What I’ve Learned In One Minute…

Hi friend,

These past few weeks I’ve been coasting. Not because I wanted to quit, but because I needed a pause from the gym, from running, from taking content as seriously as I did before. I’ve been here before, but this time felt different.

Before, I used to fear failure. Now, I think I’ve started to glorify it. I convinced myself that if I could just fail faster, I’d learn faster. That falling was the same thing as growing. But there’s a missing piece in that logic. You can’t detach from something and still expect to grow from it. The lessons don’t stick if you don’t care. It’s like constantly apologising after hurting someone’s feelings, but never taking time to actually understand them. Growth only happens when you let yourself feel the weight of what you’re learning.

Following that, this got me thinking about something deeper, the cost of things. Time, energy, focus, even rest. Nothing is really free, it just gets paid for differently. Lately, I think I’ve been paying for progress with inconsistency. I kept calling it learning, but maybe I was just avoiding commitment. Because when you actually commit to something, it costs you more than you expect. It costs comfort. It costs ease. Sometimes it even costs your ego.

That’s really what these past few days have been about for me, figuring out how long something actually takes, and whether the price is still worth paying.

BON FIRE

This weekend, I went to a bonfire event hosted by my local church. Here’s what I learnt from going:

• First, gym strength and practical strength aren’t the same. Carrying those wooden pallets was humbling. I train hard, but that day I learned my gym strength doesn’t always translate to the real world.
• Second, being around your peers is both comforting and predictable. For the first time in a while, I was surrounded by people my age. It reminded me of what I’d been missing, that shared comfort of being in a familiar stage of life. But as we talked, we laughed at how easily our conversations loop: work, independence, finding our feet. We’re all trying to figure it out, just in slightly different ways.
• And finally, chilli dogs are awesome. Chilli con carne in a hot dog bun with mustard, spectacular.

Quick Hack

Protect your personal hobbies.

Not everything you enjoy needs to be shared. Sometimes letting the people you care about into your personal space can change the way you feel about it. Maybe they pick it up faster and it kills your drive. Maybe they mix friend groups and suddenly your quiet space isn’t quiet anymore. Or maybe you just realise too late that what you loved most about that hobby was the peace it gave you. Keep a few things just for yourself.

WINS & LESSONS

Win: I managed to talk with my family almost every day last week. A small thing, but honestly, a blessing.

Lesson: Sleep really is the key. Everything feels ten times harder when you don’t get enough of it. You notice your health the most when you’re trying to improve it. When you’re not, ignorance feels peaceful — but that peace comes at a cost.

QFYT

When was the last time you stopped to ask whether what you’re chasing is still worth the price you’re paying?

In a bit,

Motheo

PS. I’ve been working on something special — a retrospective-based study timetable designed to help you focus on what you actually need to revise, not just what’s on your list. I’ll be giving exclusive early access to newsletter readers before it goes public. Keep an eye out in the coming issues.