This week I rewatched The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith and his son, Jaden.  It’s a heartfelt, true story of a man down on his luck that works and grinds his way from poverty and homelessness to a lucrative job as a stockbroker in San Francisco.  It’s also the best movie I’ve ever seen about sales. 

There’s a scene where Will is walking Jaden to daycare and Jaden tells Will a story he learned.  It goes like this: 

A man is drowning in the ocean and someone in a boat comes by, offering to help.  The man says “it’s okay, God will save me.” Later on, another boat comes by, offering to help.  The man replies “it’s okay, God will save me.” 

The man dies and goes to heaven.  There, he asks God why he wasn’t saved.  God replies “I sent you two lifeboats, dummy!”

 

The joke is told lightheartedly but can have some real depth to it.  It can be a prompt to be introspective. 

I don’t know which God(s) exist or which religion is right but I do believe that there’s something out there more powerful than us.  You almost have to. And I believe the Universe can help guide our path if we listen closely enough. 

Take some time to noodle on it.

Whether you’re religious or not, what is the Universe telling you?  What are you being too stubborn or shortsighted about? 

It could be a new business opportunity, or a fight with your spouse or maybe it’s just your body telling you to slow down.  

Let’s take that thought with us this week: where are we ignoring lifeboats that the Universe is sending us.

Weekly Six-Pack
Here are the 6 things to check out this week:

  1. This week, I wrote about the best way to build (or break) habits.  I also published a recap of my conversation with CrossFit athlete Jason Khalipa on Medium.  Hope you have the chance to check them out.
  2. I loved that Tim Ferriss shared this article last week:50 ways to be ridiculously generous.  Let’s spread positivity, people!
  3. Oftentimes, I overexaggerate what it means to be a minimalist.  But this article from One Frugal Girl has some very practical tips.  It’s less about only owning one pair of socks and more about how saving can set you up for the long-term.
  4. Years ago, I got gifted the book Scribe, written by longtime Boston Globe writer, Bob Ryan.  I decided to pick it back up and it’s a great lesson in both the history of Boston sports and what it’s like to rise through the ranks of journalism.
  5. This “letter to my younger self” from soccer star Marta is an inspiring read worth sharing with any young female athlete you know.
  6. As some of you may know,  I picked up CrossFit last month and am all in.  The CrossFit Open kicked off last week, giving all athletes in the world a chance to compete in the same workouts and see where they stack up.  I’ll keep posting my ass-kickings on Twitter and Instagram, so give me a follow.

 

Quote of the Week

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

– Anais Nin

This was originally part of the Millenial Momentum Newsletter. 

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