My kids had Friday off from school, which aligned perfectly with the needs of a couple from our church who were moving from an apartment on the third floor to a home on the ground level. If my boys had a choice, they would have preferred to sleep in and play video games, but in good spirits, they helped me and another couple help this family move.
Serving together is essential.
It is what it is
Such is life; that’s how the cookie crumbles; it is what it is; these are common idioms we use to respond to life’s circumstances, and I’m trying to push back against them.
The problem with these responses is that they are positions of resignation. Nobody uses these statements from a place of contentment. While I hear these types of reactions from others more than I use them myself, I want to avoid the fixed mindset that comes from the practice of acknowledging uncomfortable realities without seeking to improve them.
In a post this week, I’ll explore how I’m working to avoid this mindset and improve my response to others when they use defeatist language.
I’m also trying something new with the Weekly Debrief. Rather than splitting it up and making the insight deep dive a members-only section, I will save it for a members-only post. My goal is to write one of these each week. This will also avoid these expositions from getting buried.
Planning using the Reminders App
I’ve tried a variety of methods for structuring my time such as calendar boxing, but it’s never worked well for me. Having too many items in my calendar makes it challenging for me to focus on meetings and appointments. I prefer a layer of separation between my tasks and my meetings. I have also been adding specific workouts and other items as reminders to remove additional decision making. Using a task manager and reminders saves me from having to make decisions which can sometimes lead to procrastination. I’ll dive deeper into how I’m using these tools on my tech YouTube channel and in my tech focused newsletter.
Weekly Debrief
Fitness
- Cycling: 27.1 miles
- Running 22.8 miles
Biggest Insight
“It is what it is.” How often am I conforming to rather than attempting to transform the situation? Am I allowing myself to be limited, or am I looking at how I can push back and push through to a new way of seeing things or responding?
Wins
- Sunday long run 11 miles
- Moving a family with my boys
- Emmy and Mal having a nice weekend away.
- Cohen’s basketball team having their first win
- Productive week. Mapped out the rest of the months client work.
- Hard, but good talk with my wife.
- My wife’s hard work decorating for the school gala fundraiser looked amazing.
- Mal and I voting together at the polls.
Losses
- Spent too much time frustrated and a bit selfish over my wife’s time spent working on things outside of the home.
- Didn’t respond well in a few different situations to my wife and my kids.
- Hurried through my daily Bible chapter reading a few of the days this week.
- Not a lot of miles cycled.
- Woke up with headaches a few times this week
This Week’s Focus Areas
- Client prep for Black Friday/Cyber Monday promos
- Practice drums for worship team
Multi-Cam Livestreaming Course Launch
Earlier this year I published a YouTube video on the topic of setting up a multi-camera livestream. That video performed well and recently broke 400,000 views. I have wanted to produce a course on the topic for months. The video was fast paced and didn’t get deep into detail leading to a lot of questions and requests for something more structured. I now have half of that course produced and launched the course for a discounted price while I finish editing the rest of the content.
Apple Vision Pro 3rd Chance
Diving back into AR/VR and the pros and cons of AI
In a recent post on my tech Substack, I discussed working using the Apple Vision Pro. I also shared a few recent videos on topic of Foldable Phones and iPhone 16 Pro cases. Consider subscribing to my free tech Substack.
Would I follow me if it wasn’t me?
This is a question I have been asking myself about the content I put out on the internet.
My interests vary and my YouTube channels have represented that well. That however has led to challenges with finding an audience on the platform. People follow channels on YouTube for specific type of content or to follow a person they can relate to. My content doesn’t fall into either of those categories, so I decided to step outside of my little world and ask the question, “if I wasn’t me, would I follow these channels?” The answer was, probably not.
After some time thinking I decided that my YouTube channels needed to be more focused and include more personal insights on how I am using tech in my life. Here is what I ended up with:
- Tech Channel – I am a productivity focused entrepreneur who uses modern technology in his life and business. I am a father of four that desires to raise tech-smart children.
- Camera Channel – I am a professional photographer with 20 years of experience. Being a photographer has given me the flexibility to craft a lifestyle of flexibility. I desire to help others build and grow their own photography business and encourage lifestyle design.
- Personal Channel – I have been self-employed since I was 20 years old (25 years ago) which has led to me being able to live a flexible life. I don’t miss my kids school and sporting events, I serve at my local church, I invest in myself and my personal growth and the growth of others as well. I desire to help others escape the 9-5 so they can create the life they want to live.
</End of Brief>
That’s all for this week. I’d appreciate your thoughts on the format change in the comments below.
Have a great week!
Jerad Hill