What I’m working on
I’m remodeling a small, full bathroom in the studio unit attached to our house. (My wife and I bought a two-family house as an investment property.) I am following a guide by Steve from BathroomRemodelingTeacher. Watching the video, I could swear he has a Pittsburgh accent and, lo and behold, he’s from Pittsburgh (it’s a distinct accent). He has an interesting story.
I have to install a 32×32” shower pan, doors and acrylic walls. I always try to shop and buy locally but the problem was, none of the shops around here carry showers that size in-stock. So I had to order it through Home Depot. I ended up buying vinyl siding for the walls, that I can trim down to fit any size. The plan is to cover the entire corner, floor-to-ceiling with a pleasant vinyl that looks like white, high gloss tile.
But I’m at a crossroads. The existing floor is tiled with yellow micro tile and I just don’t know what to do…leave it, or re-tile the floor. It’s pretty ugly! I’m not trying to dump big money into this project; and it is a rental unit. But we own it and the upgrades can hopefully fetch a higher rent. But that yellow tile! We’ll see what I end up doing. Maybe I’ll have some photos for you next week.
What I’ve accomplished
Consistency is king. At 38, and after 1.5 years of jujitsu training, I’m down 20 pounds of excess weight, and feel strong and able. I haven’t been this lean since the end of high school, early college days.
I’m feeling fresh. Like I could just climb up a tree or run up stairs.
And I can attribute almost all of it to consistency. Just showing up, day after day. At some point there was a mindset shift, and I don’t know exactly what did it but it was certainly a mix of mental commitment, accountability with the new friends I made from training, and a strong desire to be fit and energized to play with my boys.
I cannot encourage regular exercise enough. If you’re challenged to find a way to motivate yourself to exercise on the reg, find something you love that gets your heart rate going. It doesn’t have to be an expensive or time-intensive hobby – a pair of good hiking boots run about $200-400 and will last you 5-10 years. But the indoor treadmill is where dreams go to die; aim higher. Get fit, stay strong, live well.
What I listened to
Tied right in with that bit on consistency is Dr. Huberman’s recent interview with Dr. David Yeager, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Texas, Austin. The topic – and Dr. Yeager’s primary life focus – was the growth mindset, a mindset that accepts all skills and abilities can be improved. The antithesis is a fixed mindset, which believes that “you’re either born with it, or not.”
I found this episode profound and motivating because of the topics and techniques Dr. Yeager shared. It was probably a condensed equivalent to sitting in on two semesters of his teaching at UT. I particularly enjoyed how the growth mindset is not only contagious but it has direct application in the coach-athlete and teacher-student dynamic. A great coach must take on a growth mindset, understanding that athletes develop, change, grow; and the athlete must also come to accept that same truth, or they’ll be stuck in the fixed mindset. So the growth mindset can spread from one to another, which is my greatest hope with this email that you, my reader, can take away something valuable that helps you change, modify or upgrade your life.
Bonus: Small habits compound
Credit goes to my wife for sharing this with me. It looks like it came from a book but I don’t know which one. If one of my distinguished readers can cite the source, let me know.
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PS – Thank you to those who participated in the research demo last week. Your feedback was insightful. If you’re interested in a similar tool for your own WordPress site, reach out to me.
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