09 | 🏁 Just start
Yo,
The sun has finally got his hat on and we are hip hip hooraying! The main aim of this email is for me to think out loud on how to be a better person and enjoy life more. To be honest, moving to a hot country would probably help. Only joking. Haha. Ha?
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The tube en route home from Wednesday night football is a great time to sit back, relax, and have a think about life. Not being able to use a phone underground is definitely a blessing (though it won't last for much longer)!
After a demoralising 5-3 loss this week, I sat on the Central line and had a think about this email - mainly why I hadn't written it already. Not sure what to write about, is there a point - all the usual thoughts. But one prevailing idea always comes back to me:
Just start.
I can f***ing plan
I'm bloody good at planning. I've planned the majority of holidays I've been on with mates (great accolade), and my job title is media planner. I'm even better at planning a new newsletter, or a video, or any sort of project.
Trust me - I can plan.
Planning is fun, because I can plan to do anything, and I can hope to expect all sorts of great results. Reading around the thing I want to do, watching videos about it, talking to people - all fantastic.
Doing is hard. That's where the motivation is needed. It's like staring at a mountain of tasks to be done, and not knowing where to start - so I don't.
Often I need that one kick up the backside to get going. Motivation is this mythical thing that we always talk about, but is hard to summon at times.
Just start
So, simple as that: Just start. I started this newsletter with the following notes:
Can spend your whole life planning ahead but if you’re not gonna make a start then it’s both pointless and a waste of time
I’m v good at planning
Diets new habits life changes
Based off those notes, here I am. Practicing what I preach.
Starting small is a great way to Just start.
But, just starting is also important in itself. Not so much how to Just start (e.g. start small), but also when to just start.
Usually, the answer is now.
Thanks! 😎
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How am I 1% better this week? 📈
I started a daily running habit this week and will be documenting my experience in a video that’ll come out mid July. So I'm 1% better because I'm running more!
What have I learned this week? 🤔
Sun cream sun cream sun cream. Especially factor 50 for the face at all times! Even during non-summer. I use Ambre Solaire Super UV Face Protection (SPF 50) which is very nice and not oily or sticky.
This Week’s Recommendation 🔝
Skincare 🧴 - La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Lotion (toner)
At times my skin can be terrible with loads of acne on my forehead. I’ve tried a good few different toners but usually they don’t have a huge effect. I’ve been using this La Roche Posay one for a good few months now and its gotten rid of about 90/95% of it. On offer at Boots a lot, too.
This Week I’m: ⬇️
Reading 📚 - The Shortest History of England - James Hawes (so far so good, and v short)
Listening to 🎧 - *I Did The Best I Could* - Jim-E Stack (A Fred Again favourite - I dare you to not like this track)
Thinking about 💭 - How to drink less alcohol in life. It's the root cause of most of my tiredness/lack of weight loss/money drain/occasional low energy etc
Doing 🏃🏻♂️ - Running everyday in June. I'm writing about the runs day by day on this thread to keep myself accountable and reflect a bit!
This Week’s Quote 💬
Perhaps because our first question upon meeting people tends to be ‘What do you do?’, and because this is taken to mean ‘What do you do for a living?’, we are used to being judged on the basis of our jobs’
— Happy - Derren Brown
This Week’s Video 📺
This should've been the video I'm still working on. I will definitely post it here next week.
There we have it!
Looking forward to catching up next week.
In the meantime, find me on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and have a look at what I’m reading on Goodreads. Ciao!