“Better late than never” is a mantra I have to myself. It allows me to live with patience in my life without acting on a false sense of urgency. I finally got around to processing all the experiences I lived out in September. Two of the weeks were in my childhood home in Michigan and the other two were in New York City.
Here’s what my monthly reflection process looked like before I typed it up:
What did I love?
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My social buckets are overflowing
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Reconnecting with my key relationships. I had a five-hour drive with my sister on labor day weekend up to Northern Michigan. We laughed and we cried together. After three years, I met up with my past client Ben Bradbury, whose podcast I produced for 9 months. Reconnecting with Amanda McCreight for her 25th birthday (mentioned more below). Feeling seen by my colleague Andy from Hawaii last summer who understands the struggles of island life.
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I loved meeting my internet friends in real life (IRL). Some of these include: David Nebinski, Stew Fortier, Dan McGlinn, Brendan Stec, Lani Assaf, Sam Miller, Andrew Lucas, Issac Lien. (I want to create a mood board with pics called neVER MET JEN. )
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The serendipity of meetups and thriving at salons with intellectually stimulating conversations
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Saying no to drinking without shame or guilt. (An article on sobriety is in the making. Let me know if you want to help me edit it)
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Dancing with my mom and dad at weddings on the dance floor. Motown and the jitterbug are one heck of a time.
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Catching the bouquet at my high school best friend’s wedding and realizing that this symbolizes how I am ready to marry something as a public commitment to the world.
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The independent travel I had to Philadelphia and around New York City in Brooklyn.
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All the walking I did. It averaged out to about 16,000 steps a day.
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Enjoying the patio covered in flowers that my mom grew and nurtured during the summer
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Seeing my dad light up at the Detroit Institute of Arts around his love of art.
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Witnessing my sister in her zone cooking on her birthday during a class as a family
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Reading and listening to books again. Ideas truly enrich my life. Though, I do not regret the spaciousness of halting my consumption to calm my curiosity down. It is beneficial to have periods to starve my curiosity to create space and be more of a spectator in my life.
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People watching on the subway, in trains, on the streets, and in parks.
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My bravery to go out, meet new people and assert myself.
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How I could get by minimally with my denim jacket to stay warm during the more frigid climate in New York City.
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Witnessing a glimpse of fall, though I shivered at times.
What I lacked
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Routines around exercise, diet, consistent sleep, and stretching
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Clarity on not just what I want to commit to but how to do it. I need to make an action plan to project manage my upcoming projects. These include:
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designing and presenting a workshop on the HOPA Journal process
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publishing a Write of Passage Community Yearbook
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migrating my website from Squarespace to Ghost
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training for my first triathlon
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Zazen meditation. I need and want my brain to calm down. It feels like it’s racing with overwhelm by the different plates I have spinning in my life.
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Groundedness in my present moment. While traveling, I kept thinking about the future and planning. Will I end up going to Austin? Do I try to meet a new person or spend time alone? I kind of liked planning and having the pieces fall into place, but it took away from the present moment.
What I learned
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How each time I met up with someone new, it was a chance to refine my thinking, do research on how to introduce myself, and an opportunity to share a story
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Talking & Tea: a salon event or series of meetups with the location at a pool or park to converse about meaningful things with intention like stories, dreams, and creative projects. Before the end of the year, I am going to make this happen.
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Watching Hugh Jackman do what he love is infectious. I want to be like him in sparking joy from what I love.
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I attend a Loud Luxury concert at the Brooklyn Mirage. I couldn’t stop dancing. I love dancing though I need to figure out what is wrong with the patella of my left knee
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I sent some outgoing emails. They make me uncomfortable. I need to shoot my shots and go for it without the self-doubt holding me back
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Building A Second Brain is a course I retook this past month. I want to publish content around it. It’d be criminal not to help my friend Spencer and others with the tactics that are taught.
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Many go to stories I share in real life that I haven’t written about from the specific angle that I can
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It’s validating to set up a plan and actually see it come through like each meetup I had while traveling.
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It’s better to ask than regret not asking.
Questions to think about (inspired by who?)
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Which creative project can I ship in 2022? (inspired by Amanda)
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How can I do more of what I love like Hugh Jackman’s love for acting, dancing, and singing each night on Broadway? (inspired by the legend himself)
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What do I want my relationship with work, jobs, and my career to look like? (inspired by Paul Millerd)
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Since deciding I don’t want a master’s degree, how can I showcase my worth in other ways? (Inspired by my mom and dad).
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How do I train for the turkey triathlon without getting injured? (Inspired by my chiropractor)
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How can I simplistically and organically stay in touch with all these relationships that I’ve made? (inspired my my self doubt)
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James Clear and David Perell are expert marketers but they don’t position themselves as such. They can communicate ideas so clearly and succinctly. How can I emulate this? (Inspired by Stew Fortier)
Any surprises?
The idea of mindful marketing while in conversation with my friend Josh came about as an idea on Sunday. I’ve always been resistant to thinking of honing this skill. It’s an emergent exercise to the top of the funnel of putting a megaphone to an idea like mine at a mega fair showing the swim team and why you should join.
—> My monthly habit: to experiment each day with the intention to try out a marketing tactic or explaining one to someone. I need to create a Notion table to track these.
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This was originally published on Substack as 🍃 Letter 127: Reflections on Nomadic Life & Overflowing Socialization .
