Week 12, 2024
Week 12 of 2024 has arrived. The tickle of spring has arrived... in the corners of my eyes and deep in my nostrils.
What is it about tree pollen that makes my body say "INVADER!!! We must kill the pollen and irritate the human!"
Either way, I am glad for spring... No wonder humans have myriad rebirth stories. It is magical to watch the world come alive again.
Time to walk over to your 4K Weeks poster and fill in another square. Done?
| I want something from you. I want you to record a quick (10-30 seconds) video of you and your poster (selfie style), mentioning how it has changed you. I don't have much creative direction other than that. I will be using these videos to change more people's lives with a 4K Weeks Poster. If you email me a video (spencer@4kweeks.com), I will say thank you with either a $75 gift card, OR signing you up for The 66 day Massive Action Society. Your choice. |
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Thanks for being here and reading! These blogs help me "Sharpen The Saw" and hopefully help you to sharpen yours!
Remarkable Weeks
Week 12 of 1941, James Stewart enlisted into the Army, marking him as the first major American movie star to don a military uniform during World War II. He was 1,713.43 weeks old. (32.86 yrs)
Week 12 of 1969, Abebe Bikala, Ethiopian double Olympic marathon gold medalist, suffered paralysis in an automobile accident. He regained upper-body mobility but never walked again. Despite this life-altering event, Abebe participated in competitions for disabled athletes like archery and table tennis. He was 1,910.86 weeks old. (36.64 yrs)
Week 12 of 1936, Joseph Hamilton, administers a sodium radioisotope via intravenous injection to a leukemia patient, marking the first instance of such a procedure on a human. He was 1,480.00 weeks old (28.38 yrs).
This Week's Quote
All our talents increase in the using, and the every faculty, both good and bad, strengthen by exercise. -Anne Bronte
Oh, so true.
When I was in my mid twenties, one of my best friends and I were working, cleaning up leaves in the winter for a lawn company owned by one of our other best friends. It is HARD, dusty work. The winter is dry, but the leaves are heavy and wet, and if the sun is shining, you are working all day, dragging heavy tarps of leaves from backyards to curbs.
One day, sitting in the truck, leaving one house to go to the next, my friend lamented that the hard work was breaking him down a bit, and I said, "Yeah, but don't you think your body will just get used to it after a while?" And he said, "Maybe you will, you are working stock." (Which was hilarious... what does he think he is? Noble stock?!?)
He was wrong. We are all working stock. Your every faculty strengthens by exercise, just like an ox pulling a cart.
But also... if it is "hardship" or "exercise" largely depends on your perspective! Repeatedly, research has shown that how you perceive stress determines how detrimental or beneficial it is. If it sucks, it's working, as long as you are enjoying yourself.
If you think of an activity as exercise, it is likely that stress will be beneficial. If you think of an activity as hardship, it is likely that it will be detrimental.
So, I suppose he was right. Since he thought the work was beating him down, he was right. And since I thought it was making me stronger, I was right.
What I am Consuming This Week
Philosophize This!
- "#196 The improbable Slavoj Zizek Pt. 1"
- "#197 The Improbably Slavoj Zizek Pt. 2"
- "#192 Anarchism Pt. 1" My good friend John G. sent me this podcast, and I LOVE IT. It is thicker than a lot of the pods that I recommend, but If you are interested in thinking about thinking, and learning how other really smart people are thinking about thinking, then this is for you.
The Tim Ferriss Show, "#725 Barbara Corcoran". A great interview with this Shark Tank lady about how she defied the odds to create a real estate empire. She was serious about the marriage proposal.
The Daily, "The Billionaires' Secret Plan to Solve California's House Crisis". As you listen to this, think about how hard it is for us to do big things in the US anymore. The reason this country is great (and it is!) is because previous generations did great big things. Were they wrong to do because they weren't 100% right? I don't think so. Stagnation is worse.
- I can't express how much I agree with this. Do the work. You might get lucky.
- Horrifying and fascinating. You couldn't have this without digital video... Progress!
- Interesting...
- Once you decide to, the hard part is discerning what is the authentic you.
What I am Thinking About This Week
Giving it your all.
I can be a pretty intense dude. I'm not crazy, certainly not a loose cannon, but I can get pretty excited about things, and I am not afraid to fully open the spigot of my energy when appropriate. This has been my default state for at least as long ago as high school sports, maybe longer.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you who have been reading awhile. And it is certainly clear to the 30-40 people I play basketball with each Friday. They often make friendly jokes about it, "Shoot, I don't want to guard him, I'm gonna have to actually work." Hardy har har. If everyone hustled as much as I do, I would be one of the worst players. As it stands I am solidly in the middle.
Today as we were walking off the court after a win, Kevin, one of my favorites, and another member of the four strong over 40 yrs club, said "I wish I had half of your hustle". And without thinking about it, I responded "Well, Kev, hustle is a choice." And to his credit, he stopped walking, looked me dead in the eyes and said, "Damn. You're right, hold me accountable next week." And I said, "Nope. In my experience, people either do it, or they don't, regardless of who is yelling at them."
Here is the point.
You read this deep into this LONG email from some dude who only sends it to you because you bought a poster from his company.
You are clearly interested in thinking about: how to live well, how to not waste your life, how to enjoy it, how to focus on the things that are important to you... etc. However you phrase it, you are clearly a seeker. You are clearly someone who isn't afraid of learning and trying.
And so, I would encourage you: Give something nearly all that you have this week. Somehow, in some way, ask yourself to do more than you think you can, and then just ask again for a bit more. The body is (or at least can be) a perpetual motion machine. Your energy will be replenished. Don't be afraid to have to crawl to the finish line... you never know how much is left in the tank until it's empty.
The world is suffering from too many people quick to mock earnest people, giving their all to something, at whatever skill level they can muster. It's a cancer, and the only way to stop it is to be proudly earnest and TRY HARD!
I couldn't possibly think of all the ways you could define this... I don't just mean sports or exercise... Anything. Parenting, civic duty, business, ??? Let me know how it goes. I am super interested in what you come up with.
Have a great week!
Thanks for being a part of the journey with us! Please tell me if you liked/disliked the blog this week. Ask my wife... those are the only emails I like to get!
Dad Joke O' The Week
Our vacuum cleaner is getting old.
It's just gathering dust.
From Lucy G: What does a house wear?
A dress
Who else has jokes to submit?! Make'm funny!
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