Archives for January 2022

“Advice isn’t one person telling another person what to do, it’s a conversation; a partnership. You’re both just human beings collaborating on the project of being a person.” – John Paul Brammer in Life Kit.

Learning how to be a human, and hopefully a good one, really is the meta project we’re all working on.

It’s the project that our families, careers, friendships, and hobbies all feed into.

And it’s really nice to see it as a collaboration we work on with others, rather than a journey we go on alone.

Rafael Nadal just won his 21st Gland Slam at the Australian Open.

In a stunning 5-hour epic, he bet Daniil Medvedev in the final, and is now 1 Grand Slam ahead of both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

However, following the match, my newsfeeds started to fill up with a lot of “GOAT talk”, and it just doesn’t feel right.

There’s a reason why we don’t speculate about the ending of a movie when we’re in the middle of the action. The story is still unfolding. There are twists and turns that are yet to come.

It’s only with time, distance, and results, that any Greatest of All Time debate can be had.

It’s a treat to watch Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic battle for the honour of being the greatest male tennis player—but the rest of the story still needs to be written.

Exercising. Working out. Training.

There’s as much difference in those words as there is in the following:

Peckish. Hungry. Starving.

So when I tell myself I’m training, I turn up with a different attitude.

The nuance, the words, they matter.

Some days you’ll have 80% to give. Others, you’ll have 120%.

It’s not wrong to have less energy on some days, and an abundance on others.

There’s little value in overpromising, overextending, and overexerting.

On the other hand, there’s a tonne of value in 1) knowing what you have to give, and 2) giving that.

“Fortunate is one who can understand the causes of things.” – Virgil

What would happen if we accepted fewer reasons at face value, and asked “Why?” more often?

And imagine the possibilities if we made this a habit.

There’s something about writing down a goal, and then sharing it with the world.

Public commitment leads to public accountability, which (hopefully) leads to greater follow through.

A few of my friends are committing to run a half marathon, and I’m joining them. My goal is to complete one before the middle of the year.

I have friends who eat half marathons for breakfast, but this is going to be a challenge for me. Running hasn’t been a part of my exercise regime for a long time, but I’m looking forward to getting better at it. That being said, I’m first aiming for good preparation and race completion; my time isn’t important right now.

And now that I’ve made this goal public, I’m much more likely to achieve it.

Light streamed in through the cabin window.

It felt brighter than normal.

I clamoured over to the window and saw a stunning set of mountain ranges.

The brightness was explained by the cloudless sky and the reflection of the sun off the snow.

I’d lost track of how long I’d been asleep, but I knew were somewhere between Kuala Lumpur and Dubai.

I raced back to my seat to look at the map and figure out where we were.

We were flying over Iraq’s north east, so I figured the mountains outside the window were likely in Iran—I had no idea such stunning mountain ranges existed there.

I’m a devout aisle sitter, but it’s views like this make me reconsider.

I had an incredible month back home in New Zealand.

I camped, fished, swam, hiked, road tripped, surfed, BBQ’d, got boosted, and got lasered!

As I sit back here in the UK and reflect on the trip, I’m reminded that the activities rarely matter, and that it’s always the people that make the moments memorable.

I’m really enjoying reading ‘The Reign of Wolf 21’ by Rick McIntyre.

Rick has observed and documented wild wolves for more than 40 years; 25 of those in the famous Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

In an astounding display of consistency, Rick watched wolves for 6,175 consecutive days. Starting in June 2000, the streak only ended in mid-2017.

I’m reading just as much for Rick’s story of commitment and consistency as I am for the wolves.

The book centres around Wolf 21; likely the most impressive wolf ever observed.

Wolf 21 never lost a fight, and he never killed a surrendering rival. He was also willing to play with his pups, feigning weakness and pretending to not be the alpha. His cooperative relationship with Wolf 42 lead to their pack, called the Druid Pack, being one of the largest and most dominant packs of wolves in recorded history.

There’s a lot one can learn from both Rick and Wolf 21; and the book is also a really fun read.

It’s done, folks! I’m seeing 20/20 without glasses!

It was clear the place I went, Re:Vision in Auckland, had meticulously designed every minute of the LASIK experience.

The pre-operation check to ensure I was comfortable with the procedure. The briefing on post-operative care. The metronomic voice of the surgeon—guiding my head positioning, informing me where we were in the procedure, and reminding me that everything was going to plan. The nurse holding my hand throughout the surgery, which was surprisingly comforting. The post-operative rest and recovery process.

It inspired confidence. I had zero doubts that my eyes and health were in great hands.

The details matter. And when you see a great example of a team of people sweating the right details; there’s a lot we can learn from those experiences.

I’m having LASIK surgery today.

I’m a little nervous, but mostly excited! Despite it being an established procedure, I’m still astounded that laser beams can return my vision to 20/20. Feels pretty Sci-Fi.

Following the surgery, I’ll need to keep my eyes closed for 12 hours. I’ve got Ender’s Game queued up on Audible to pass the time, and here’s hoping the recovery will all run smoothly.

See you on the other side!

I went to the doctor for a standard health check up this week, and they offered me an optional blood test to assess my health across a few key indicators.

Curious, because I hadn’t been offered these tests in the past, I asked the doctor why they were offering them now.

He shared how the medical community—and broader society—are shifting from more reactive models of healthcare to proactive ones.

Typically, doctors recommend diagnostic tests when a patient reports concerning symptoms (i.e., any action was typically a reaction).

However, now there are communities of people that religiously track a range of indicators such as their basic metabolic panel, lipid profile, and thyroid panel.

They make changes to their diet, exercise, and sleep regimes. They’ll couple that with supplements, mediation, and tactics to reduce workplace stress. They then test every 3 months with the hope of seeing positive movements in their key numbers.

Companies like Thriva offer this as a subscription service, but with the cost coming in at around £100 per quarter to measure a good set of biomarkers, it always felt a bit expensive for me.

I do wonder if the shift toward proactive health monitoring will actually become mainstream—as in the majority people participate. Or whether it will retain its niche like status because it either remains too expensive, or people simply aren’t that interested to know and make lifestyle changes.

I went with my sister and 3 year old nephew to the zoo today.

I was astounded by the continued influence and ubiquity of The Lion King.

Children at the Lion enclosure shouted ‘Nala’. Kids were pointing at Rafiki near the baboons. And my nephew immediately identified Timon; the lone meerkat standing atop a rock.

It’s amazing how a film from almost 30 years ago can still be so wildly popular, and continue to play a special role in connecting children with animals.

Based on the Lindy Effect, I expect The Lion King will continue to be just as influential for at least the next 30 years.

Perhaps my nephew will one day make this very same observation with his own children or nieces and nephews.

A great piece of writing advice is to write like how you speak.

One term for this is called using the “human-voice”.

Rather than stuffy corporate speak, the human-voice is open, relaxed, and confident.

A good test is to read your writing out loud. If it feels or sounds like it’s something a human wouldn’t say, it probably needs a re-write.

It can always be simpler, shorter, and infused with more of your personality.

It’s easy to confuse the two.

Consistency is turning up every day and performing to a high level.

Clutch is delivering at a critical moment.

We often remember the clutch moments.

But seasons, records, careers, and relationships are built on consistency.