you're ending high school.

Up until now, your parents have created all of your environment.

Now it's time to take that into your own hands and to sort of shape the environment that you want to be an adult in.

And you can do that by choosing your friends, by choosing your particular neuronal routines.

I basically think of your brain as a muscle where you can exercise specific neuronal pathways.

So very recently I realized that I was having so much trouble sleeping and I would wake up in the middle of the night, I would wake up at 4 a.m.

and I could just never go back to bed.

So I was basically constantly losing, losing, losing sleep.

I started a new routine where every morning as I bike in, instead of going to my office, I hit the gym.

I basically go rowing first.

I then do weights.

I then swim very often when I have time.

And what that has done is transformed my neuronal pathways.

So basically, like on Friday, I was trying to go to work and I was like, listen, I'm not gonna go exercise.

And I couldn't.

My bike just went straight to the gym.

I'm like, I don't wanna do it.

And I just went anyway, because I couldn't do otherwise.