Week 35 of 2023 has arrived. The last heat wave of the year is on its way out, and soon it will be time to turn the furnace to "Heat" from "Cool" and swap out those "Sure is a hot one!" with "I hear we're supposed to get 2 inches of snow!".  I love talking about the weather with my neighbor, Carlos. One of life's little joys.

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

I smashed my bald head on a pull up bar the day before yesterday.

 My brother, who is a NP, took a look at it and thought it could use a few staples... But, he is a 40 minute drive away, so I just put a butterfly bandage on it.

 I was on my last set of a static dumbbell lunge, followed by a set of box jumps.  (I'm working on my fast twitch muscle fibers!) I really wanted to give it my all on the last rep, and apparently there was less clearance than I needed... Smash, big man go boom, big man on ground, lots of blood. but...

 Yea! I am jumping higher!

 Sometimes, when you are reaching for a new best, you bump up against things... It happens. Keep at it.

 (Also, if you can clear the path ahead of time... that is worth doing as well!)

The Massive Action Society launches September 7th.  If you want to see a video explanation, get on the launch list, and see my 4 day old head wound, click the blue button below.

Thanks for being here and reading.  It is vital to "sharpen the saw" as a regular practice. (It's also important to "use the saw". I think that is where I am today!) I think of these emails as a way for me to sharpen my saw and help you sharpen yours.

Massive Action Society

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Remarkable Weeks

Week #35 in the year 1958, after months of trial and error experimentation to perfect his flash-frying method, Momofuku Ando marketed the first package of precooked instant noodles. Called "Chikin Ramen." Ando began the sales of his most famous product, the Cup Noodle, on September 18, 1971 with the master-stroke of providing a waterproof polystyrene container. He is quoted saying "Peace will come to the world when the people have enough to eat." . He was 2529.29 weeks old. (48.50 yrs) 

Week #35 in the year 1991, Linux is born when Linus Torvalds sends an email announcing his project to create a new computer operating system. Linux also becomes the basis for the popular Android and Chrome OS operating systems. He was 1130.00 weeks old. (21.67 yrs)

Week #35 in the year 2012, 15 year-old New Zealand golfer, Lydia Ko, becomes the youngest LPGA Tour event winner and the 1st amateur winner since 1969 by winning the Canadian Women's Open by 3 strokes from Inbee Park.  She was 800.43 weeks old. (15.35 yrs)

Week #35 in the year 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I have a Dream Speech" during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  In his speech, Dr. King called for economic freedom and and end to racism in the United States.  He was 1806.14 weeks old. (34.63 yrs) 

This Week's Quote

Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.  -Amy Bloom

I love my wife.

I'm not perfect, she's not perfect.  We both take things personally that we shouldn't, and sometimes we have disagreements just because we are seeing things differently and aren't in each other's brains. I could list a million faults that I have, and at least one or two for her.  But the fact is, we are flawed, normal human beans.

But I know this.  We have both chosen, and actively choose each day, to love each other, and when two people do that... when two people each decide that regardless of what comes, we will put the other first... It's a powerful glue.

What I am Consuming This Week

Lots of videos this week... research project...

Slomo: The Man Who Skated Right off the Grid. This is a short documentary about this super interesting dude.  My buddy Jay recommended it.  We were talking about the flow that you can get in to when participating in a rhythmic athletic event, and that reminded him of this.

"If" by Rudyard Kipling, read by Michael Kaine. Still very compelling, even after knowing the backstory thanks to Cautionary Tales... woosh!

This star scale comparison on youtube.com...  Wow... feel insignificant now?

Michael Jordan's Buzzer Beater in the 1989 playoffs. Pressure... magic.

Oodles of Ted Talks... seriously... any topic that appeals to you in the moment is worth watching.

What I am Thinking About This Week

Bringing new things into the world.

I am a bit stressed.  It's fine, not all stress is a bad thing.

Life is like an accordion...or the oceans' waves... ...compression and expansion... in and out... stressed and relaxed.

I have been pulling the Massive Action Society together, and it is a lot of moving pieces. A lot of systems need to be "just so" so that everything happens the way it is supposed to.

Consequently, I am a bit short tempered and singularly focused, which means I am not the most fun person to be around right now. 

I have noticed that the biggest source of my stress is not all the moving parts. The most stressful part of this is the voice in my head that occasionally says "What the hell are you doing... this is a waste of time!" or some other similarly negative sentiment... and even though I know that these are the cries of my petulant ego, desperately not wanting to stick its neck out for fear of ridicule . . . the cries are still there, and they still take energy to ignore.

I am trying to channel my inner Oliver Burkeman. He mentioned this strategy on The Drive podcast last week.  Instead of being focused on the outcome, anticipating and hoping and angling... try to be curious.  "I wonder what will happen."

It seems to take the sting out of potential failure, and is also a more open way of viewing the world... So, that is where I am going to try to live.

If you are curious about the Massive Action Society, it goes live on Sept. 7th.  Click the link and watch a video explanation... if you see the video, you are on the list.

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

Massive Action Society

Dad Joke O' The Week

Why are prisoners bad musicians?

Because they are always behind a few bars and can't find the key!