"The best way out is always through"
#49 - why you should be ready to take a punch
Hi there,
3 months to Christmas! Is it too early to listen to Christmas music? I haven’t yet, but been considering it 🎄.
The air has been a bit chilly in a week of getting (back) into routines. We’ve gone through the whole timetable cycle once and work patterns & home habits have started to settle in.
Along with other friends who achieved high marks in the summer, I’ve been making a booklet designed to help the year below us, which has gone splendidly. People have bought into the idea and we’re nearly done with a fabulous example of team work and great minds wiring together.
Highlight of the week: choosing to and somewhat successfully playing a 4-bar solo in our Friday (school jazz band) Funky Bishops rehearsal. Although it wasn’t quite Mozart, I enjoyed the chance to have a go, taking the opportunity to dive out of my comfort zone. I can only describe the feeling as feeling “10 feet tall”.
“The Only Way is Through” reads the slogan of the sports apparel brand Under Armour. Today I discovered what that really means.
This afternoon, Mum and I had a difficult conversation about my instruments and whether I’m doing justice to the money invested into my learning to play them. It was a hard conversation, one I’d subconsciously tried to avoid and would’ve loved to not have, but I think it’s ended up well. Whilst I’ve been tasked with doing a few calculations that will end up making me confront a cold, hefty number, I do think it’s the most productive, hard-hitting way forward, even if it means I’m shoved with guilt.
It’s important to be kind to yourself, of course. But sometimes, the right thing to do is to be brave, accept responsibility and bear (the pain and jolt of) a hard truth. Facing a monster - low grades, an unfit body, trying to repair a distasteful argument - is difficult and you want to put it off, ignore it and dodge it so badly.
But, really, see it as an opportunity (#growthmindset) to take the more courageous option and admit your failings. It is so hard to poke into that inflated, precious ego of ours, put your hands up and say “Sorry, I was wrong.” However, it’s the more productive, effective and right thing to do.
Beating around the bush, kicking the can down the road, pretending that it isn’t a problem, refusing to talk about it - these are all weak coping mechanisms and you don’t want to be weak, do you?
For me, this has showed up on two other occasions:
My hockey accident. As time has passed, providing the space to come to terms with what happened, I’ve gradually accepted more of the blame for not wearing a gum shield. And let me tell you, it hurts. When I see friends celebrating goals and wins with their teammates on the pitch whilst I’m stood on the sideline, dreaming of what could have been, it’s brutal. But taking it into my own hands means I can accept my mistake, learn from it and move forwards, rather than living in the frustration of someone else’s mistake.
At the start of Year 11. This will be a whole blog post one day in the future but here’s a snippet: I wasn’t happy with my End-of-Year exam scores in Year 10. Therefore, the weekend before school resumed, I sat down and wrote a journal entry titled ‘An honest conversation before Year 11’, a transcript of an out-loud analysis of what went wrong last year. It was again tough to know that it was my fault I didn’t do as well as I would’ve wanted to, but look at where it’s put me a year on: getting the highest grades I possibly could. This is proof that this principle works.
When you are faced with a problem, don’t squeal or squirm. I know it’s hard, but ultimately life is hard (another truth to deal with). Lift your head and attack the problem, direct and head-on. The best way to get it done is to get it done.
Book of the week 📖
Nearly at the finish line of How to Win Friends and Influence People. The Economics book The Wealth of Nations is eagerly waiting for my company, but I’ve been diving into articles about the author Adam Smith’s theories playing out in the UK economic policies this week.
Podcast of the week🎙️
Deep Questions with Cal Newport: Ep. 212: The Productivity Dragon Returns
This computer science professor and productivity genius goes through a bunch of questions sent in, as he does every week. It’s a long one, but find the bit about managing time and productivity, a form of inspiration for today’s post.
Article of the week 📰
A bit of advice for creators today, is to go against the grain and stop chasing growth. Some well-argued good points were made.
Quote of the week 💬
Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you rather would have talked.- Doug Larson/Mark Twain
I hope you have a fabulous week. See you then!
Adi