What I'm thankful for...
In 1998, Kurt Vonnegut gave the commencement speech at Rice University.
One passage that I'll never forget:
Up to this point this speech has been new stuff, written for this place and this occasion. But every graduation address I've delivered has ended, and this one will, too, with old stuff about my Uncle Alex, my father's kid brother.
A Harvard graduate, Alex Vonnegut was locally useful in Indianapolis as an honest insurance agent. He was also well-read and wise. One thing which Uncle Alex found objectionable about human beings was that they seldom took time out to notice when they were happy.
He himself did his best to acknowledge it when times were sweet. We could be drinking lemonade in the shade of an apple tree in the summertime, and he would interrupt the conversation to say, "If this isn't nice, what is?"
So, I hope that you Adams and Eves in front of me will do the same for the rest of your lives. When things are going sweetly and peacefully, please pause a moment, and then say out loud:
"If this isn't nice, what is?"
There are a lot of tiny beauties in life that are easy to miss if you’re moving too fast to appreciate them.
When we lean into gratitude for these moments, feelings, and people, we find new joy and happiness in our lives.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, my hope is that we can all slow down and embrace those tiny beauties, today and all days.
I'll start:
As I look at my growing little family, and see the bond that my wife and son have, I constantly feel it.
If this isn't nice, what is?
***
What are you feeling especially thankful for today?
Share it below and spread the positivity.
Because if this isn't nice, what is?
Life lessons from my father that I want to teach to my son:
1. You can tell everything you need to know about a person by observing how they treat service workers.
2. Hard work will never be overrated. You have to work hard if you want to get ahead.
3. You don't need to have an opinion on everything. It's perfectly reasonable to have no opinion on something that you haven't researched or don't understand.
4. You can get pretty damn far in life by just saying what you're going to do and then doing it.
5. Showing up early costs very little and pays off handsomely in the long run.
6. Waking up early is the easiest way to improve your odds of success. You don't have to wake up early to be successful, but you rarely find an early riser that isn't winning.
7. Having good posture is a physical and mental unlock for life.
8. Being kind to people is the only real life hack. Kindness remains severely underrated.
9. Consistency is everything. You should never bet against a person who just keeps showing up.
10. Most of us need fewer friends and more intellectual sparring partners. Friends are pleasant and easy to come by, but intellectual sparring partners question our assumptions and force us to level up.
Those are 10 life lessons I learned from my father that I want to teach to my son.
If you enjoyed this, follow me @SahilBloom for more in future.
A 🧵on where my head is with Achilles tendon (AT) ruptures.
A rupture likely occurs in a tendon with ⬇️tissue quality. Most often in a region of the AT that is remodelling as it tries to adapt to ⬆️activity levels. A silent tendinopathy, perhaps?
#AchillesTendon#Rupture
(1/)
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30 notes that I believe help coaching (particularly sub elite) and build teams from my experience as I head towards 30 years of it.
Based on observations & experience of what not to do as well as what works well. And some learning and a total commitment to making mistakes
I’ve trained with:
• Navy SEALs
• Elite athletes
• Serial entrepreneurs
One thing they had in common?
Unbeatable minds.
Here are 9 powerful mindset lessons I learned from them (that you can use, too):