Three Bullet Thursday: June 10th, 2021

Hi friends! Inspired by Tim Ferriss’ Five Bullet Friday, every Thursday I will be sharing three things I’ve been exploring during the week. Welcome to Three Bullet Thursday!

• Concept I’m Pondering: Familiarity is an addiction
  • YouTube must know I’ve been feeling philosophical lately, because a video called Jordan Peterson on Alcohol popped up as a suggested video. Don’t scroll past just yet, as the conversation quickly shifts from alcohol to addiction in general, and I soon learned that we are addicted to more than just substances.
  • When asked why people are so addicted to familiarity, Jordan Peterson had a painfully insightful answer. He said that even if we don’t like our current situation, we know we can survive it. If we make a change we are faced with all these unknown risks that turns out to be really scary. However, he warns us that the risks of staying in a situation we don’t actually want are far more dangerous. “Where are you going to be in five years? You are going to be just like you are now, except a lot more of what’s good about you will be gone, and a lot more of what’s terrible is going to be amplified.”
  • The lesson here is that EVERYTHING HAS RISK. Staying in a cushy job has risk. Starting your own business has risk. Living in the United States has risk. Moving to another country has risk. Now that’s not meant to be discouraging, in fact he suggests we find some relief in it. How’s that? Well #1 You can pick your risk and #2 You are a lot tougher than you think… So even though there is risk everywhere, if you confront it forthrightly, what you’ll find is that you can actually handle the risk, and that’s where you’ll find the security.

• What I’m Watching: Last Chance U: Basketball
  • While we are on the topic of choosing a lifepath in the face of risk, let’s talk about Last Chance U: Basketball. It’s a docuseries that brings us into the complex world of junior college athletes – from the classroom to the court and everything in between.
  • None of these athletes have it easy. They are up against incredible odds. Anyone trying to play professional basketball is. But these guys have an additional handicap, they have an extra step – finding success at the junior college level before even being considered by a D1 school.
  • The reason I love this show is the dedication the athletes, and let’s not forget the coaches, have to their craft. Sure, these guys make mistakes, that’s why they are where they are, but the point is that they haven’t given up. And that means they still have a chance.

• What I’m Enjoying: Farming
  • Yesterday, a friend of mine who works at a local farm, Ekar Farm, invited a group of us to come and help plant some veggies. We dug trenches, prepared the soil for the plants, prepared the plants for the soil, planted, watered, added some Florida Weave to give those little ones something to grab on, threw on a reemay cloth to protect ‘em, and finally dropped some sandbags in just the right spots to keep everything in place.
  • Things I loved about the experience:
    • Getting my hands dirty
      • There is something so lovely and refreshing about literally being in the dirt and interacting with the earth on such an intimate level
    • Actually participating in the growing of food
      • Like how cool is it that one day, someone is going to eat the cucumbers we planted?
    • Community
      • We came together, worked as a team, and accomplished something – while having so much fun along the way. I think there is an inherent satisfaction in working as a team in a physical endeavor like farming, at least for me.
  • If you’re in Denver and want to volunteer, you should reach out! https://www.ekarfarm.org/

Hope you enjoyed this week’s Three Bullet Thursday! Please share your thoughts feedback in the comments below, especially if you have any recommendations for me!

See you next week!