Oh, hi friends!
Are you moving with the wind at your back?
I was talking with a friend the other day about writing, and asked if she and her collaborator were starting with music first (in which the composer writes music and you write words to fit that music) or lyrics first (in which the lyricist writes a lyric and the composer sets that to music).
She said she was doing lyrics first, which always felt a lot easier to her, and said: Why not work with the wind at my back?
What a concept!!!
We so often stand with our faces and bodies aimed towards the wind.
Because that’s how I’ve always done it.
Because it’s easier on someone else.
Because I take pride in traveling the long road.
Because that’s what I ‘should’ do.
But what might change with the wind at your back?
How will you improve?
How fast—and how far—can you go?
“We each have the same 168 hours every week. But time is also all about the stories we tell ourselves. When life is full of have-to-dos, with only brief periods of downtime in between, we can feel beaten down by responsibilities. But add things we actually want to do, to compete with those have-to-dos, and time feels different. We feel a bit more in control of our lives.”
The buzzy idea of “quiet quitting” makes me quietly depressed, so I was very into this essay by Laura Vanderkam featuring the clickable headline, “There’s a Better Way to Reclaim Your Time Than ‘Quiet Quitting.’” The big takeaway: You need more engagement in your life, not less.
Thanks to Charlotte for sending and always knowing exactly what will resonate.
A Very Good Animal Video Suggestion from Colin
"On a cool New Zealand day amid blowing wind and rain, a 7-month-old Royal Albatross chick became the first of this year's nestlings to fledge from the headland at the Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve. Watch as the chick perks up, spreads her massive wings, and lets the wind take her down toward the open ocean. She'll spend the next several years at sea before returning home to find a mate.”
Watch here. She takes flight around the 2:25 mark.
Am I crying? Am I feeling feelings? Why is this so inspiring?! Oh wait, she’s moving with the wind at her back!
Here’s to taking our own big leaps today.
And in case you missed it, here’s my latest podcast episode with Adam Gwon, talking all things writing. Thanks for all the kind feedback on this one, he’s a gem!