The most daunting and stressful projects are the ones you haven’t started yet. A lot of worrying and anxiety dissipates when you break the seal and begin. Once the activation energy is applied then momentum picks up and the helpers arrive.

The best public speakers are authentic. People can spot a faker a mile away.

People pan Elon Musk for being a poor public speaker, but he has the audience eating out of the palm of his hand because he’s candid and authentic. He’s the antithesis of the media trained CEOs and politicians who use prepackaged phrases and say a lot without saying anything.

Speak slowly, pause, and keep it real. That’s the way to connect.

I loved this video 5-month journey on foot that was condensed into a 3-minute video.

This guy must have knees of steel. Imagine the wear and tear on his body. I wonder how many people start but don’t finish.

The trail is 2,650 miles and starts on the United States-Mexico border, it goes through California, Oregon, and Washington and ends at the United States-Canada border in Manning Park, British Columbia. To put it in perspective it’s 3,000 miles from San Francisco to New York.

He runs a blog called Halfway Anywhere if you want to go deep.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

We had a cold snap over the weekend. The wind picked up, and the temperature dropped. Hazardous surf warnings were issued for the next few days with big swell expected. The offshore winds that followed the cold front made for blue skies and perfect autumn days.

The day after the storm, I waded into the sea for a swim. The ocean was smooth and crystal clear, but as soon as I started swimming, I could feel the rip current grab and whip me around the rocky point. It’s perfectly normal to swim out with the rip, but today was a little different. There was a lot of water moving around me, and I was getting gently pulled left and right as the swell and current pushed me around. I’ve learned not to fight it and just keep my line and steady my breath.

The forecasted storm swell was on its way, and I could feel it in the water even though it wasn’t visible on the surface. It was like the ocean was playing with me for a bit.

I think this is how animals and birds feel tsunamis before they arrive. They listen to and feel the ocean before humans register a blip on the radar. Humans aren’t tuning into the deeper wavelengths.

The next morning the wind was still blowing offshore, and the surf was firing. The glassy autumn swell had arrived.

More storms are coming.

Lockdowns are tough for everyone, but especially for people without families. People need community, and right now, that’s not available.

There will probably be long-term mental health issues caused by the prohibition of social events and community gatherings. For a lot of older people who haven’t mastered technology like WhatsApp, Facetime, Zoom, etc – physical isolation also means social isolation.

Pre lockdown, coffee shops, local pubs, drinking holes, tennis clubs, golf clubs, bowling clubs, churches, swimming clubs, etc. all had their resident barflies – “the locals.” These were the people that turned up every night to grab a drink and have a banter.

If it was the pub, then that’s probably where they ate dinner as well.

They were there every night because there was nobody at home who needed them and it got lonely.

They knew the barman, the waitstaff, and the manager.

They had the same table every night.

They ate the special of the day. It was like home cooking for them.

They arrived as the doors opened and were there until the lights turned off, and the tables were wiped down.

They were there every night because it was an extension of their home.

It’s where they went to get human interaction and to socialize.

The members of the club, and the people who worked there were like family.

If they didn’t turn up for dinner one night, I’m sure someone would have call to check in on them.

Some of these clubs and pubs will not make it through the economic pain of the pandemic. I wonder if it’s the same for the old local barflies as well?

If you bump into someone and they don’t remember your name then introduce yourself again and give them some context to jog their memory.

Everyone is shy, and most of the time they are waiting for you to initiate the conversation, send a follow up email or arrange a time to get together.

Obviously read the room and don’t make time for weirdos, but making the first move in a considerate and respectful way save you time and is welcomed with a sigh of relief most of the time.

Don’t say anything about someone in a text, Whatsapp, or email that you wouldn’t be okay saying to them directly, because at some point down the line they will read it.

Most things are best said in person, or with a wink and a nudge.

Photo by Genevieve Perron-Migneron on Unsplash

When you are invited to do something in the future, ask yourself if you would say yes if you had to do it tomorrow? I’m talking about stuff like going to dinner, attending a meeting, speaking at an event, grabbing a coffee. If you are rearing to go, then say yes. If you are already dreading it, but begrudgingly say yes, then instead just say no.  The immediacy question will clarify your thinking save you a lot of pain later.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

The next generation of politicians will tell stories about how their parents were nurses, scientists, teachers, and other healthcare workers. Today’s go-to stump speeches about how their mom or dad worked in a factory will be replaced with a COVID-19 or global warming yarn. Healthcare workers, climate change scientists, and the “essential worker” class will be something that every politician has to identify with and seek approval in the new battle ahead.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Live in neighborhoods and communities where you interact with people from diverse backgrounds and jobs. If the person living in the apartment above you is a policeman, then you’ll have more empathy when he asks you to abide by the law, and he will ask you in a compassionate and kind way. If your kids go to the same school as the grocery clerk down the road, then you’ll be more patient and considerate when you shop and interact with him. The same goes for attorneys, plumbers, accountants, and bankers. It makes it less transactional and more personal if you have see the person the next day.

Being proximate, social pressure, and a sense of community mean that everyone is accountable to their community and their neighbors. I’ve heard people say that the world is divided into “the haves and the have nots.” I think it’s divided into “the Served and Servers.” There’s a separation of the suburban (wealthy served) class and the working “serving” class. The serving class can’t afford to live in high-end neighborhoods, so they commute long distances from far off places. Long commutes segregate people and make interactions anonymous and transactional. That’s why there’s so much political infighting in the US. The structural operating system in the US has separated people, and resentment builds on both sides because there’s no empathy and compassion.

Live where you work and work where you live. I’m hoping that that the current work from home surge during the pandemic will encourage people to shorten commutes, stay proximate and get to know their community.

Photo by Jarred Ray on Unsplash