Another week, another set of huge wins! However, before we get to them, I just wanted to say thank you to the person reading this… YOU. I don’t have millions of people reading this every Sunday just yet, but I do appreciate those who chose to spend their Sundays with me.
Why is this relevant? This week reminded me of where I started 11.5 months ago just after my injury. Sure, I’ve made a lot of progress… but I haven’t done it alone. For those of you who reply to this newsletter, send me DMs on socials, or just text me about how something stuck with them throughout the week, just know I am grateful.
Now, let’s put away the tissues and get busy 🥲
Weekly Wins
I am officially driving again! It’s been a long ass road (pun intended), but we are back in the driver’s seat (pun x2). Over the last 11.5 months, I’ve set the unofficial record for tallest “passenger prince” in LA. As of Thursday, my streak came to an end thanks to one pedal driving. As my homie Relle would say, “He’s got MOTION.”
I hosted my first DJ event of 2025! 35 of my friends gathered at a wine bar in DTLA just to hang out, vibe to some chill music, and just connect with each other. I love hosting and bringing people together, so it’s a blessing to be back in the mix with that.
I got a MUCH NEEDED “Boys Night Out” with my men’s league teammates. Post injury, I hadn’t really gotten a chance to hang out with them due to my constant surgical schedule. We laughed, we reminisced, and we planned more nights out because we know how healthy it is just to be around good energy.
EV charging definitely takes some getting used to.
This week’s theme is community. As you’ve seen from all 3 of the wins, I don’t do this alone. I had a period where I would “lone wolf” a lot of things in my life. Not out of spite for others, just a genuine curiosity for where life would take me if I just went about it solo.
Go to Bali and rent a villa for myself? Check.
Fly to Tokyo and spend 12 hours in Shibuya walking the streets alone? Check.
Lose my wallet in Amsterdam and have to take the train back to Belgium solo? Check.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve learned A LOT about myself whenever I have decided to venture out on my own. But something always felt like it was missing. For the longest time, I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew it was something that money couldn’t buy.
So I decided to give traveling with friends a shot. As someone who’s extremely Type A with my sleep and schedule (even while on vacation), I knew it would be an adjustment. No matter where I am, I will be getting up to work out and eat breakfast before most people even have a chance to hit snooze.
What I learned from this experience is that I could have the best of both worlds. I could still wake up early to work out AND hang out with my friends while wandering around big cities in search of the next glass of wine. It was at this point I knew that community was what really filled that void I mentioned earlier.
Fast forward to last night (Saturday). After hosting my event, I went out with my teammates and it was everything I needed it to be. Jokes. Tequila. Bonding.
Even with all the good going on, it reminded me of two harsh truths that I’ve learned over the last year.
First, the older we get, the harder it is to maintain friendships. Not necessarily because we mean to neglect them, but because our own personal lives get busy and main character syndrome kicks in. We’re the only characters in our stories and nothing else matters.
In recent conversations, I’ve started telling other “lone wolves” to think of their lives as an Oscar-winning film. Sure, you can be up for “Best Actor”, but the true great films have nominations across the board.
Best Supporting Actor. Best Cinematography. Best Score. All of these make a great film and should be a reminder to you to surround yourself with the best team to make an all-time great film.
Sam, Q, and a bottle of hand soap. Great supporting actors.
The second thing is that people will gladly be in your corner… when it suits them. Oof. I found this out the hard way on several occasions. When you’re up, it’s easy to be around you. When you’re down, you see who was just there to borrow some of your limelight to make it look they’re shining too.
Now let’s draw the parallel between these two lessons. True community feels unconditional. Transient community feels transactional.
I’m very fortunate to have a couple circles of true community. At 33, more things are trying to keep us apart than let us get together. Work, finances, or health seem to get in the way as we get older. However, true community makes it work. Transient community sees if it fits their schedule because they’ve “got a lot on their plate.”
As you’re reading this, I’m hoping you’re thinking about which people in your life fit into each bucket. Maybe there’s even a third or fourth category that I’m missing. If so, definitely reply so I can learn something new this week, too.
This week’s homework is quite simple. I’d just like you to take inventory on who’s who. If you’re subscribed this newsletter, odds are you’re intelligent and have a high EQ. With that being said, I’m willing to bet there are some people who feel solely transactional.
Limit their access to your energy. Trust me now. Thank me later. Transactions are for the bank, not for the members of your true community.
Have an intentional week and see you next Sunday 🏁
**My goal is to keep these ~1000 words from now on. I’m working on concise communication with my clients and I can’t be a hypocrite.