Book News
There is no significant update on the progress of my book. Now that I’ve settled into my new home in Florida, and the halfway point of the year is quickly approaching, I will be taking a more disciplined approach to my writing. Next time, I’ll tell you a little bit about some of my inspiration and my influences.
Something to think about
In 1924, a man by the name of George Mallory climbed Mt. Everest. To this day, we don’t know if he summited the mountain with his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, as the first ascent to yield survivors wouldn’t come for another three decades. Mallory remained on the fabled mountain for 75 years, until an expedition commissioned to recover lost adventurers brought him down. If you’ve heard of George Mallory, you may know of his famous response to the question of why he wanted to climb Everest: “Because it’s there.”
We don’t do hard things simply because they’re “there,” and Mallory knew that. So is there a better answer? Before sharing more from Mallory, I have some thoughts of my own.
I believe we do hard things not for the things themselves, but for their byproducts: knowledge, meaning, and satisfaction. In striving towards the goal, we often lose track of the time, so engaged in our path that nothing distracts. We learn about ourselves, constantly uncovering new depths of our own potential as we rise to meet the challenges along the way. We find ourselves stretched thin, but not crushed, an ideal burden to be borne by our resolve. We are at our best when we are doing hard things, as they demand from us that we not sit idly by squandering our time and potential. At last, there is joy in the process, not just on the day of completion or across the finish line, but in the satisfaction of seeing the thing through from its onset.
My favorite part of hard things is that the return feels like compound interest. As you learn from one experience, you reinvest those lessons into the next experience, regardless of domain. Running a marathon presents a different set of challenges than writing a book, but there are elements that can be easily transposed from one to the other. As you accumulate experiences, you prepare yourself to take on ever more daunting tasks in the future. You build confidence like you develop callouses. Sound intimidating? Start small. Aim for a 5k, add one book to your annual goal, play piano one additional time per week, do your taxes entirely on your own (glances at mirror). Callouses build up over time, so if you aim too high you might come back with bloody hands and need to recover. But if you start small and develop a habit, you will be running marathons and composing entire albums, hardly able to recognize who you were at the beginning. You’ll join the chorus of those saying, “I never thought I’d…”
In my opinion, George Mallory reached the summit. He did so not because of any particular circumstance, but because he leaned on the accumulated grit that came from understanding the satisfaction of doing hard things.
“So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.” -George Mallory
Have feedback or want to have a conversation about doing hard things? Let me know.
Until next time, have a safe and happy 4th of July.
Extras
What I’m Reading
I read Dan Crenshaw’s Fortitude in a little less than a week, making it a nice addition to my goodreads shelf as I’m still playing catch-up on my reading goal for this year. Crenshaw, a Navy SEAL for a decade, lays out the tenets that he believes foster mental fortitude, a perspective largely gained by his own experience. What I enjoy most is his tone: calm, yet assertive, easily attributable to his observations as an aspiring SEAL.
“I took note of the leaders I respected. I thought about their actions, their manner of speaking…Calm breeds calm, and panic breeds panic.”
The pervading calmness smooths out the page turns. And before you dismiss it, it is not politically saturated. The book relies more on the SEAL ethos and Crenshaw’s experience than it does his current standing. As a golfer who has heard plenty about mental toughness, it was nice to see the concept framed in a different context.
What I’m Listening To
Summer is in full swing, and despite releasing a new album in 2020, I am still listening to Surfaces’ Where the Light Is nearly on repeat. Find a beach, light a cigar, and play the titular track as the sun goes down. Thank me later.
To hear more of what I’m listening to, or if you’re in need of a July 4th playlist, follow me on Apple Music at @4jd. As always, send me what you’re listening to! And if you ask politely, I might just recreate my playlists for all of you Spotify users, too.
Thank you for reading, I sincerely appreciate it. I would love to hear from you, whether it be your thoughts on anything above, or any recommendations on food, wine, books, etc. that could find their way into a future issue. Or simply drop a note to say hello! Reach me at writejohnduffy@protonmail.com - I look forward to hearing from you.
If you enjoyed this letter, and think someone else you know might enjoy it, too…