T.H.U.R.S. #4

Hola and welcome to The Summit, my biweekly newsletter where I share my unfiltered thoughts on navigating the peaks and valleys of adulthood.

My mission is to question everything, grow every day and have fun along the way. The Summit’s mission is to invite you to do the same.

Today: T.H.U.R.S. #4

Thoughts:

Something light:

The compound interest of memories: the idea that the joy you experience doing something (this could be anything) lasts for many years to come.

Everyone has heard the quote: “money comes back, memories don’t” but what does this really mean (other than an excuse to blow all your money in Europe!)?

Well, I loved how Bill Perkins broke this down on a podcast episode of Modern Wisdom (yes, the same episode that I have referenced in three articles now - it’s a banger!). Consider two scenarios:

Scenario A: You spend 5k to go on a ski trip with all of your mates this year.

Scenario B: You invest 5k in the stock market, let compound interest do it’s thing, then in ten years, you pull out 10k and go on two ski trips that year! Double the fun right?

Which would you choose?

You might think delayed gratification is the way to go (or you might not) but the thing that people often forget is the compound interest associated with scenario A. Yes, you experience joy during the ski trip this year, but you also carry joy with you for the next ten years every time you reminisce, tell stories and share laughs with your friends - this is the compound interest of memories.

To add another layer, taking the ski trip this year also allows for the compound interest of the relationships you might develop and people you might meet on the trip. Say you meet a new life-long friend on that ski trip that leads to even more good times over the years. All of a sudden that one ski trip is worth a whole lot more than just 5k…

I am not saying you should drop everything and go on a ski trip (well maybe 🤥), but that you should always consider the compound interest of the memories you will create.

Something heavy:

A few weeks ago, I was sitting down with a group of mates. We had a few beers, some food and were just chatting absolute garbage - pretty standard for a group of youngins. Then out of the blue, one of my mates said something that took us all aback:

"Do you think when we are older, these will be the good old the days?"

...wow...

These are the good old days. Right now.

Highlights:

My favourite thing I learnt this week: How to read more efficiently (non-fiction).

I started a new book recently, Never Split the Difference (which I have been really enjoying so far), and it reminded me of a really interesting video that one of my friends sent me a while back:

If you like reading non-fiction, this could be for you. The main idea is that you do not need to read every word on every page to learn the content - the same way you don't learn high-school physics or biology by reading every page of the textbook. Sab (the youtuber and doctor) explains how authors have to write in an engaging manner, with introductions, buffers, and many examples; but all you really need is the crux of each point/chapter.

He goes on to introduce specific strategies you can use to quickly skim pages, locate key paragraphs and absorb knowledge as quickly as possible.

But don't take his ideas the wrong way. These strategies are not for every book! If you are reading for entertainment, take your time and enjoy it. But if your purpose it to learn efficiently, swallow your pride (it hurts some people to skip pages) and give his strategies a try!

I'll report back how effective I find them 💪.

Uplift:

Something uplifting that I stumbled across and want to share: Showboating Gone Wrong

On our hike to the Middle Sister, I thought it would be a cool idea to hang off a little bridge and show off → hang by one hand, hit some pull ups and maybe do a front lever. See if you can guess what falls out of my pocket 🙄:

@gabriboo992

🫢 oops

Reflect:

A question I asked myself this week:

❓️Who is someone that is where I want to be in five/ten years? Why don't I reach out and ask to grab a coffee?

💁‍♂️ Great question Gabe, get on it 💪 

💁‍♂️ Seriously, this has been on my to-do list (quadrant 2) forever...

Summit:

A challenge I set myself: Summit the Middle Sister

Unfortunately, I must report that we were NOT able to summit the Middle Sister 😭. Although the hike was nothing short of beautiful, the weather turned on us and before we knew it, we were in the middle of a thunderstorm with wind gusts over 50km/hr (yes this is loads of fun when sleeping in a tent 🤡).

I should’ve ‘stayed hard’ I know, but the final part of the trail was along a steep and very exposed ridgeline where a strong gust could’ve sent me back down the mountain a little quicker than I would’ve liked…

Oh, and we encountered no bears! However, I was later informed that where we so brilliantly decided to set up camp - in between Little Sister and Middle Sister - is a wildlife corridor (meaning that all animals pass through this small area when trying to get to the other side)! That explains all the funky noises we heard at night…

Until next time Middle Sister 🤨.

The challenge this week: Speed Run Mount Fernie (see pic below):

The other day, I looked at this mountain and thought, if push came to shove and I had to run up this mountain as fast as I could, I reckon I could summit in less than 45 mins. Of course, I shared this shower thought with my friends and was met with laughter - a little too much for my liking. So, that is my discomfort challenge for the week, let’s see how hard I can push 🤪. Here is the trail btw, 1000m of elevation gain - too easy!

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