this edition of the [no hustle] huddle went out on Mon 13th November 2023

Ever had that sinking feeling where you know life is about to get difficult?

Of course you have. You’ve lived a lot of life, and you’ve gone through some *stuff*. Good stuff, sure. But also adversity. tough times. brutal periods ?

Moments that leave you curled up and wanting to hide under the covers ?

I’ve had a few like that of late … this year has thrown a lot of obstacles my way.

Personal ones. Professional ones. Existential ones ?

I watched the final episode of Loki (season two) over the weekend, and there’s one scene where he walks outside and gets bombarded by radioactive-like energy.

The first step smacks him hard, almost takes him off his feet ?

But he stays upright, pushes forward one step at a time ?

Bit by bit he struggles onward, each pulse of energy taking more out of him.

Watching it, I could relate. When that first obstacle hits, it HITS HARD but you have the strength to stand tall and take it; stay positive. Yet when a second follows, and then a third, fourth, fifth … it strips you, layers by layer ?

As the weeks become months, you feel utterly drained; staying positive is harder than ever. You want to. You know you need to. Yet it’s hard to because you feel like you have so little left ?

I sense we’ve all had periods like this … they’re brutal.

Yet it’s during these we often discover what we need to. Yet that’s hardly consolation when you’re stuck in “IT” … but we’ll come to that in a second — including a VERY important question — first, let’s get into the good stuff ??

from the [no hustle] community

Pursuit of Perfection: Society’s Silent Killer — Even though we know it’s a myth and something we cannot achieve, it’s a pursuit we often lose ourselves in, and the impact, as this article shows, is larger than we can ever predict.

What It’s Like Being an Introvert in a Hustle Culture World — A personal exploration into the life of an introvert, and the adversity we face in this fast-paced world that glorifies and rewards those who live outside their shell.

3 actions to take this week

? bookmark this → an interesting story about “standing out” in this busy world while running your own race (and staying true to who you are).

? watch this → a story about success, but not the kind you’re used to seeing…

? DO THIS → Reflect on Your Current Chapter — right now, you’re inside a unique chapter of life unlike any you’ve experienced … what’s it like? how do you feel about it? what’s good and what’s bad?

Life passes us quickly and it’s easy to lose sight of where we are … yet where we are right now is only what matters, so take this opportunity to get clear on this chapter; this current moment; where you are in the here and now.

this week’s featured book

The Successful Mistake by Matthew Turner — The book I began to write on the first day of my “entrepreneurial” journey, and one that connected me to 163 amazing people—and their even more amazing stories.

Failure, mistakes, adversity, personal and professional ruin… this book has it all, as well as an unexpected lesson that teaches us the real meaning of success.

(and how failure plays one of the most important roles)

?️ pass the mic

Matt Bodnar has a great podcast (The Science of Success). He has a great mind and a great way with words. He also has a unique insight into HOW we can build momentum on the back of adversity’s ruthless ways.

His conversation with Brene Brown is a great one to start with…

? drop the mic

I’m ready to bring 2023 to a close.

I know the end of the year means nothing in the grand scheme of things. It’s not like there’s a refresh button where everything changes. Life is life and it will do its thing regardless of the month. You get to control some of it.

Yet most of it remains outside of your control.

That’s what I keep reminding myself of. ADVERSITY is part of our journey. Since the moment we’re born, life has placed obstacles in front of us designed to help us grow. We didn’t learn to speak or walk; we weren’t taught how…

Instead, an innate desire to lean into failure consumed us.

We saw the struggle, stared it down, and tried over and over until we DID it.

This is what I remind myself whilst inside one of life’s more difficult periods.

But I am human, like you, and I often lose sight of this. Feel defeated. Feel like a victim. Wonder “Why me and when am I due a break.”

There’s nothing wrong with this. It’s okay to feel this way and any other way you may. Yet it’s important to keep taking that all-important step back so you can remember the role adversity plays.

This period will pass. Good or bad, this chapter won’t last forever ⏳

On the other side of it resides growth. One way or another, we learn and evolve and progress. We do not stop because we cannot stop; life won’t let us … at its bare bones, it is a one-way convey belt and we are on it whether we like it or not.

We control so little, meaning all we can do is surrender.

To the good in life, and also the bad.

So there are two things I’d like to end this week’s email with: a question and a reminder — the question is for you, whereas the reminder is for me.

First, the reminder…

Adversity is a part of growth.

Not the only part. Life isn’t only struggle. There are good periods. So much for us to feel gratitude toward. Yet an inevitable aspect of life is struggle.

And when we go through a period where one leads to another, it stacks up ?

We feel. We feel weak. We weaken at the knees. We kneel to submission ?

Yet we’ve been here before. We have all been here before. 

and we will be here again ?

We’ll stride forward regardless because that’s the only direction we get to take.

Never forget that ❤️

As for thar question…

? How would you like this newsletter to serve you in 2024?

In the coming weeks, I’ll reserve time to reflect on the [no hustle] journey so far — what has worked and what has not; what I’ve enjoyed and what I haven’t…

Yet this isn’t about me because the [no hustle] is here to extend far beyond my reach. It is here for you, so… what do you need from it?

• What sort of content?
• What sort of topics?
• What sort of support?

There’s no right or wrong … share whatever comes to mind in a reply ??

Thanks for being here today, and thank you for being YOU.

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