Five on Friday: On Fear and Taking Risks, How To Increase Your Luck, and Checkers for Checo
Issue XI
Every Friday I send an email with five pieces of content. These are things I’ve found insightful, inspiring… or just interesting.
If you want to receive Monday’s Disciple Notes email but not this one, simply unsubscribe below.
Here are five things from my week I thought were worth passing on.
Today at a Glance
Quote: On fear and taking risks
Tweet: The world that was
Article: The decline of family life
Podcast: Increasing your luck
Bonus: Checkers for Checo
One Quote
“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.”
– Seneca
People in the ancient world dealt with the same hang-ups we do today. Seneca makes a great point: we should not allow fear and a runaway imagination keep us from taking risks and trying new things. It almost never goes as badly as we fear. And when things do go badly, you usually don’t see it coming. So enjoy the ride and step out on that new venture.
One Tweet
These side-by-side photos made me feel nostalgia and a bit of sadness. It made me wonder about the difference between the childhood I experienced and the one my kids have grown up with. If we don’t preserve beauty and community in our pursuit of progress, we lose hope and joy as a society.
One Article
A History of American Families - David Brooks
“If you want to summarize the changes in family structure over the past century, the truest thing to say is this: We’ve made life freer for individuals and more unstable for families.”
This essay traces the decline of the nuclear family and what it means for American culture. Beyond a history, it explores tensions such as the stability of family vs. the dynamism of capitalism; close communities vs. the sociological constraints that make them possible.
Related: Avalon, the movie referenced at the beginning of the article, is worth the watch. But I warn you it’s a sad tale.
One Podcast
How to Get Lucky - Sahil Bloom
Luck is an interesting concept. Much of what we call “luck” is uncontrollable—where you were born, who your parents are, and the base circumstances of your life all fall into this category.
But beyond this the concept of luck shifts into something more fluid. There are ways to increase your luck surface area. This short podcast gives 20 suggestions you can put act on to put yourself in a position where “luck” is more likely to strike.
One Bonus
Sergio Perez's Astonishing Last To First Victory
I started paying attention to Formula 1 during the 2020 lockdown after watching the Netflix series Drive to Survive. Since then one of my favorite drivers has been Sergio “Checo” Perez. This short video captures the first win of his career.
You need to know a little backstory. Perez had only two races left with his team at the time. They had announced they were replacing him after the season. He had no offers from other teams to continue his career. Also, he had been racing for 10 years without a victory. It was the longest ever Formula 1 career without a victory. Finally, he was hit by another car on the first lap of the race, sending him to last place and forcing him to fight all the way back. A feel-good story if ever there was one!
His reaction on the radio after taking the checker flag is tear jerker, especially his request, “Luis, asegurate que Checo está viendo la carrera por favor…”
“Luis, please make sure my son is watching.”
Personal Note
Recently I had a chance to (finally!) visit the Midway Museum here in San Diego. The museum is actually the decommissioned Midway, the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. While exploring the museum I snapped this photo of the ship’s wiring to send my son-in-law, who is an electrician. Try finding a short in that system! The stuff of nightmares.
Thanks for reading and if you like Five on Friday, please share it with others who might enjoy it too.
If you want to connect more during the week, join me on Twitter.