Week 32 of 2023 has arrived. Rolling down the mountain side like a beautiful, pillowy, unstoppable avalanche.

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

We have 20 weeks left in 2023. And we all know when we hit September, the clock will skip to double time. So, to help squeeze the few last drops...

We are launching the 66 Day Massive Action Society in September. The 66 Day M.A.S. is my attempt to help you squeeze a bit more juice out of life for a minute. It's a sprint to accomplish a big project, and/or a streak to help you change a habit. It is 66 days of a daily action, defined by you, to accomplish a goal, defined by you.

You are here for deep thoughts, and I don't want to sell you on it. Either you are interested or you aren't. I'm just really excited about it. So, I will leave it at that up here... If you want more info you can find it below!

There is a song that I heard recently (HERE) and one of the lyrics goes:

"I miss when I thought chasing dreams was
Holy magic behind curtains in a sacred place
'Fore it was managers and lawyers
Who colored up and cashed them out
For vacation homes in coastal states."

I heard that lyric when I was working in the yard. I already had the Sundays, (that's a topic for later!) and so it brought a few tears to my eye. To think of the hollowed out, cynical, husk of a boy who had a dream, full of magic and joy and wonder, soiled by joyless people working angles and gaining leverage.

I believe that chasing dreams IS holy magic in a sacred place.

I want to shake all of the joyless people working an angle, and tell them "WE NEED YOUR FULL CREATIVITY AND ENROLLMENT HERE!!!"

Please, this week, regardless of the cost/benefit calculation, bring your full self to whatever you are doing. It will help make the world a more interesting place for all of us.

Thanks for being here and reading. It is vital to "sharpen the saw" as a regular practice. I think of these emails as a way for me to sharpen my saw and help you sharpen yours.

The 4K Weeks Brightsider- A Multicolor Extravaganza!
The 4K Weeks Fade to Black- Momento Mori, Anyone?
The 4K Weeks Long View- A Different Horizon

Remarkable Weeks
Week #32 in the year 1926, Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim across the English Channel. She was 1032.43 weeks old. (19.80 yrs)

Week #32 in the year 1960, Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, has her first recording session for Columbia Records in NYC. Aretha's debut solo album, Right Now It's Aretha, would be released the following year. She was 957.71 weeks old. (18.36 yrs)

Week #32 in the year 1926, Harry Houdini, magician and escape artist, stays in a coffin under water for 1.5 hours before escaping. He was 2732.29 weeks old. (52.40 yrs)

Week #32 in the year 1996, George R.R. Martin's novel, A Game of Thrones is released. The book is the first in the epic series Song of Fire and Ice. He was 2498.14 weeks old. (47.90 yrs) Sidebar... I got to eat chili with him! I made a bust of Robert Heinlein for the MO State Capitol, and was invited to the Heinlein Society's Chili cook off! Proof.

This Week's Quote
Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you. -Frank Tyger

It can be said one million different ways, but it always comes back to you. What are you going to do?

Last week the quote was from Buddha: "What you are is what you have been. What you will be is what you do now."

All personal development comes down to you overcoming the urge to sit still. Or maybe better to say... you must overcome the urge to think "I can't" or "it won't matter" or "why bother" or "just one more fail video". There is nothing wrong with sitting still... it's sitting stagnant that should be avoided.

Humans are builders, we are doers, we are problem solvers, we are a curious animal.  If you aren't feeding that part of your humanity, you are probably pretty unhappy.

The way to get happy is to get busy doing, making, trying. If you aren't sure what that means, you need to drink widely for a while. And then when you find a flavor you like, drink deeply.

You have so much potential energy. But potential is worth nothing. I've known lots of people that proved this everyday I knew them.

What
Will
You
Do?


What I am Consuming This Week
Ben Rector: Instagram I don't know how I saw these, but man, I think they are really fun.
Apple Maps
Train Things
Dinosaurs
Chicken Thighs
Rodeo
Cautionary Tales, Tim Harford. "The Genesis of Havana Syndrome". Man... human brains... so much left to discover. It's almost like there are two... your private brain when you are alone, and your networked brain when in a crowd.

Why Success Always Starts with Failure, Tim Harford. I am listening to this on Audible right now... It made my 9 hour drive across Kansas and Colorado pass in a heartbeat. I love the idea of iteration... It kind of takes the pressure off getting it right the first time, which I have never been particularly adept at, and the stories are great too.

Countless historical markers, points of interest and signs along the trail, and Meow Wolf. I really love learning things about the world... historical, functional, fantastical and otherwise... I am anxious for the day when there is an everything app that will tell you, in long form narrative, the entire history of any place, just by pointing your phone at it. Srsly.

What I am Thinking About This Week
What is useful and what is necessary?

I know why architectural details have gotten simpler. I understand why lawn chairs are now all the same "barely enough plastic to hold a 200 lb man" design. I get it why every modern tool feels so much less substantial than the same tool from 50 years ago.

I wonder what we lose when we boil it down to just the broth. When all the unique, individual, custom made, human hand, "spiral flourishes because he's carving the block by hand anyway" are edited out in favor of a design that pulls cleanly from a two-part mold 50 times a minute.

Here, the best twitter account in the world, dives much deeper on this topic, if you are interested. The reason I am thinking about this it that...

The 66 Day Massive Action Society is going to be a bit weird... It isn't just a black and white streak tracker. We are going to go on a journey, across a fictional island that I created, and when you go on a journey it is hard to know exactly how or where it will go.

But, if you want to commit to a sprint, crushing a big project in 66 days, or if you want to have 66 days of accountability on a habit change for the better, it might be for you.

You don't need it - you can do anything on your own. But sometimes it is useful to have a structure, even an imperfect one, to sort the signal from the noise.

Here is what will be included:

1. A hand-numbered original piece of artwork that is also a streak tracker. One side is for tracking the unbroken chain of your 66 day streak, and the other side is a map of the territory we will be navigating. Includes a pen and a handmade wooden base for display.
2. A daily email flow, that begins on the day you order, to prepare you for the  marathon, and then one email each day to remind you, encourage you, and motivate you, to struggle on. Daily encouragement in the form of an email. Some short, some longer, all focused on supporting you on the path to success. Each day, you will complete your daily action, and then click the button in the daily email to tally your success.
3. A private Facebook accountability group to connect, share, and cheer each other on. My Mastermind group, and my other accountability groups have been more helpful than anything else in keeping me on track.

This will be a beta test of sorts, and I'm excited to get this project out into the world - and hopefully get to know some of you better in the process!

The initial run will be limited to 100-ish people and will be offered at a discount. I will ask that participants give me honest and in-depth feedback at the end of the journey. Folks on the waiting list will receive the invitation to join first. If are reading this via the blog post then please check the main site once the 66 Massive Action Society is live.

Have a great week!

Thanks for being a part of the journey with us! Please tell me if you liked/disliked the email this week. Ask my wife... those are the only emails I like to get!

Spencer, Owner of 4KWeeks.com
66 Day Massive Action Society

Spencer@4KWeeks.com

Dad Joke O' The Week
Who earns a living by driving customers away?

Taxi Drivers!