Hey there fellow Apprentices,
It’s been a short minute, hasn’t it?
Well rest assured I’m back in your inbox with a personal update on everything happening in my life at the moment. As always, I’ve tried to find a theme or two to string together the variety of experiences I’ve had, rather than simply listing everything I’ve done. Hopefully I’ve managed it again this time.
Quick shout-out to YOU for deciding to read this post. It means a lot that you’d spend your precious minutes on this content. Thank you for giving me the motivation to share my thoughts each week. I’ll never take it for granted.
Let’s get into it.
What’s Been Going On
As a slower 6 weeks, it’s been a mixed bag.
Living by myself has meant that I can go days without having a meaningful conversation with someone. I’ve not been entirely alone. I’ve still had virtual calls with clients, messages from friends, catch-ups with family and small talk with strangers. But, at times a week or so can pass before I have a chat that really sets the heart on fire. You know those ones where you’re so engaged with the present moment that time slips away from you.
The resulting aloneness has given me an abundance of time for introspection. There have been days that I’ve found myself completely at peace, tapping away at my keyboard while looking out onto the beautiful countryside and losing myself in the soft humming of the Discover Weekly playlist. And there have been others in which the mind spirals into sadness, questioning the point of everything and draining me of my usual optimism for the future.
But, throughout these highs & lows, there’s been a common theme…
Resilience. Best demonstrated through my training regime in which I haven’t missed a single day of exercise since 2nd Oct 2022, my ability to pick myself up whatever the sort of day I’m having has impressed me immeasurably. I knew my self-talk was pretty positive, but I didn’t appreciate the depths from which I could regulate my own emotions. I’ve come a long way in the last few years. And although surrounding myself with friends is the preferable option, I now believe I can withstand even the most difficult of emotions on my own.
So, to remember these times, I wrote a little poem…
A black dog came to stay. Knowing I was without my little ray. It looked me right in the eye. And asked me if I wanted to die. I'd been here before. With too many memories to store. But this time was different. To my own strength I was ignorant. Toward me the hound smiled. Sure he was that I'd be exiled. But in the corner I remained. Alive, staring and unfeigned.
Even as those future of work projects that I excitedly told you about in the last Diary did not come to fruition, I’ve found ways to turn them into learning experiences. From reminding myself to involve senior decision makers earlier to the importance of timings in business cycles, there are takeaways for the future. And rather than letting the rejections get me down, I’ve been reinvesting the time into other important projects…
One being the Mastery In Your 20s community. Now 20 members strong, it’s been deeply fulfilling to see those with similar experiences of living with many passions come together in one place. From the initial introductions to the first virtual session held last Sunday to getting everything ready for the 1st in-person meet-up on 24th March, there’s been a positive forward momentum. I’ve tried to start small, focus on the most important experiences first and tie them all to the Theory of Mastery.
I’ve got lots of ideas that I’m keen to implement with the community over the coming months. However, I’ve refrained from going too fast too soon because I believe there needs to be consistent experiences that bring people together before asking too much of members or mixing in too much spontaneity.
But, you can be sure I’ll be adding in even more soon. If you’re wanting a look under the hood on what the community is all about, have a read here.
Amongst all this, I’ve also secured a new home in Wimbledon with my friend and fellow triathlete Dan for a move-in next weekend. The location is prime, the space is sublime and I’m sure it’ll be pretty awesome (most) of the time.
It marks the start of a new chapter and the beginning of London 2.0. Raising the stakes with the inevitable higher costs of living, I’m excited to be experiencing the fast life again. I’ve missed the friends, the endless list of things to do and the ease of meeting clients. And now that I’ve networked my way into a hectic yet manageable first week back I feel set-up for everything that’s to come. Whatever is ahead of me, it’s all figureoutable. All it takes is enough time, energy and focus on what’s important.
Now to enjoy the last 7 days here in Shropshire before packing the bags for a move to the big city. Living back in London, rather than hopping between friend’s sofas and dragging a bag of clothes along with me every time I visit is going to be one hell of a sweet change.
Moving away sure does make you appreciate the small things, eh…
This Month’s Lesson: Accept both the good days and the bad days. What’s important is not that life throws endless amazing experiences at you, but that you have the resilience to make the best of whatever comes your way.
What’s Coming Up Next
Here’s everything I expect is coming over the next 4 weeks…
Adjustment Back to London
Moving to a new place inevitably means resetting the routines. I’ll have to find a new swimming pool, discover the best places to train and get used to a new cadence within my weeks. It’s always the first 7 days that are the hardest. But, I know I’ll find my rhythm pretty quickly. All it’s gonna take is a little bit of patience. And the more I can get ahead on some of the work now, the easier it’ll make the adjustment next week.
Start of the Racing Season
After over 4 months of training it’s about time to see what’s possible. I’ve felt the muscle gain, the speed increase and the endless consumption of calories, but now it’s time to put it to the test. I’ve got a Half Marathon on 26th Feb and I’m excited to discover how different the fitness is off triathlon rather than running training. With an aim of sub 72:30 and an existing PB of 71:14 I have no idea how close I’ll be to the mark. So, let’s find out.
Mastery In Your 20s
Alongside continuing the weekly newsletter, I’ll be focusing my energy on expanding the value for the community. Whether it’s through more in-person events, spontaneous meet-ups or resources, my aim to to create such a positive experience that the members become advocates themselves and start inviting others who they feel will benefit to the community. Lots to do here, but baby steps. One foot forward at a time.
Landing a New Project
Cash isn’t an issue until the end of April, but I am keen to get back to working in teams to solve future of work problems. I’ve missed the fast-paced, high-impact work. So, I’ve been setting up connections all throughout January and now it’s time to see where they take me. No expectations, I’m just following a genuine curiosity and I expect something will land soon.
A Final Note
That’s everything from me for this Diary. On the whole I’m in a good place. I’m managing the many unknowns without too much anxiety and looking forward to the start of the next chapter.
So, as always, thank you for reading. It means a lot. But, that’s enough about me… What was the theme of your January?
Coming back from my father's funeral I've learned the same thing. Terrible things happen and you either let it ruin you or make the best of it and move forward.