Happy Sunday!
It’s around noon on New Year’s Day when we hear the unmistakable “click-click” of a dead car battery.
Sarah turns the key in the ignition again while I hold my breath in the passenger’s seat. Click-click.
“Guess we’re not going to the mountains today,” I said, shrugging off my seatbelt.
I knew it was me who left the interior light on, rummaging for my misplaced sunglasses the night before. (Looking for sunglasses at night!? Yeah, well, at least I found them).
I also knew I didn’t have any way to charge the battery.
I had vowed to buy a quick-charge battery booster when dead-batteries-in-January started becoming a tradition. I didn’t. I waited too long, and now I’m left powerless yet again, feeling like a fool.
I decide the day is lost. Because that’s what I decided every other time. Also, it’s a holiday, nothing is open, and it’ll be hours for a tow truck to arrive.
But this isn’t every other time, and not everything I tell myself is true.
Sarah asked, “Why don’t we call and see what happens?”
Thirty-four minutes later, the tow truck arrived. Instead of pulling out jumper cables, the driver walks over, holding what looks like a small briefcase.
But it’s not a briefcase — it’s a quick-charge battery booster.
Looks like this lesson in patience and staying present comes with a visual aid. It works like magic. The booster does, too.
By 2pm, we’re at the edge of the mountains, ready for a quick-charge boost of our own.
(I’ve since purchased a quick-charge battery booster for myself. I’ll probably never use it, but I’m happy to have it.)
January Notables
🌄 Bragg Creek birthday — After our battery delay, Sarah and I made it to the edge of the Rockies. We stopped at Bragg Creek to spend some time recharging in nature. It had been too long. Crunching through the snow next to the icy cold water warmed my wallowing, winter heart.
🥶 Freezing from home — Without a doubt, working from home is a luxury. But it’s less luxurious when your home is 14 degrees for a week. And even less so when your hot water isn’t working for over 24 hours. I appreciate the freedom, but damn, I’ll never get used to the feeling of -40.
🍽️ Meals make memories — It’s amazing how rich a fancy meal can make you feel. Even better when it’s only a short walk down the block. Sitting in a scene filled with laughter and chatter reminds you what matters. We’re in it together, today and forever.
Three Lessons Learned in January
I. Most things aren’t as difficult as we make them.
I’ve been thinking a lot about storytelling.
Every good story has an arc. You crash, or you prevail before returning somewhere back near the middle. But there needs to be tension.
I think this is what’s at play in procrastination.
We need tension to keep the arc curved.
So, we focus on fanciful stories to keep things dramatic. We weave narratives of blaming and complaining, of antagonists and roadblocks.
Whatever works to force some tension.
Once we have it, we can get on with what needs to be done.
II. We are material beings living in a hybrid reality.
Over the past year, my life has become much more digitized.
I interact with people electronically at like a 4-1 ratio vs “real life”. Sometimes, it feels like I’ve adopted a new layer of social skills.
But the intrinsic desire to connect and be noticed holds strong.
I can’t deny needing to feel validated into existence. Belief is a communal process. And self-belief is a bit of a paradox.
I struggle to try before I believe, and I won’t believe until I try. The only thing to do is the damn thing until people start to notice. Digital or analog, one truth remains:
The more people I offer value to, the more value I’ll believe I have to offer.
III. Information is only as valuable as our ability to use it.
I’ve never been much of a collector. At least not of physical things.
However, my 901 Apple notes suggest I struggle to let go of ideas. It got me thinking:
How will I ever use or leverage all those ideas?
The simple answer is: I won’t.
The vast majority of those notes will never be used again. Yet, every one of those 900 nuggets helped me arrive here, writing these words.
New information is only helpful if you know how to leverage it. And you’ll only learn how to use it if you practice it over time.
If you’re going to be a collector, at least collect things you care about.
3 Interesting Resources
- Mr. Beast’s Tank Vs $500,000 (YouTube)
- Anthology of Balaji (Free book)
- Just Watch (Website)
I’ll leave you with a quote 🤔
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.”
— Anatole France
Until next time, remember to live and let go,
Scotty
If you enjoyed the newsletter, send it to someone else who will too.