Remembrance of death & finding an executive coach
I’m one week into a month-long stay in San Diego.
I’ve surfed every day this week and barely worked.
Regardless, I have a few things to share that might be helpful to you.
On the way to dinner Matt and BillWhy I’m finding an executive coach
I recently decided to search for an executive coach - someone to help me tackle this next life chapter.
While I’ve looked down upon this idea in the past, I’ve come around to seeing a lot of value in it.
Eric Schmidt and Bill Gates make such a strong point in the 2-minute video below - all top artists, athletes, and leaders have coaches. Why not me?
My recent matra is “bring in the pros.” I’ve been doing my best to find the top professionals I can afford when dealing with personal challenges.
Years of knee pain due to running - my business partner Chris fixed me up.
Mental health - I used BetterHelp to find a therapist I love.
Mood, Anxiety, and ADHD - I went to Dr. Amen’s clinic to get my brain scanned, resulting in a tailored list of supplements I’ll soon be experimenting with and writing about here.
I’ve interviewed two coaches, each costing about $750 a month. Both coaches are non-committal, so if I don’t feel I’m getting $750 of value after the first month, I’ll simply stop.
I want the best shot at transitioning from a full-time corporate employee to a self-employed entrepreneur. Why not bring in the pros?
Remembrance of death
For years now, I’ve been driven by the remembrance of death. It helps me live presently with less regret.
While many view this as morbid, it’s core to who I am as a Greek Orthodox Christian. I also find this sentiment outside of religion. Take Steve Jobs:
“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.
Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”
The best way I’ve found to formalize the remembrance of death is with a reoccurring reminder in Todoist.
I recently re-wrote the reminder to be more actionable, as I found myself checking the box and moving on with my day with the old reminder (top).
The new reminder (bottom) forces me to pause and step into remembering death.
The Bungalow
Here are some day-in-the-life photos of the beach bungalow where I’m staying.
Monterey Dive Video Edit
I finalized a GoPro video of the Monterey scuba dive from last week. This is shot on GoPro Hero 10, with a protective housing, and a magenta Polar Pro Divemaster Filter.
Waves Caught this week
If you’ve never surfed, you probably imagine that a 1-hour session involves catching dozens of waves.
The reality is, for a beginner like me, I’m lucky if I catch three decent waves in a 1 hour surf session. Surfing at my stage mainly involves sitting in the water amongst other surfers, waiting for an ideal wave to arrive, then paddling and hoping you catch it.
Regardless, here are a few finer waves that came my way from 6 days in a row of surfing at San Diego’s Ocean Beach Pier.
Thanks
Thanks for reading my second-ever weekly update!
If you found this valuable or interesting or have any questions, please reach out!
