A little bit every day

Just show up. That's the secret.

Hey friends,

I’ve become much less regular with this and don’t see any reality where that changes. If you’re okay with an erratic writing schedule, stick around. Otherwise, there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. Just sharing so I sleep better at night :)

By the way, I started a new role as COO at Pneuma over the last few months:

It has been equally challenging and exciting – which is exactly what I was seeking in my next opportunity. For inquiring minds, you can listen to our podcast episode from earlier last month when I started!

Don’t fault my “ums” or “uhs” too much if you listen, there’s a reason I write 😉

This post is dedicated to my friend Steven, who was kind enough to both dine and tour-guide me across Indianapolis the other weekend.

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I’ve got this moleskin notebook that I hold dear to my heart. The first page is full of bulleted affirmations and goals, the pages that follow oscillate between feigned optimism, job interview notes, scribbles, and hell, even the occasional cry for help.

I’m pages away from filling it and for the first time in some time, I found myself flipping back through the old pages once again. Job challenges, relationship strifes, struggle with identifying my purpose. Many of these moments are ones where I felt that I hadn’t had anyone or anything to confide in but a notebook I haphazardly bought from Target at the turn of a new year. Dark.

Flipping back through it, I came to the startling realization that I’ve checked most of those boxes that I set for myself on the first page back in 2019. At that point in time, this bulleted list of improvements was what I thought to be pivotal in order for me to be happy. And yet, I still found myself scribbling away in that damned journal about some new grief every few months.

I did start (and consciously shuttered) my own business, I’m completely free to live where I choose, I have amassed enough writing that could be a book with enough effort, I wake up many mornings at 5:30am to workout, and I’ve even lived within a few different cities by now. Why do I still want more? Why isn’t it enough?

Ava put it best, “Isn’t that how it always is—the better you get, the more you see how you can improve?”

Something I’ve been thinking a lot about: getting a little better every day. When I started working out again, the inner operator in me worked to systemize every ounce of it. I started researching which apps I could use to track workouts, ordered protein, trolled through any number of blog posts about the optimal workout routine, and started tracking my macros aggressively. Exhausting.

Getting started with something doesn’t have to be that hard. Turns out, starting to work out again looks a lot less like the former and a lot more like showing up consistently, picking up and putting down heavy things, and eating/sleeping enough. There will always be optimizations to be had, but let those come naturally.

Gates Law: “Most people overestimate what they can achieve in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten years.”

I’m not going to ever give up on seeing what I’m capable of. But I do think we would all be better served to more seriously consider the time horizon for improvement. Set big goals, be kind to yourself, and accept incremental progress with open arms.

Here’s to adding this book of griefs to the shelf soon and committing to getting better a little bit every day. I think that strategy has been working.

Cullin

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Reads worth sharing

Happy one year tech anniversary to me by Regina Gerbeaux

The Case for American Seriousness by Katherine Boyle

The Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects by Andrew Chen

There’s no speed limit – Derek Sivers

How a janitor at Frito-Lay ‘invented’ Flamin’ Hot Cheetos – The Hustle

Some photos from the last few weeks