Not as much reading as I would have liked this month but I started listening to the All In podcast with Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya and David Friedberg. Really enjoying it. I’m impressed that they can have difficult conversation on complicated topics while still maintaining good relationships.
What’s your go-to podcast? I’d love to hear from you!
Books, articles, etc.
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen (Book)
Yes, I reread Clayton Christensen’s timeless classic once more. Parenting has been on my mind and this passage hit me:
The natural tendency of many parents is to focus entirely on building your child’s résumé: good grades, sports successes, and so on. It would be a mistake, however, to neglect the courses your children need to equip them for the future. Once you have that figured out, work backward: find the right experiences to help them build the skills they’ll need to succeed. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
And my favorite quote from the book still resonates:
You can talk all you want about having a clear purpose and strategy for your life, but ultimately this means nothing if you are not investing the resources you have in a way that is consistent with your strategy.
Simple, but profound.
How Exercise May Tame Our Anxiety by Gretchen Reynolds (Article)
Put this article in the not surprising, definitely makes sense camp. The large-scale study of almost 200,000 cross-country skiers found that being physically active halves the risk of developing clinical anxiety over time. The study, from Sweden, focused on skiing, but the researchers said almost any kind of aerobic activity likely helps protect us against excessive worry and dread.
When people start working out they typically grow calmer, more resilient, happier and less apt to feel unduly sad, nervous or angry than before. More exercise is linked with substantially lower chances of developing severe depression; conversely, being sedentary increases the risk for depression. Soooooo… yeah.
Over the last few years I’ve been fairly consistent at exercising. It’s more than just a nice to have. It’s become essential for me. Sure, there are physical benefits, but I’ve found the mental and emotional ones to be more important. Candidly, I don’t think I could have survived 2020 without regular rides up Mt Diablo in Walnut Creek.
Observations
How to Find True Joy
I stumbled on the following quote and have been thinking about it a lot.
Enduring joy comes neither from amassing material wealth nor in doing reportable deeds. True joy comes from becoming all that you may become.
What can you do now to become the person you want to be?
Career Q&A with Nolan Church, CEO of Continuum (#15)
The next Career Q&A is with Nolan Church, who is the CEO of Continuum, an executive talent marketplace. Nolan and I were peers at DoorDash and he’s one of the most talented people I’ve worked with.
In this Q&A, Nolan offers great advice on taking calculated risks, surrounding yourself with people better than you, and the need to constantly push yourself.
Gratitudes
I’ve found power in regularly expressing gratitude so I’ll continue the habit. I’m grateful for Matt Wilpers. Matt is a cycling and running instructor and his classes have helped me improve at both disciplines. His optimism makes the workouts fun and engaging.
If you've read anything worth sharing I'd love to hear about it. And do let me know if there's anything I can do to help you.
Nathan
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