Week #47, 2024

Week 47 of 2024 has arrived.? It's windy around here these days. A tree fell in our backyard the other night, and smashed a section of brand new fence and because of it, one of our dogs got out.

Time to walk over to your 4K Weeks poster and fill in another square. ?Done?

That's a story full of woe. Three bummers in a row. Tree down, new fence smashed, dog loose.

Except... perspective... Trees fall.? One of the certainties in a beautiful yard full of trees, is that some will fall.? And... it only smashed one section of fence, right between the posts.? And... the only things broken were two 2x4 cross members and 2 pickets. And... our dog, Harry, came back before we even knew he was gone!? And... our friendly neighbor (Hi Emily!) texted us to tell us that Harry was out. And... Emily and her husband had all of the tree that fell into her yard cut up before I got home from work!

So, yeah... when I was sitting on the porch drinking coffee with my wife and I got the text that the fence was smashed and the dog was out, I was annoyed.? But things are rarely as bad (or as good) as they seem to be in the moment.?

Enjoy the email this week.??

P.S. When you are ready, the best way I can help you is likely in the 33 Day Foundation Accountability Group.? As we ramp up the community, the early members are going to get a lot of individual attention from me.

This Week's Quote

"I'm not gonna lose!, did you hear what I said!?" -Mike Tyson

As sensitive and open with my feeling as I am, I am still a man with testosterone running through my body and the spirit of the warrior who happens to wash the dishes.? I am Cincinnatus, a warrior, but content to return to his plow.

I try to be mostly counter cultural, because I think that much of the benefit of entertainment in our culture is less for me as a consumer and more for the producers, and I am no chump.

But I have been fascinated by the upcoming Tyson/Paul fight.? I don't love boxing, or any spectator sport for that matter (see above chump remark).? I have never watched a full boxing match and I not going to watch this one.?

I think it is the fact that I am a 47 year old who regularly battles on the court with 20-30 year olds.? They have no idea how easy it is for them... how quickly their legs move, how springy their muscles are, how fast their bruises heal.??

I think if Paul wins it will break a small bit of my heart. My Dad used to say "Old age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill."

But none of that matters... What matters is this quote, and the look on his face when he delivers it!??

Have that kind of conviction about your endeavors.? Brook no dissent.? Not even from your own stubborn, pragmatic mind. Of course there is a possibility that Tyson could lose, but not is his mind, which is the only place that matters.

This week in a text, my sister said "The mind controls the body."? Yes, and our job is to control the mind. I'm not gonna lose.

(We will see how this ages... I am writing on Thursday!) Sunday Morning: Ok, this didn't age well. ?So, for those of you disappointed in my foray into quoting problematic pop culture sports figures, here is another quote from another problematic figure:

"Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting." Napoleon Hill?

What I am?Thinking About This Week

What matters?

We all know that most of our individual contributions won't be remembered in 100 years.?

A few names of the rockstars of innovation might be remembered in 500 years.?

Almost nothing that any of us does "matters" in that way.

Faced with that harsh, almost suffocating truth . . .what does matter?

My kids are both in a run of A Christmas Carol this year. So, because of 4 hours of daily rehearsal, there has been a good amount of extra time for my wife and me.

We have been knocking out some to-do lists. We are calling it "The era of Doing".

We finally got a small couch for the front sitting area in our house. We decided on and I started making a coffee table, and a live-edge hackberry mantle for the fireplace. (I am a fantastic starter of projects... the stone fireplace has been waiting for a mantle for 2 years.) Etc., etc..

It is so trivial, and none of it matters. No one is going to carve "finished the mantle" on my gravestone. Except that we have had a few guests spontaneously sit down and have a conversation on the new couch, and each time I walk past the sitting area I think "that looks great!" and feel a small swell of pride.

The feeling of making progress has been transformative.? We are SO proud of ourselves for getting these things done that it is going to lead to us getting more things done.

And... it feels good!

I have said before that I think one of the best feelings for humans in the modern age is the feeling of making progress. (We're simple, don't rage against it.)

Here are your action items:

1. Think of two projects in your life.? One "big' and one "small" (I am leaving these terms undefined, but I am sure you know what "big and "small" mean for you).
2. Write down the next action for making progress on each of those projects.
3. Go do those next actions.
4. Don't allow yourself to get bogged down. If something starts to get hard, and becomes a slog, pivot to some other area where you can make progress and come back to the other when you have your energy back.

Until Next Week,

Spencer

P.S. I'm serious about the 33 Day Foundation. It works.

If you read this whole email, here is your "Finger of Death" reward.

Dad Joke O' The Week

How do you light up a sports stadium?

With a soccer match.