In a world where we could have just about everything we want at a moment’s notice, we have to pick and choose where we allocate our energy and always remember that while good things are fleeting,

Great Things Take Time

Your intentions can be there, but they don’t always mean you’ll have success. Unfortunately, “good vibes” aren’t the only thing that can give you what you want out of life… which is exactly what happened in my 41st year.

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Table of Contents

• 41: Crash and Burn

• Moments with Maurice

• What's Got Me Smilin'

41: Crash and Burn

The last two years of birthdays have been a mix of emotions. 

40 was worrisome at first and caused a bit of stress. I was scared about all the things that would change, and worried I wouldn’t be able to stay curious or continue to level up. In hindsight, it sounds kinda silly, right? We don’t just wake up on our birthday with a whole new body filled with different abilities. Getting older is like a tree growing; there isn’t a major change overnight. It’s a predictable growth. 

By the time 41 rolled around, I was good to go. 40 ended up not being scary for me, and just a welcome change of body and mind. But maybe because I wasn’t scared and didn’t walk into the new year with dedicated energy was the reason why things kinda bombed. 

That’s right, I feel like I failed at being 41. Feels kinda like a crash and burn.

Nerves and fear typically mean that you care about something, because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t care if you failed. But they can also mean that you might not have prepared properly. For me personally, when I get too nervous about something, it tells me I haven’t spent enough time planning. A little nervousness is okay, but a lot means there was something I missed focusing on. But when I have no nerves about it, it tells me I didn’t care very much.

This is how I found myself with a runaway train for a brain and no clear picture or goal in my 41st year. I didn’t really sit down and decide what I wanted from that year and how I wanted to go about doing things. Let me be clear, I’m not saying this was a terrible year and that I enjoyed none of it, but I feel like I mostly stayed in place instead of progressing.

Think about it: how many times in this newsletter have I mentioned that I don’t carve out time to move my body or work out in a way my body craves?

How many times have I put too much on my plate?

How many times did I stay up too late?

All of that is on me. I start strong, wanting to make a change, but it peters out quickly because I didn’t put a plan in place. Your word can be strong and binding, but if there are no systems in place, nothing is keeping you on track. The second the wind blows, you’re going to get blown off the path and spun in a new direction. If you don’t know where you were going to begin with, how will you know when you’re back heading in the right way?

So this is why I’ve ramped things up for the Road to 42. Not only do I want to have a plan walking into this next birthday, but I also want to take time to prepare for it. I want to understand why I’m making changes or prioritizing certain things. I want a bit of nervousness because I’m afraid to fail after all my preparation. 

42 is also the last year in my stranger’s prophecy to me. Sure, you might laugh or think I’m not the sharpest tool in the toolbox, but we all have things we hold close to us that inspire us to act a certain way. Mine comes from a chance meeting with a friend’s friend while I was having coffee with her. This man dropped by to give my friend something, and ended up asking to speak to me because he felt pulled to share with me that if I focused on various aspects for the next seven years, it would provide me with success and give me the life I dreamed of.

I never saw or heard from that man again, but I have watched as his words have come true. Maybe it was just that he unlocked things I already knew deep down I needed to work on, but regardless, it changed my life for the better. Now, I’m in my last year of his “prophecy,” so to speak, which makes me feel like this is the year to get things together.

So what do you think? Am I going to be successful in year 42? Or will this be another 41 where I drift around aimlessly? This could be classic, textbook beginner’s enthusiasm, I’m all pumped and ready to go, but it’s going to fail miserably. But regardless, I’m putting it out in the world, and you’ll probably have an idea if I fail or not. 

I’m still nailing down my exact plan and what I want to focus on, but I know the main emphasis is that getting older doesn’t mean I can’t grow or improve. Things change as I age, but they are not excuses to throw in the towel. There is so much life ahead of me, and I want to fully take advantage of all of it.

After all, if I want to get to the end of my life and look back on it feeling like it was great, it’s going to take some time to get it right 😉 

Moments with Maurice

If you only pause to reflect on your life for one moment today, do it now.

If you’ve been journaling along with me, take the time to pause on the reflection and write down your answer to the prompt. Even if it feels silly in the moment, looking back on what you’ve written down can be eye-opening when you start to see patterns form.

Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.

The Best Day of The Year

The NYC Marathon is hands down the best day of the year. The city is electric, everyone is straight smiles and comes together to celebrate each other. Whether you were participating, cheering, or yelling at your tracking app, thank you for contributing to the best day of the year ❤️ 

The Downshift

Would you like some pants with a side of Porsche? I don’t know what this store was selling, but it got me to stop!

Race

Pre-marathon, I met up with Max at Daddie’s NYC in the West Village for a quick catch-up and some carbs. Yes, Max may have a clothing brand centered around race horses (Siegelman Stable), but he also races like one, too.

Gramercy Tavern

THE best burger in the city, and I will allow zero debate on this matter (Gramercy Tavern). And while my steak this week was still pretty good (in my opinion, of course) it doesn’t hold a candle to what they do.

Remember:

-Adrian