Where you sit determines what you see…Walk good. 28all. Eya. *SB, PB, VM*

Note to the Reader: 

One of those days...Woke up Saturday morning feeling energized. I was even more excited after connecting with Dr. B, my high school English teacher and the man who fostered my love for the English language. We dove deep into the meaning of Ralph Ellison’s, King of the Bingo Game. While I don’t know if either of us has [the right] answers, it was our intellectual sparring that I’ve always appreciated, as well as the psychological safe space. So much more to say, maybe it’ll be a blog post one day. But he shared with me a quote from a book they’re reading in his class: “There is responsibility in our perspectives. We’re accountable for what we see in the world, and more importantly, we’re responsible for what we don’t see.” ~Kyle Swenson, Good Kids, Bad City: A Story of Race and Wrongful Conviction in America. Yeah, read that quote again…Nonetheless, there’s a lot in this edition too. And this weekend in general reinforced the power of relationships!

The Warm-Up: 

“It’s only because I’ve kept going—because I’ve been eager to learn from every challenge and keep trying until we solve each problem—that I’m here today. And because, from a very young age, I’ve never believed that the answers were inside me. I’ve always looked for answers in the work of others trying to do similar things, in the wisdom of my mentors, and in the energy of my collaborators. I’ve learned that opportunity is everywhere around you if you’re willing to dream, ask, and listen. The lessons I’ve learned are grounded in the journey I’ve taken. So, I’d like to share some story of my life—and some of the lessons people have taught me—with you in the pages that follow.” ~Robert Reffkin, No One Succeeds Alone

The Core: 

“The greatest remedy for anger is delay.” ~Seneca

“Your heart broke in pieces. It will heal in pieces too.” ~Najwa Zebian

“You don’t need to add anything to get peace of mind, you need to subtract everything you don’t need.” ~Orange Book

“If you can’t explain your field without using jargon from within the field itself you aren’t an expert in your field.” ~@DanTalks1

“Don’t get comfortable in your setback…It’s not a setback if it’s preparing you for your greatest breakthrough.” ~Bishop T.D. Jakes

“Your ultimate goal isn’t building a writing habit. It’s falling so in love with interesting ideas that you can’t help but tell the world about them. Writing is the medium—not the objective.” ~Julian Shapiro

“There is no shortage of people who will find you physically beautiful, but finding someone who matches the maturity you are looking for, the dedication to grow, the humor that brings you comfort, and someone who just feels right in your arms and life is incredibly unique.” ~Yung Pueblo

“When you’re with me, no judgement / You can get that from anyone else / You don’t have to prove nothin’ / You can just be yourself / When you’re with me, no judgement / We can get that from everyone else / And we don’t have to prove nothin’ / When you’re with me, no judgement.” ~Niall Horan, No Judgement

“Anything worthwhile doing is worthwhile doing lousy. If it wasn’t worthwhile doing, you shouldn’t have done it at all. On the other hand, if it is worthwhile doing and you wait until you can do it perfectly, if you procrastinate, you run the risk of not doing it. Ever. Therefore, anything worthwhile doing is worthwhile doing lousy. Your reputation will probably be better within the company if you try many times and succeed sometimes than if you fear failure and only try for sure things.” ~Al Ries and Jack Trout, Positioning 

“But I really wan show that you really can’t test me / Even on days, when they tried to arrest me / But if you live a lie, there’s no way you could get me / Pissed em off, they locked up in a celly / Then e shock dem when they see me on the telly / You know, I’m a vibe and I run it as usual / I didn’t only come around just to make it / And I could shake rules but I’ll break it / You name it boy / Who knew I won’t care for the things that you do? / I could turn let everyone try me / ‘Cause you never gonna get what is for me…” ~Tems, Replay

“Well, I mean just in the fact, if you ever watch [Michael Jordan] play, look at where he catches the ball, look at his pivot, his footwork, the way he shoots it, the way he keeps the ball in the pocket. Snaps the wrist every time, his ball handling. He went Air Jordan when it was in the air. That’s when his fundamentals allow him to get fancy. People saw the fancy parts and it’s like yeah, that’s the last half second. You missed the whole 20 seconds of him just dismantling somebody with angles and foot work and it’s a reason that he was able to be so successful. And yeah, that’s always like a young player’s thing and I went through the same thing as a young player, like, ‘No, you want to ...’ I fight this every day myself. You want to do the fancy stuff. You want to get right to the fancy, you want people to go ooh and ah. But at the end of the day, it’s about being successful and about putting the ball in the hoop. That’s the object of basketball. Fundamentally wouldn’t you want to be as efficient as possible?” ~Chris Bosh, Hunger and Greatness. episode #120 of The Knowledge Project w/ Shane Parrish

Last Set: 

“People don’t wanna see me succeed, this [stuff] come with that / Even when I come back, I don’t know if it’s me that’s gonna be coming back / Soon as I left, I had to make peace with that… /  Even if they make a movie ‘bout us, this [stuff]’ll be hard to re-enact / Dislocated shoulder, it’s hard to be always reaching back / All these IOU’s, it’s hard for me to be keeping track / Friends that dedicated they life to just keepin’ me intact / Hard to pay [James] pay [Dre], pay [Trae] back / All the nights I needed to vent to someone and [Parker] sat / All the nights [Teets] was pulling up where I need him at / All the times [Largey] was making sure that my luggage packed / Or times he had to double back (Oh-oh, oh-oh)” ~Drake, The Remorse(with my own audible)

Food For Thought:

“In 2013, I was the #1 overall pick in the MLB Draft. 5 years later, I was called ‘the biggest bust in MLB history.’ Today, I’m working my way back, and I’m here to share both the hard-earned lessons I’ve learned along the way. Talent Finds a Way. Don’t Worry About Who’s Watching. I played 2 years of high school varsity as a relief pitcher, pitching only 30 innings. 7 teammates had college commitments before I did. Through hard work, I finally earned a @stanfordbsb scholarship my senior year. Tell Someone You Believe in Them. It Goes a Long Way. During freshman year, a team captain called a player meeting. Despite my poor play in pre-season, he told me I was one of the best pitchers we had. He believed in me and for the first time I began to believe in myself. Opportunity Comes When You Least Expect It. Be Ready. My sophomore year, our #1 Friday starter sliced his finger open two weeks before the season.  He was out all year. I stepped in and ended up pitching every Friday night for the next 3 seasons, becoming a top MLB draft pick. It’s Your Career. You Can Always Say ‘No’. As a junior, I was named the best pitcher in college baseball and was pegged to be a top 3 pick in the MLB draft. Pittsburgh took me with the 8th pick, offering me $3.8mm. I said no. Less than a year later, I signed for over $6mm. Know Your Priorities. This one may be contrarian b/c of the previous tweet. Many thought I declined the Pirates’ offer because of money, but these were bigger factors: 1) Relationships, 2) Education, 3) Chasing a Dream. I still consider all of these more valuable than $ $. You Can Be Content Without Being Complacent. Definitions: *Contentment: peace with what you have and who you are. *Complacency: unaware self-satisfaction. One expresses thankfulness, humility, and joy. The other ingratitude, pride, and apathy. Be content, not complacent. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. In 2014, I experienced depression for the first time in my life. After a stretch of terrible games, I broke down and destroyed a locker room wall. When the dust settled (figuratively and literally), even though I wasn’t okay, I knew my life would be. Regularly Assess Your Reality and Redefine Your Wins. When I first got injured, my reality changed, but I never honestly assessed what I needed to change. After 3 years, my health and performance continued to deteriorate. When life circumstances change, accept them and adjust. Don’t Be Afraid To Take a Break. By January 2018, I had been hurt for the majority of two years. I was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained. It was time for a break. If you are burnt out, take a break—you can pick up again when you’re ready. Relationships are Everything (pt.1). For the first time in my life, I had a summer entirely to myself. I kayaked in NC, backpacked in CO, went fishing in OR, had family dinner every Sunday night, and served in my church. In relationships I rediscovered purpose and joy. Relationships are Everything (pt.2). Having 2-3 (or more) friends who share commitment to one another can change your life. In friends, you find courage. And in courage, you find belief. As Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life reminds us: ‘No man is a failure who has friends.’ Keep a Long Perspective. After shoulder surgery in October 2018, it would be over 30 months before I played in another game. Without perspective, disappointment is your constant companion. With perspective, patience is your friend and progress happens quicker than expected.” ~Mark Appel (on his Twitter, 9/17/21)

Food For Thought II:

I felt compelled to add this once again given the spelling errors on my part. Ryan would expect more from me. I respect y’all too much to just let it slide. I’m better than that. 2nd and 10, get right back under center and run your play.

“Do you really want to win or just look good losing?!? This is one of the more important questions you have to ask yourself each week in business. Most people don’t have a sincere commitment to winning. W’s take time and hard work. They’re the result of marathon not sprint work. Finding that extra gear that pushes you to win is about remembering why you got started in the first place. People won’t ever be able to take away that why. That why is sacred. ‘Money,’ ‘Fame,’ ‘Respect,’ don’t normally hold up. The real real reason you keep going. Your why won’t have to pivot even though the business may. This is your true north. The thing you remind yourself of when they say your dream is impossible. That part of the journey is important though. Boos do something to the soul that cheers unfortunately can’t accomplish. If your why becomes a little blurry then rely on your competitive instinct. Have a deep belief that it’s going to be hard to beat you because you are willing to go to places others won’t to win. Nothing illegal or immoral, just quiet confidence that you have more endurance. But that belief starts with fundamental questions. It begins with asking yourself do you really want to win. Do you practice like it? More than affirmations. Do you do the work to make it happen? New week. Let’s get after it. Shoutout to @LittleBrotherNC. Your work still continues to inspire us.” ~Ryan Wilson

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