The Hardest Part

As I alluded to last week, it has been a slow grind through significant personal changes this summer for us. After I had a second heart attack (NSTEMI, or Non-ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction) this past April, we knew that we needed to push towards making adjustments to many aspects of our lives. (Side note: I'll dig deeper into heart health and all that at some point, but not today.)

Change is hard; and scary — and without having a lot of the short-term items figured out, we decided to return to Seattle after three years in Portland. Having a lens on the long-term Life 2.0 goals in mind, we started to edge towards 'Life 1.5' in a location that we collectively were happier.

This piece from Tim Urban on change resonated with me:

It's tough to make a change (no one said it was easy), even more so if you find yourself in a partially comfortable situation. Humans accept things that they disagree with because it's easy. Many colleagues/peers/friends I've talked with complain about something and don't often really understand how much they control some situations. It's easy to accept things the way they are and that they will never get better if you are comfortable.

But - take the first step. It's hard, I know. Sometimes a push is needed, but you generally need to stop talking about it and make the change you need. What better time to start than today?

Once you take the first step, step two is more straightforward. Keep pushing forward. You got this.

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Forward Thinking

As a subscriber to The Daily Stoic, I was a bit surprised to learn that Ryan Holiday(author of 'The Obstacle is the Way') had opened a bookstore in Jan 2020 with his wife. The Painted Porch, located in Bastrop, TX, was envisioned as a place to 'host events, welcoming customers from the community, and drawing people to this beautiful street on the bluffs of the Colorado River.' They put their life savings into it.

And, right as it was about to open, the pandemic hit.

This story documents the journey and reinforces many of the practical philosophies that Ryan always writes about Stoic philosophy.

Sometimes 'life just is'. Important lessons.

Thought of the Week

Latest obsession

One of the newest obsessions I have is using magnets with the iPhone 12 Pro to stick it to things. I know; it's wierd.

But check out this Car Vent MagSafe mount from Moment. It's awesome to walk into the car, and just magnet it for CarPlay.

Highly recommended.

This weeks "Deep Links"

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

• I found this post on "Self-love" from famed Internet comic The Oatmeal to be one of the essential reads of this summer. 'I love me' is something that most people grapple with, and it's damn important - More
• "Your Path Is Discovered, Not Planned" along with the context of this week's theme, a glorious look at how to map out path's in life, and the unexpected roads not traveled - More
• Not sure I agree with what "Why Managers Fear a Remote-Work Future" is asserting, but I'm seeing more and more companies grappling with how to move forward. The 'our culture is our office' argument doesn't cut it for the future of technology workers (and frankly, actions should define culture) - More
• "How Matte Painting Expanded the Star Wars Universe" is an 'exploration of the art you almost never notice' in a galaxy far, far, away - More
• "Big bird on water is mystery, but town calls it just ducky" explores just that - how a giant rubber ducky magically appeared in a Maine harbor with the word 'Joy' emblazoned on the side is more of what we need in 2021 - More
• Ted Green has been collecting the sounds and sights of transit systems for more than a decade; "The Hidden Melodies of Subways Around the World" beautifully explores this art - More
• "The Sizzle and Steak Edition" looks at the more profound science on how restaurants work and the psychology used to get customers to buy more expensive menu items - More
• A billion-dollar jewel heist and struggle to catch a band of thieves reads like the plot to a film, though "The Dresden Job" is as real as it gets - More
• This one hit home for me: "Tim O'Donnell Reveals He Suffered Heart Attack During Challenge Miami." As someone who had a very similar occurrence (my LAD was blocked 90%), it's important to remember to get yourself screened regularly for blockages. Tim (as well as myself) were very, very, very lucky - More
• Steven Sinofsky continues his ** excellent** series on the arc of the PC and Microsoft with one the most controversial, and now loved, assistants in "Clippy, The F*cking Clown" - More
• "I Have Finally Solved the 2-Year-Old Mystery About Who Stole My Office Chair" is a fun, true-crime story for the modern office - More
• I highly recommend the book Atomic Habits; "Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead." is a beautiful excerpt from it - More
• The topic of D.B. Cooper (not, it wasn't Loki) has always fascinated me, and the search for answers will continue for far into the future. "Crime historian conducts dig for evidence in skyjacker D.B. Cooper case" - More

Fin

For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going.