Happy Friday!☀️
Hello from the outskirts of Brussels where I spent a remote work week and looked after my sister’s dog Leo while the gang is away. It’s nice to be here and to take long walks in the nearby woods. Another great week capped with onboarding two new client journeys for the spring.
What I’m reading 📖
The Nix by Nathan Hill has been sitting unread on my shelf for a while and on my Want to Read list for many years. Knowing I’ll have a stretch of time for reading soon, I finally started reading it and the writing as well as the story lured me straight in. The cover says it’s a Classic American Novel and I agree. Abandoned by his mother at a young age, Samuel is a failed book author turned community college professor whose mother suddenly reappears in his life in an unusual way. So far, it feels epic. More about the book.
What I’m listening to 🎧
Fashion trends, styles, and their path through history are typically not the kind of themes that I give much attention to in my life. Not knowing much about what to expect, the seven-part podcast series ‘American Ivy’ by Articles of Interest turned out to be right up my alley and I binge-listened in a few days. Produced by an excellent Avery Trufelman (who learned the ropes with Roman Mars of 99% Invisible), ‘American Ivy’ is the history of a fashion style today known as ‘preppy’. I had no idea that this history lesson would take me to Japan, make me learn a thing or two about the trend-forecasting and fashion industries, and which two U.S. Presidents would break with a year-long stylistic norm. At the end, I realized that what I wear today could be seen as ‘preppy’. The podcast appeared in the top 10 of outlets like Vulture and The New Yorker and I see why. Here’s the Prologue:
What I’m watching 📺
This week I caught up with a friend I hadn’t spoke to in years who for years has been familiar with the work by Thomas Hübl. Spiritual teacher and in his own words mystic in the marketplace when he works with companies, Thomas shares a breadth of wisdom about the human experience in such a crisp way that it makes your lightbulbs flash. To familiarize myself more with Hübl’s work with leaders in companies, my friend shared two videos that show him in action. Mesmerizing. Here’s video 1 and 2.
What I’m thinking about 🧠
“Unresolved past is destiny; it repeats.” – Thomas Hübl
What else?! 💯
It wasn’t really a resolution at the beginning of the year but in January, I resumed a long-halted free weight lifting routine. To support me, I started using the Stronglifts app again that my friend Philipp recommended to me a few years ago. I am glad I’m following that routine as it’s starting to show results which is encouraging. The app and set of exercises are simple and make it easy to get started to gradually see progress. Plus, Stronglifts was designed by a fellow Belgian. Lift!
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!
David
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