Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

My farewell letter, written to my comrades through the years...

I hope the weekend was great – but more than a good weekend, I hope that you are doing meaningful work. The opposite of depression is purpose, and if you play your cards right then you can inject purpose into everything you do. But enough with the esoteric – let’s talk history.

The Monday Coalition (aka, my weekly email list) was started on November 17th, 2017 during what felt like the most intense period of my career. I thought I was alone in my struggle. It turns out there were over 100 people out there who didn’t mind getting a little encouragement. Life – and Monday – can be as hard as we make it. I’ve since learned that, as Lou Holtz puts it, “It’s not the load that breaks you, it’s the way you carry it.”?Sure, life’s not fair, but it seems to favor those who work hard with a smile on their face.

One other thing Lou Holtz said that seems alright:?

“I follow three rules: always do the right thing, always do the best you can, and always show people that you care.”

That’s a whole lot of “always.” But even sticking a “most of the time” where there used to be a “sometimes” can change your life. You gotta have some “no matter what’s” in your life. I recommend coming up with at least a few.?

Anyway, if you're reading this memo, there's a good chance you helped me get through what I thought were tough times.

Thank you!

Looking back, it doesn’t seem like it should've been as bad as it felt in the moment. Some parts of life are kind of like maxing out in the gym on leg day. It’s definitely something we’d rather skip, but it’s got to be done. Hopefully none of you have a max-out leg day coming up, but if you do then I know a guy with a spreadsheet of reasons to skip it. But that’s another story. The point is, don’t focus on the pain – focus on the gains!

At one point, I considered closing down the Monday Coalition... But it took a long time to build this community, and loss aversion is real! So, if you want to stay with (or join) the Monday Coalition, then drop me a line?and I’ll keep emailing these random questions and conclusions back to your personal email at 7:05AM every Monday morning.?

Sometimes good email is better than coffee.

I do want to share a couple of thoughts and practices that have influenced me for the better over the last couple of years. Maybe it’ll help you out as well. One thing that always helped my day was to write every morning at least 3 things for which I’m grateful. Another practice I started was that for every negative thought that I had about someone, I had to come up with 3 things I liked about that person. And finally, I grew a beard. I’m actually not sure if that helped anything, but there it is.

I’ve always thought that if you know what people are reading, then you can almost know what they’re thinking… The following books have had a surprisingly positive impact on me:

• How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
• The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying, by Bronnie Ware
• The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey
• The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman
• Living Life Backward, by David Gibson
• Sleep Smarter, by Shawn Stevenson
• Giftology, by John Ruhlin

There you have it. You now know all my secrets. Oh well – it was just a matter of time before everyone realized that “all my best thoughts came from someone else” (even that is a quote from… someone). There is nothing new under the sun, every now and then things just get packaged up a little differently.

Since we’re talking about quotes, I want to throw two more out there. I believe this one is from C.S. Lewis, but I’ve had a hard time pinning down the author for sure…?

“Life?is?so subtle sometimes that?you barely notice yourself walking through?the?doors you once prayed would open.”?

It’s hard to stay focused sometimes, but if you “put a stake on the horizon and just keep marching, one day you’ll get there.” A mentor of mine told me that several years ago, and it’s true. Days turn into months, and months turn into years. Years are going to pass, no matter what. You can let them slip through your fingers with nothing to show for it, or you can fix your eyes on some distant goal that may or may not come to fruition. Set lofty goals, and then fall in love with the process of achieving that goal because the accomplishment or even the fulfillment from accomplishment may or may not happen. If you love your process, however, then you can love the journey. And that’s all it is, anyway – one long, circuitous journey.

The second quote I like is a little different. This one is from?United States Army General, Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.:?“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”?Using the word “war” is a bit extreme for most of us; however, “everyone you know is fighting a battle you know nothing about?(Plato).” So be kind. But be prepared – not everyone is going to be kind back. Stick to your no-matter-what’s, and always do the right thing anyway.?

One last parting thought (I have more thoughts but I’ve already violated the one-page rule!) … I recently came across Steve Jobs’ commencement address to Stanford University in 2005… I’ve already plagiarized so much – what’s a little more? So, here you go…

“When I was young, there was an amazing publication called?The Whole Earth Catalog…. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.”

That pretty much sums it up for me – that is my wish for you guys, too. It’s probably not possible to?like?everyone the same, but I really mean it when I say that I love you guys. Do a good job and work hard, but quit taking yourself so seriously – so what if it’s Monday!

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Sincerely,

Etienne Nichols

July 15th, 2019