40 / The Process. Hydration. Yogurt. Jazz. Levels.

Seek the small pleasures.

Aug 24, 2021

"Adapting to new situations is like good jazz. Whatever you're doing isn't about playing the right notes, it's about bouncing off of the things around you and enjoying the music." — Victor Saad

Raise your hand if you feel like you've been bouncing off of new situations a lot recently. This quote speaks to me. It's important to maintain a sense of curiosity while exploring new ideas, working with new teams, or solving sticky problems. How can you enjoy the music this week?

An amazing profile thread about the rags-to-riches story of Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya. Learn about grit, business operations, and yogurt (of course).
"The 9-5 is dead." This weekly email report delivers on their two main values: flexible schedules and location freedom. Discover modern companies each week with Death to the Office.
Music unites people, especially people who might hear the same songs on the radio. This website shows the top songs in every city in the world. A snapshot of my results: "Generally, cities in the area around Philadelphia have the same #1 song, a sort of pop music monoculture."
I consider myself to be very hydrated. Water is a main food group and daily staple. This video taught me a lot about how to hydrate daily, during workouts, and for recovery.
And on the note of hydration, there are only 10 days left to support my IRONMAN fundraiser. and help me reach my goal of $3,500. I’ve been pushed physically and mentally over the last year for so many reasons. I sit here thankful for the lessons learned while training (grit and exploration to name a couple), and want to give back to the foundation that works to pass on the same lessons.

Falling in Love With the Process

Seeking the Small Pleasures.

(Read this online here.)

Trust the Process.

Philly readers will recognize this as the 76ers' motto, given for their Moneyball-esque efforts to bring top talent to Philly and win a national championship.

So what is the process? I wrote weeks ago: "the process behind achieving a goal or developing a habit" is the key for accomplishment.

The process is the plan and work required on the path to achieving a goal. The goal is the end result, some far-off dream sitting elusively awaiting your future self.

The process is about the here and now. And wow sometimes it can be mundane.

Macklemore, rapper, husband, father, and recently golf-brand creator, went through a process similar to so many artists.

"There was a grind and a hunger to turn those really [bad] situations that I was in early on into great shows. That's what turned me into a good performer, it was a decade-plus of doing shows like that."

Seth Godin describes the process as "a pattern of small bridges, each just scary enough to dissuade most people. The practice requires a commitment to a series of steps, not a miracle."

As we commit to our own series of steps to tackle career, personal, or physical goals, I have to remind myself of an important piece of the process: enjoy it.

What is a small pleasure that brings me joy that I can do today?

Macklemore loved to be on stage.

I eat ice cream after big Ironman training sessions.

Small pleasures and rewards give us that rush of dopamine, but in a less scientific way we confirm to ourselves that we are on track.

By creating a process you love, the journey will be just as sweet as the destination.