Week #39, 2024

Week #39, 2024

Week 39 of 2024 has arrived. Tis the season to wear a hoodie in the morning and shorts in the afternoon.  Did you know that September is the most common birth month? Did you know that September 9th is the most common birthday? Do the holidays make us more fertile?
Time to walk over to your 4K Weeks poster and fill in another square. Done?

I think about you all a lot.  All 30,0oo+  of you.  I think about why you read this email, what parts resonate with you the most, and where you all are on your individual journeys in this life.

A while back I was talking to a friend about this email, and she said "It's like you are helping people choose how to fill in their square each week."  And that really sparked something in me... I think it provided a lens to view this newsletter through that I hadn't considered before.  

And that led me to realize that I have fallen guilty of not recognizing my own "water".

I know what I know, and I assume that you know it too, much like all of us are doing all of the time.

And, since I do believe that writing creates the best thinking (you can hold conflicting ideas in your head just fine, but when you try to make them make sense in an essay, you find out what you really think), I decided to write out what I think are the fundamentals, the daily habits and routines that at least create the environment where life satisfaction can grow and flourish.

Today is the first one - you can find it in the "What I am thinking about" section. Next week, #2, and so on.   My plan is to write this out and then once it is complete, give it away to anyone who needs a map from where they are to the beautiful land of life satisfaction.  It's a really pleasant place...  one of the few I have been where having more people around doesn't make the experience suffer.

 

P.S. If you think you already have a buildable foundation, the 33 Day Foundation streak tool will launch later this year. We are beta testing it right now... analog card, wood desk stand, daily SMS and email reminders... If you want to get on the waitlist, send Eli a message with "33" in the subject line...Info@4kweeks.com

 

 Listen to this blog as a podcast!

SPOTIFY         APPLE PODCASTS

Search "4000 Weeks #38" in your app.

Remarkable Weeks

Week  39 of 1942, Glenn Miller, jazz composer and Big Band leader, gave his final performance in New Jersey before disbanding the band to join the military. He was 2,012.71 (38.6 yrs).

Week  39 of 1952,​ Colonel Sanders​ opened the first franchise of Kentucky Fried Chicken in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was 3,237.14 weeks old (62.08 yrs).

Week  39 of 1972, David Bowie had his first sold out concert at the New York City Carnegie Hall. He was 1,342.14 weeks (25.734rs).

This Week's Quote

This is a repeat.  I am going back to a few quotes from the past few years.  I can't even remember writing these... so we can probably all use the refresher!

The Universe is transformation. Our life is what our thoughts make it.  -Marcus Aurelius

It hits a bit different when you realize that Marcus wasn't trying to teach us this truth, he was trying to teach himself.

All of his Meditations were just his own private diary. Lucky for us his handwriting is better than mine... When you think of it that way it starts to be more pleading, and less pedantic.

This is a fundamental truth, but it is one of those truths that you have to speak to yourself. It isn't likely to be heard if someone else says it.

The rain is either a huge inconvenience that is ruining your plans, or just another interesting twist in the day's adventure and possibly some new puddles to jump in.

It all turns on your thoughts.

...And about the "pleading" with himself...  One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in the last decade of focus on "being better" is: It is perpetual.  There is no moment of nirvana. The cavalry isn't coming.  Some days are harder, some days are easier, but love and be grateful for the struggle, because it will be there when you wake up in the morning. And each day that you get to remind yourself what your values are is a day that you are still breathing... and as far as we know... that's the best thing going.

What I am Consuming This Week

This is insane.  My buddy recommended this to me and I binged the whole season in a day.

Shell Game, with Evan Ratliff.
This podcast documents Ratliff's journey down the AI Voice Assistant rabbit hole.  He creates an AI voice assistant with a clone of his voice and sets it free in the world. Lots of crazy stuff in here, and a decent amount of comedy... like when the two AI Voice Assistants say goodbye to each other for 5 minutes.

The thing that kept striking me is this... the podcast started in July, and so he must have done much of this earlier in the year... which means everything is already different/better/worse. The hockey stick graph of AI progress is exhilarating!

"The Perils of Audience Capture", The Prism.
I got this from Tim Ferriss's weekly email. The article is fascinating and terrifying.

What I am Thinking About This Week

This is the first post in a series of posts about how to get your crap in order, so that you can get the most out of your little square each week. Some of these may not apply to you, and that’s great… congratulations.  But… I know that I find new value in Epictetus’s Enchiridion every time I read it… so review can be good, too.  I am treating this as a sidecar to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and all of it comes from my own personal journey these 47 years.

I think that you have to have your own personal flavor to each of these pillars, but the fundamentals are sound.   If you have thoughts, I would love to hear them.

Water.

It seems silly to start with this, and yet it is so clearly the place to start. You are dehydrated.

In Maslow’s Hierarchy, the base layer is physiological needs - food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep.  If you are receiving this email, odds are you live in an industrialized nation and haven’t spent much of your life without these needs being mostly met.  Why, then, start with water?

Because it is absolutely possible to know something without KNOWING it.

We are trying to build a strong foundation, we have to make sure the footers are deep, and strong and square.

I started with water as both a literal truth, and a metaphor.

My family has traveled with our good friends since the kids were toddlers.  It all started at Disney - the kids were getting cranky, fighting with each other, couldn’t be satisfied… and my buddy asked them all “Have you had any water today?” And now that the kids are all teens, that is the first thing we lead with when we find ourselves traveling with impatient children.

The truth is, your skin, your mood, your energy, your metabolism, your thinking, will all likely improve if you stay hydrated.  That is the literal purpose for starting with water -here is the metaphorical purpose.

Most of the upcoming topics will be small shifts.  Seemingly insignificant changes that, over time will completely transform your life. We all want the “Big Lift, Right Now!” that will change everything, the “life hack” that will order our life in 15 minutes!

The truth is that real positive change is built slowly over time, and it becomes durable over time because we made a habit of sticking with good habits.

Often, in fact, these little changes are annoying at first. We all know what will happen if you work on staying hydrated tomorrow…. 40 trips to the bathroom.

But if you want to arrive at 99% life satisfaction, you are going to have to stick with these habits that are good for you in the long term and slightly annoying in the short term.

Now, theory is good, but we are people of action… So, here is what you need to do:

Get a 32 oz water bottle.  I prefer these in my daily life, and these at basketball games and while exercising.

Women need around 92 oz a day, men around 124 oz per day. Around 20% of your water intake usually comes from food, so you might need slightly more, and you might need slightly less.  But starting with three full 32 oz. water bottles a day for women and four for men is a good beginning.

Set an alarm on your phone or watch for five times throughout the day.  When the alarm goes off, drink the water. Do that for a month. It will become a habit for you to make sure you have your water bottle. If you find yourself forgetting how much you have consumed, put a the correct number of rubber bands on the top of your bottle. Empty? Move one to the bottom… repeat.

How will you know if you are hydrated? The Mayo Clinic says it best… “Your urine will be colorless, or slightly yellow.”

This is an easy win… take it! I know it seems silly but we are starting with baby steps and practicing your agency. Your inclination to take actions that are good for you over time - this is a muscle, make it stronger through use.

How could you possibly get the most out of each little square on your 4K Weeks poster if you don't first create sound fundamentals?

Next week… Gratefulness.

Until later,

Spencer

Dad Joke O' The Week

Why did the roofer go to the doctor?
He had shingles!

Leave a comment:

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published