Hey peps
Starting again is hard.
Learning news skills and having new experiences takes time - somewhere between 20 to 50 hours (rather than 10,000 hours to become an expert).
One thing I’ve realised is that I don’t often spend enough time learning something new, because I want to learn so many different things!
This made me realise that I need to keep things simple a focus on a chosen few skills or topics to learn. For the next 2 months, I’m all about starting and growing an online business via YouTube.
The learning begins in earnest next week!
Business
“One additional person in the business can increase productivity massively” - Ben Francis, CEO of Gymshark.
I watched Ben’s interview on The High Performance Podcast’s YouTube channel this week and that one quote was a simple reminder of the importance of building a team as you build your business - whether physical (staff) or virtual (virtual assistants).
The big mistake I’ve made in previous businesses is that I tried to do everything myself and thought about team last, rather than team first.
My reasons were always financial - especially as a start up - but the reality is that as soon as I did hire staff or virtual assistants my productivity increased massively because I could working on the business rather than in the business. The performance of the business improved because of an extra pair of hands taking on some operational/admin/marketing etc responsibility.
Would the your productivity, the productivity of your business or your team increase massively if you added one more person to the business?
Fitness
I started MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) training at the start of the year and there is SOOOO MUCH to learn!
I’ve been practicing Krav Maga for the last 5 years, which is a self defence system, so I’m used to disengaging conflict as quickly and effectively as possible.
MMA + BJJ are combat sports so I have to learn a completely new language and re-wire some of the natural instincts that I’ve built up over the last few years.
One of the best bits of advice I was given by a mate of mind before I started was to focus on your breathing.
Now, whether I’m getting twisted like a pretzel or receiving some ground + pound, I focus on my breathing and staying calm and present in the moment so that I can decide what to do next rather panicking and putting myself in a worse position (can’t think of much worse than ground + pound).
Life
Last weekend was the second time in 2022 that I’ve had a drink (does 1st January count?).
I went 62 days straight without a drop and I have to admit, I’ve been feeling pretty good. The aim was to get to 1st June but we had a mini celebration this weekend and I indulged in a glass of prosecco and a beer - crazy.
Now I’m 5 days into a new ‘no source streak’ and my goal is still 1st June before the next drink.
Why am I telling you this? Other than a humble brag, it’s an example of self discipline and getting straight back on track with your goals when you’ve been knocked off course.
Perhaps you’ve let some of your new year’s resolutions drift. Now is as good a time as any to get them back on track. You can do it if you really want to.
Favourites of the Week
Book: Courage is Calling - Fortune Favours the Brave by Ryan Holiday. Ryan Holiday is one of my favourite authors, I’ve read all of his books and it was The Obstacle is the Way that got me into reading, learning and practicing Stoicism. As the book title suggests, Courage is Calling is all about, fear, courage and heroism.
Courage is the one virtue I’m actively developing this year and this book is a great guide to doing so. It’s also the first installation of a 4 part series on the Stoic virtues of Wisdom, Justice, Courage and Temperance.
Make sure you check out The Daily Stoic podcast if this sort of thing is your cup of tea.
Quote: “The world is asking you about your courage. Every minute of every day...Do you have what it takes?” - Ryan Holiday, Courage is Calling, Fortune Favours the Brave.
Tech: I was introduced to Less after listening to a podcast episode over the summer last year. I’m sure I’m not the only one who overindulged in beers during lockdown so when this app was suggested to encourage less alcohol and more drink free days, I thought I’d give it a try and the app helped me to stay drink free for 62 days this year.
You can set daily limits, log your intake and keep tabs on key stats like average number of drinks per week and amount spent on booze per year. It’s also got a bunch of useful tips to help you drink more mindfully. Ohh, and it’s completely FREE!
😳 Whoa: This optical illusion is super trippy. Just stare at the center of this page for 30 seconds and then…