Reflecting on the Last 12 Months
It's been precisely a year since I started writing my weekly newsletter, so I've put together a summary of themes and topics I've written about during this period.
Happy Sunday!
It is precisely a year since I decided to start writing a weekly newsletter. That's 52 straight weeks, and I am yet to miss a single week – an achievement that silently fills me with pride. Over this period, I have written about topics of interests, things I've learned, voiced support for issues I wanted to raise awareness for and shared a life lesson or two.
I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I started this journey and I also didn't appreciate the level of commitment involved, as I didn't let anything stop me from writing – even when I was on holiday! A lesson from this experience is that by following a process and maintaining an incredible level of consistency, feats that may appear impossible at one point, suddenly become possible.
So this week, I thought I'll recap with some of the topics I've written about over the past 12 months.
It all started with a post titled Politics and Elections – this was my reflection on the UK's general election, which I said will determine the fate of our country for several generations. I still maintain the importance of the December 2019 general election as it's Johnson's government that has led us woefully through the Covid-19 pandemic. And a government that appears incompetent at signing an "oven-ready" deal to avoid crashing out of the transition period, following our exit from the European Union, without a deal.
Enough of politics for now, as I've since written about; how the best way to get rid of the elephant in the room is to simply mention it's existence. Or why I think New Year's resolutions suck. Why thinking long term trumps short term. A reminder that feelings are transient, whatever we're feeling right now, whatever we're going through at this very moment isn't permanent – things change and it's often quicker than we expect.
I also wrote about the mundanity of excellence – reflecting on a study that concluded that the only thing that separates the elites and the amateurs is that elites enjoy doing what others hate. On a similar note, I wrote about the common denominator of success, forming the habit of doing things that others don't like to do – the core idea in the speech by Albert E. N. Gray.
I explained why showing kindness goes a long way and that we all need to learn to become comfortable with the uncomfortable. I questioned whether a work-life balance is a fallacy. And raised awareness of the impact that Covid-19 has widened inequality in our society.
See here to read all issues from my weekly newsletter.
A lot has changed since I started writing a weekly newsletter over the past 52 weeks. Who would have thought that we were right in the middle of a global pandemic? It's been an incredible journey that I am so grateful I started. I've learned so much and it's refreshing to be able to look back and reflect on what I was thinking about at that particular moment. My only regret is that I hadn't started writing this earlier.
Which of the topics did you enjoy reading the most? Learned the most from? Or found most insightful? Let me know by replying to this email.
Have an awesome week ahead,
Samuel
Featured Article
Samuel Ajayi-Obe
Lazy Work, Good Work
As the economy has shifted from predominately agriculture to service industries, what looks like work may no longer appear as such. Work was previously measured as output e.g. how many widgets a worker produces in an hour.
However, knowledge workers are equally as productive just thinking about work and many highly successful people credit their best ideas to a long walk, soak in the bath or a nap. The article cleverly articulates why "lazy work" may not be so lazy.
Competition is for Losers with Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel, founder of Paypal and Palantir, discusses business strategy and monopoly theory. The premise of the lecture is that successful companies build a monopoly, but would never admit to such as it offers the opportunity for regulators to break them apart.
What Happened When I Quit Drinking Coffee For One Year
Quitting coffee for a year takes massive determination and willpower. That's exactly what Oliver did – he was a self confessed coffee addict. Yet he took on the challenge of quitting for a year to measure it's impact on his mood, body and lifestyle. As someone who drinks coffee almost every day, I'm glad it wasn't me trying out this experiment.
Tweet of the Week
Non-accredited investors should be rioting in the streets seeing YC turn $20k turn into $2,200,000,000.
— Dan Hightower🗼 (@DanHightowerJr) December 11, 2020
Allowed to buy lotto tickets, but can't invest in startups?!
You've got to be kidding me.
This Week's Wisdom
"Before you can control conditions, you must first control yourself. Self-mastery is the hardest job you will ever tackle. If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self."
– In the book, Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
I use readwise to resurface content I've previously highlighted. My followers can get an extra month for free by following this link.
Final Word
I’d love for you to share this email with a friend or two. I try to make this the best email you receive each week, and I hope you enjoy it. You can see all the weekly newsletters I have been writing here.
I’m also excited to grow and evolve this newsletter, making sure it remains relevant and helpful for all readers. Ideas, feedback, and suggestions are encouraged. Simply reply to this email, or drop me a DM on twitter @SamuelObe_
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