Week 45 of 2023 has arrived. The leaves are falling off the trees... or are they?  My buddy owns a landscape company. They will spend the rest of the year frantically trying to get through an ever growing list of clients who need their leaves cleaned up... He watches the "fall" pretty closely.

Thanks to Google photos, and a few well timed pics last year, we can confirm that the leaves did in fact fall a few weeks earlier last year. I just think that is interesting. The future is an amazing place to live. Leaves have been falling off trees for 360 million years. We have only been cleaning them up for a few hundred.

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

Lately I have been going on and on about the fact that 15 minutes a day is enough... provided it is every day.

I just can't believe how much progress I have made with 15 minutes a day of undivided attention on a skill. It is kind of blowing my mind.

Last week I sent out 20 free Year Goal posters to people who liked our FB video... so clearly you all are interested in holding yourself accountable for daily action.

The Year Goal poster can change your life. The Year Goal Poster is a stand alone, 365 day, habit tracker with a customizable goal line. Get one, change your life.

What do you want to be better at?  Are you willing to commit to daily compounding returns?

Thanks for being here and reading! These blogs help me "Sharpen The Saw" and hopefully help you to sharpen yours!

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The 4K Weeks Brightsider-A Multicolor Extravaganza!

The 4K Weeks Long View-A Different Horizon

Remarkable Weeks

Week 46 in 1851, Herman Melville publishes Moby Dick. He was 1684.71 weeks old (32.29 yrs).

Week 46 of 1938, Albert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist accidentally (!) discovers the psychedelic properties of LSD.   He was 1712.86 weeks old (32.84 yrs). 

Week 46, of 1929, Grace Hopper, receives her PH.D. in Mathematics from Yale, paving the way for her groundbreaking work in the development of computing.  She was 1195.86 weeks old (22.93 yrs).

Week 46, 1969, Sesame Street Premieres.  Big Bird was 6 years old at the time, making him 3130.71 weeks old (60.04 yrs).

This Week's Quote

A jug is filled drop by drop. -Buddha

Why is it that the most obvious lessons are the hardest to practice?

We all, always, want to fill the jug all at once - it's a better story. We love celebrating the overnight success... that actually took 10 years. 

All of us discount the little bit we could do every day in favor of the "big lift" that will happen "one day".

So, is it "one day" or "day one"?

If you set a goal to "write 100 words a day" (about the length of this section) then in three years, you will have written 109,500 words... or about the length of a Clive Cussler book. (No judgement.. they are entertaining!)

But I would bet that if you decide to "write a book", with no regular commitment to yourself, in three years, you will have written a lot less.

Leverage the consistency... be a pro. Show up for yourself everyday, drop by drop.

What I am Consuming This Week

This great article from 4K Weeks customer and Go Brewing President, Joe Churra.  Joe sent this to me, and I asked if I could include it in this week's email.  It is EXACTLY what I am talking about.  How can I get what I want/need out of what is currently available to me? Talk about a small time increment... read what he did with 15 seconds at at a time. It's the best story I have read in a while.

The Dream, hosted by Jane Marie I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole here. Cautionary Tales ran an episode of The Dream in their feed, and it was so... compelling... to me that I binged 4 or five episodes, and I plan on listening to all 3 seasons. I used the word "compelling" because I have a complicated relationship with it... I hate it, and also like it quite a bit.  I don't often speak out loud to podcast hosts while listening... I would love to know what you think. Her perspective seems to be at odds with what we are doing here, but she is also not wrong about some stuff.

I am still finishing up  The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer, and Hidden Potential by Adam Grant. Both are great books, but I have to be in the right mood for each.

"To Be A Man", Dax and Darius Rucker.  A clip of this song came across the 4K Weeks IG feed (it's a funny thing, the algorithm) and I had a strong reaction to it. Long time readers will know that I do feel that there is a growing crisis among boys and men these days... (While acknowledging that equity for women still has a good way to go... 2 things can be true at once.) But, I have never loved grievance airing... and I don't feel like the "men" in the song... so I wrote and recorded a response verse. (It was a weird thing for me to do, but I felt oddly compelled.) I'll include it at the bottom of the email for anyone interested.

IG Nuggets: I have been trying to boil these down to good content that pushes you forward... but sometimes a hysterical meme will sneak through...

• This is amazing... watch all the clips. the tide doesn't come in and out?!?!
• Perspective is everything.
• it's a good list...
• Broken record over here...
• I have always loved his impressions.

PSA: Please send me podcasts that you love!  I need input! Most podcast players have a "share" button... just click that and type in my email address... Spencer@4kweeks.com Thanks!

What I am Thinking About This Week

Mindset and privilege.

I am not sure if I will be able to work through this all the way in this section.  But here goes.

I am a "motivational one-liner" machine. For almost any instance, I have an upbeat, motivational quip at the ready. It is often infuriating to my children and wife. But it is sincere, and a nearly constant part of my inner monologue.

No doubt I have been incredibly privileged in my life... starting with being born in the US in the modern age, etc, etc, etc.

But I also feel like I have made great use of a "never say die"..."you won't ever out hustle me"... "I can only control my reaction"... attitude.

Sometimes I feel like, "yes, I was born on second base... but I didn't stay there... I hand dug a tunnel to third base, and built a bridge out of toothpicks to get to home plate."

But... I like to think I am a person who can interrogate the story he tells himself to make sure it is accurate.  I know I am no genius... maybe I deserve even less credit than I give myself.

Lately I have been seeing a fair amount of push back on "toxic hustle culture". This all came to a point for me with the podcast series, The Dream mentioned above. Jane Marie seems to be violently allergic to even the tiniest bit of "I think you can!".

A lot of it is deserved... When we started our first e-commerce brand, I realized quickly that the people who make the most money on the internet are the people "showing" people how to make money on the internet. It seems like nearly all of us are suckers for "passive income, earn while you sleep!", and they know it.

But you don't need to pay $10,000 to go to a Tony Robbins event, or buy Grant Cardone's "course".

You don't need all that. All the actual wisdom is out there for free.

Certainly the structure of our world isn't fair, and clearly, when the deck is literally stacked against you, and when the culture you exist in is built to keep you down, "I think I cans" have to hit a bit different.

But... even if you start on home base, or in the dugout, or in the parking lot... I still believe that:

believing in yourself,

holding yourself accountable,

having a forward-focused attitude,

pushing yourself beyond what you think you can accomplish,

and hustling

matters.

It just seems like if those things don't matter, what are we even doing here?  Waiting around to die?

IDK...Any thoughts you want to share?

Have a great week!

Spencer, Owner of 4KWeeks.com

My Response verse/chorus to Dax's "To Be A Man"

I hear you.

I'm not trying to change your mind

That struggle is real

Is it ok to feel?

Some men and boys are falling further behind

So I hear you,

I'm not trying to disagree

We hold this house of cards, together.

I couldn't do it if it was just me

The world's moved on

and the old way's gone

and when I show my son what it means

to be a man,

my daughter is watching.

So where do we go

down the same lonely road

Holding all of this weight alone

or find someone to share it.

And make a house a home.

Chorus:

That's why I'm saying

Don't hide yourself.

Communicate so they understand.

I just know you can explain

what it's like to be a man.

It's a lonely road

but we don't have to walk it alone

you've got to open up and share your heart

to make this house a home.

Dad Joke O' The Week

What do a tick and the Eiffel Tower have in common?

They're both Paris sites!