this edition of the [no hustle] huddle went out on Monday 3rd July

Welcome to the huddle,

Each morning, one of the first things I do is make myself a cup of coffee.

I am by all accounts a coffee snob. I envision a future kitchen with all the various coffee-type machines, tools, and nit-nacks. I love coffee. Although only when it’s good. If it isn’t good, I would rather go without.

And good coffee, my friend, requires patience and time.

a slow pour. a few minutes of resting. a steady and intentional pace.

You cannot rush it. I mean, you can… but all you do is ruin it.

How true this is in most aspects of life. Too often we’re in a rush and want to make all the progress all right now. We don’t want to wait. We do not have the time to.

We know we should. We know taking our time is worthwhile.

We have all read that old fable, after all… how slow and steady wins the race.

Yet in this fast-paced world where hustle culture surrounds us, it’s easier said than done. We always have so much to do and there’s so much more we *could* do.

So we rush from this to that. Ruining one cup of coffee after another.

HOWEVER… I don’t think slow or steady necessarily serves us anymore; at least not in the same way. I like the stoic saying of Festina lente — which means “make haste, slowly”.

When I read this, I think of the word INTENTION.

With intention, you keep your focus. You don’t necessarily have to be slow or steady. With the right intention, you can pick up your pace. Yet you have to keep your focus. You cannot take your eye off the prize.

If you do, mistakes creep in and those issues that accompany impatience arise.

Yet with keen intention, you can achieve so much, whatever it is you pursue.

from the [no hustle] community

5 [no hustle] Lessons From Stillness is The Key — This idea of intentional stillness appears throughout Ryan Holiday’s wonderful book … here are a few key lessons I personally took from its pages.

5 Books To Help You Escape The Hustle — Expanding beyond “Stillness is The Key”, here are five other books that promote intentional living and purposeful patience.

3 actions to take this week

? bookmark this → for years I struggled to wake up, largely because I tried to do too much — I love this article from Chris Bailey, who shows the power of a Slow Morning and the deliberate intention it nurtures.

? watch this → this short video from Ali Abdaal explains (at least in part) WHY we’re so addicted to pursuing *more* and struggle to practice real patience — fascinating stuff…

? DO THIS → take your time eating a snack today — a sandwich, a handful of nuts, a delicious bit of fruit… whatever it is, take your time to intentionally eat it, chewing and savoring each bite; just practice how it feels to take your time with something so simple and reflect on the impact it has on you.

this week’s featured book

The Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday — we’ve already mentioned one of Ryan’s other books, and now it’s the turn of my personal favorite. It’s undervalued and underappreciated, but it’s a book that’s changed my entire perspective on writing, creating, and living. We can achieve a great deal over a long period of time. So long as we live with intention, we can conquer so much.

?️ pass the mic

When it comes to intentional living and having the patience to take your time and think about the big picture, Jayson Gaignard springs to mind. What he’s created through MMT is remarkable, yet its graceful growth is rare to see in today’s “right here, right now” world… Personally, Jayson has inspired me on multiple levels, yet it’s his commitment to commitment that continuously keeps me on the right path.

? drop the mic

It isn’t about being slow. It isn’t even about being steady. There are times when you need to take your time… but there are also periods when you cannot.

After all, this world doesn’t exactly promote patience or make it easy to practice.

So the pace you go isn’t always what matters. Sometimes you need to go slow. Other times you need to pick up the pace and work up a sweat.

The constant regardless is intention.

Whatever you choose to do with your life, give it all you have. Focus on it. Commit to what’s in front of you. If you keep doing so, you’ll get to enjoy one delicious cup of coffee after another.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s email. If you have and know someone who could do with reading it, please forward it to them and ask them to subscribe.

Until next time, thank you for joining me and thank you for being you.

want inspiring insights delivered to your inbox every Monday? sign up!

more from the archive

for more from the archive, click here