Forty Three Percent

I know that posting has been more off the regular cadence as of late, and I apologize to many who have told me I'm disrupting their weekend coffee/reading routine. :) But fair warning, with upcoming travel and heading to Do Wales in a few weeks, it may get a bit worse before I settle into a regular rhythm again in the summer. On that - if curious about the beautiful work from Do Book Co and the talks that 'changed us', they're also registering interest for 2024.

Let's dive right in - a few things have had me stop, reflect, step back, and force me to reset some thinking and try to rest.

• A colleague was in a very severe accident.
• The next day, a long-time friend had his significant other pass away unexpectedly.
• I haven't been feeling fantastic or sleeping well lately, and my heart-related PTSD is kicking in.
• We're working on annual budgets.

It's all been weighing heavy on my brain, so I've been distracted and, with no shame, I'll admit, sad. To get out of the funk that I found myself in, I've been taking more walks, talking to my wife and personal board about these things, trying to reset myself, and just focusing more on being present.

So, with a fair warning, I'm going to go into an area where I find it makes some uncomfortable.

I'm kind of obsessed with Tim Urban's writing as of late with his new book out, and I had recently re-read two of my favorite, mind-altering posts from him:  The End Tail and Your Life in Weeks.

In his posts, Tim talks about viewing this remaining time as weeks, and, more importantly, asks, "are you making the most of your weeks?".

By doing some simple math, I guesstimated that I probably have somewhere around 43% of my time left on the planet. Given the average age of a human today is 90, dividing that by my current age (52), I can approximate that I'm 57% done. Yes, it's unlikely that this is an accurate prediction of my actual time left, but it's a good lens that I'm likely past the halfway point to whatever's next.

43% left.

I was surprised to see people's reactions when I started to have conversations on this idea, and the consensus was that calculating my own 'life span clock' was an incredibly morbid way of thinking.

But I don't see it this way.

I am looking at it in the opposite light; a way to help myself think about making the most of every moment I have and having a deeper appreciation for life. Stoics refer to this as Memento mori, a Latin phrase meaning 'remember you must die,' and use it as a mechanism to create priority and meaning daily.

Where I'm landing is that using the morbid framework is not only helping me navigate through these times but also allowing me to forge a path towards a more meaningful life 2.0. It's a valuable tool to shift perspective.

The next time you're over-wrapped in some silly thing that happens throughout the day, or when you are in the 20th hour of that Zoom call, think to yourself, you are spending part of that 43% currency on that. That time is now gone. Never to be reclaimed.

Here are a few things to think about:

• How much time and energy should you be worrying about that thing you really don't have any control over?
• If you view time as currency, how are you spending it? Is it sunk cost?
• Don't spend time with regret over the things that you haven't yet done - that time is gone, forever. Spend your time currency on today. Remember: 'The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.'
• If it matters, take the time to soak and enjoy it. Slow down. Life doesnt need to be rushed.
• Protect your time. You can't make more of it, don't let others waste your 43%.

Anyhoo, this is what's been on my mind for the last few weeks. I hope this note provided some value and finds you well. Most importantly, I hope you are making the most of every day.

If you enjoy these posts, you can buy me a coffee ☕️, check out my store or just share my work. If you'd rather just keep up with my daily ramblings, follow me via your favorite RSS reader, via Mastodon or keep reading my posts on this blog. Your support is much appreciated!

Mind Benders

A friend told me last week that she had been married by someone who had be ordained as a priest from The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

While becoming a Pastafarian (whose deity is a pile of spaghetti, two meatballs, and eyes) seemed interesting as they do believe that "pirates are absolute divine beings and the original Pastafarians," I ultimately went down a bit of a rabbit hole with regards to the whole idea of getting ordained online and the state-by-state rules.

This trip lead me to Dudeism. Read more about it in "The Big Lebowski at 25: How embracing ''Dudeism' can lead to a happier life" or just watch this ABC News report.

So, you can now refer to me as "The Honorable Mako" if you please; and I can now legally marry you in the state of Washington, Oregon, etc.  Inquires welcome.

And remember, The Dude Abides.

Quotables

Found online:

Brain Dump

Here are a few articles and videos that resonated with me over the last week:

• I loved this post. I had never really read too much on Nietzsche's 'Eternal Recurrence' before this article, but I certainly agree with the sentiment of the author. 'Whenever you experience painful times, would you look on them better, knowing that they all lead to a point that made you happy.' Amor Fati, friends. — [via It All Led Here]
• A simple yet powerful post on why you should talk to people. — [via Talk to people.]
• For those in tech, we've all been there - letting a domain expire. And this one is a doozy - nothing good can happen when a state puts a URL on their license plates, and never bothers to renew it. Yup, 800k Maryland drivers now have license plates with a URL that points to... online gambling in the Philippines. — [via After 211 Years, the State of Maryland Just Made a Very Big Mistake]
• Certainly not surprising in any way, but more details are emerging on how 'intelligence and spy agencies purchase vast amounts of commercially available information on Americans, including data from connected vehicles, web browsing data, and smartphones.' Privacy is an illusion. — [via US intelligence confirms it buys Americans personal data]
• Oh, I loved this one - 'honor the books by breaking them' rather than 'preserving them in a museum.' — [via Your reading should be messy]
• Given that I have approximately 500 conversations a week on AI, this take on Chatbots was interesting. As I talk to people about what "ChatGPT" really is (spoiler - not magic), I find it important to understand that 'everything you put in a prompt is a piece of context.' — [via Why Chatbots Are Not the Future]
• I've been an avid mood tracker for a long time, and it will get easier later this year with iOS 17. But I had never heard of 'anhedonia' before this post, and why if you're trending to feeling 'meh' frequently, you may be suffering from it. 'It can also be a symptom of simply living in a world where constant dopamine hits - by way of endless choice and instant gratification - skew our brain's reward system and stop bringing us pleasure as a result' — [via Constantly Feeling 'Meh'? Therapist Warns It Could Be Due To This Condition]
• Not a new topic here, but little things add up to big things over time. — [via Small Ideas, Because It's Worth It]
• Thought this was a fun one - ever curious about how to take a 13,909-mile road trip through 26 states and six Canadian provinces, timed so you'll always have 70-degree weather? Here's how to take the trip with the best odds for the best weather. — [via How to take a year-long road trip with reliable 70-degree weather]
• Another one on why keeping around ideas is important for your future self; and that 'Even the bad ideas still led to deeper thinking. Let the bad ideas come. Jot them down. Give them consideration.' — [via Most of Your Ideas Are Bad Ideas.]
• How often do you look up at the dinner table, and everyone is distracted by their phone? (Side note: watch for it in business meetings too). It's somewhat unbelievable where technology has brought us and the challenges that arise with the boundaries of phones and kids. Now new studies show the toll on teen mental health, so it was interesting reading about how some schools are pushing back. — [via The Schools That Ban Smartphones]

This Weeks Vibe

I need to find these ....

Be well. ✌🏻