Quarterly Life Update - JAS '24
A peak at what's been going on lately.
Hey friends, welcome to something a bit different!
Inspired by my buddy Adam’s idea, I’m trying out a quarterly update to share a slice of my world with you. No overarching message or lesson, just a chance to reconnect, share a few stories, and maybe bring a smile to your day. I even created a song just for this update (see more below).
Background
My friend, Adam, sends out a quarterly update email about what’s going on in his life. He’s not building a personal brand, he’s not trying to sell anything, he’s simply sharing what he’s been up to, where he’s been traveling, what shows he’s watching, what he’s working on, and random things he’s been enjoying.
At the beginning of the email, he shares why:
“For those who are new to this email, this is a quarterly email update I have been writing for over 5 years to my friends and family. I chose to start writing them because I found that in my increasingly busy life, I was losing opportunities to connect with friends, particularly those that I didn’t regularly interact with face-to-face. Imagining many others felt the same way, I wanted to create something that would allow me to keep up with old and new friends, deepen those connections, and learn from others on ways to live my life better. Responses to these emails have never ceased to do just that and if nothing else, knowing that I would be sending out these emails has held me accountable for living life to the fullest! I am looking forward to many more years of sending out these emails and I really do appreciate every response I get, no matter how short.”
And it absolutely works. Though Adam and I don’t get a chance to talk frequently, I always feel like I have a sense of what’s going on in his life, and I have an easy excuse to get back in touch with him.
This type of ambient awareness was one of the promises of social media… before all of our feeds became cluttered with TikTok style videos, “influencers” trying to sell you something, bot-injected political divisiveness, and algorithms that seem to show you anything but the people you’re actually connected to.
So, inspired by Adam and his updates, here’s a Quarterly Update from yours truly. As Adam suggests, receiving responses allows him to reconnect with people and any response, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated. So let me know your reactions.
And if you’re thinking, “this is a fun idea,” it is. You should totally send out your own quarterly update. Just make sure to include me on the list of recipients.
Quarterly Update from Drew Tarvin
Past Travel Highlights:
I won’t bore you with every single trip, but here are my favorite trips from each month:
Salt Lake City (September ‘24) - I was in town for a NICE speaking event (the event was nice, but that’s also the name of the company) but it lined up with the NSA Mountain West Chapter meeting, so I had a chance to reconnect with some great speaker friends. I also got to play Footgolf for the first time and met Utah Jazz legend Thurl Bailey.
Stockholm (August ‘24) - This was my first time in Sweden (and first time speaking next to a castle). I ate delicious meatballs, saw some historical sites, and had a great time working with hundreds of consultants from Implement Consulting group.
Ohio + Road Trip + Alabama (July ‘24) - We spent most of July with my side of the family in US–first two weeks in Ohio, then a small family road trip through Alabama, and finally a week in Gulf Shores to celebrate my grandmother. I wrote more about it in The Europeans are on to Something.
New Experiences:
Spanish classes! Yes, we’ve lived in Panama for four years and I’m just now starting Spanish classes (to be fair, we moved here during a pandemic and then immediately had a baby…). But better “tarde” than “nunca.” I did have to request a new teacher though because my first one kept falling asleep–while he was talking. I only realized later he may just have narcolepsy (or is secretly a chinstrap penguin) but it still didn’t fit well with my learning style.
Speaking of Spanish, I co-facilitated my first workshop en espanol!
Q: Have you learned a second language? Any tips that really helped you?
Things I’m Looking forward to:
No travel in October. For the first time since maybe the pandemic, I won’t be traveling at all this month. Pretzel (my wife) has quite a few missions for her work, so I intentionally kept my calendar light. Pineapple (my daughter) and I are going to have so much fun.
Q: What was one of your favorite things to do with one of your parents when you were a kid?
Business Highlights:
The FBI. We were brought in by the FBI (again). For a workshop, we weren’t detained or anything. Humor That Works facilitated another program on adaptive influence, this time it was Dr. Dave doing the honors for a group of FBI agents and chief security officers from around the country. I’d share a photo but none could be taken.
Our latest TEDx talk! Speaking of Dr. Dave, our joint TEDx talk came out! You can read more about it in our write-up: It’s Showtime! Our TEDx Talk Just Dropped.
Coming soon… We’re gearing up for an exciting announcement about a new talk that I’ve been crafting for the past few months. I can’t wait to let you all know about it.
Q: What is something you’re proud of accomplishing recently?
Parenting Update:
Pineapple turns 3! My daughter turned three back in July and it’s amazing to see the person she is becoming. She’s sweet and very funny (and joined me on stage for the 3rd time back in August). She’s also started improvising songs. They don’t usually have great structure. Or rhyme. Or make a ton of sense. But they are adorable.
Our current battle: to nap or not to nap. She constantly fights her mid-day nap and would rather play. If she does end up napping, she’s up until 8:30-9pm and often awake at 5:30am. If she doesn’t nap, she sleeps 7:30pm-6:30am, straight through. Do we drop the nap because she doesn’t want it (and it makes our schedule easier)? Or do we try to enforce it because sleep is supposed to be important for brain health?
Q: How did you handle nap transitions?
Favorite Pieces of Content
Note: There are a few affiliate links shared below.
Podcast Episodes:
Mike Birbiglia’s “No Breath Holding” Sign – Good One. Good One is one of my favorite podcasts. The host interviews comedians about a specific bit they wrote, which usually turns into a sprawling conversation about their process and goals in comedy. I enjoyed Birbiglia’s recent special and this covers one of the jokes he’s shared.
Thought Partner – Scott Galloway. There’s a lot of hype around AI. As an entrepreneur / business owner, I found this take from Prof G a compelling one.
Longevity Secrets (And Controversies) From The Blue Zones | Dan Buettner – 10% Happier. There are a lot of theories on how we can live longer. It comes down to: eat healthier, be active, connect with others. This podcast goes a bit deeper and is with the same guy as the Netflix documentary, Living to 100.
Articles:
The Daily Show’s Josh Johnson Is Reaching New Prolific Heights. I started seeing Josh’s stand-up clips more and more on YouTube. This article details the crazy impressive amount of comedy content he’s creating right now.
All It Takes Is One Piece of Work to Change Everything in Your Life Forever. A fascinating read on the impact one piece of work can have on you, but also in the consistency needed to get to that one. In many ways, this is what my TEDx talk on the Skill of Humor was for me.
Parents Should Ignore Their Children More Often. Pretzel and I are sometimes a bit guilty of wanting to constantly do things with our daughter. This was a helpful reminder to sometimes just let her be (safely, of course).
Books:
Rocket Fuel. I’m trying to create more systems and this book was helpful in thinking about my role as CEO versus Mary’s as COO. It’s part of the EOS methodology if you’re familiar.
E-Myth Revisited. Both Rocket Fuel and 4 Hour Work Week (which I read right after leaving P&G) referenced this book as inspiration, but I had never read it myself. I can see why it’s sold so many copies.
Burma Chronicles. My buddy Raman is doing a series where he has friends read a comic book or graphic novel and then talk about it on a podcast called Quarantined Comics. He suggested I read the work of Guy Delisle as it parallels a bit of my life being in Panama. He was right, it was a great read and we had a fun conversation about it.
Currently Reading: The Algebra of Wealth. I’m a fan of Scott Galloway, so I thought I’d check out his book on “A Simple Formula for Financial Security.”
Movies:
Deadpool vs Wolverine. I don’t watch a whole lot of movies anymore, but I did get a chance to see the most recent Marvel film and had a blast. Sure there’s tons of fan service in the film, but that’s what you expect from a Deadpool movie. Also we FINALLY got to see the best Wolverine costume.
TV Shows:
Fallout - I never played the video games but I thoroughly enjoyed the TV show. There was a great mix of adventure, comedy, and video game references that kept me engaged.
Barry - This was for sure a dark comedy, and the longer the show went on, the darker it got. I had no idea where they were going to take things after the end of Season 3, but I did enjoy Season 4 even if felt drastically different than Season 1.
The Acolyte - I tried getting into it but just couldn’t. Then I saw Season 2 was canceled so I decided not to try.
Currently: Agatha All Along. Yes, I’m a sucker for the MCU, but I have really been enjoying the follow-up to WandaVision. It’s basically like a new escape room each episode and I am here for it (along with the very catchy song).
Q: What are you watching, reading, or listening to that you really enjoy?
Favorite “Things”:
Suno. It’s incredible how well this AI song generator works. We’ve made a few custom songs for Pineapple and she loves them. I also made a song for this newsletter!
Logitech MX Master 3S. I saw this as a recommendation from Ali Abdaal and I thought, “how good could a mouse really be?” He was right. It’s comfortable, smooth, programmable, and rechargeable. I’m a fan.
Smart Wool No Show Socks. I think being excited about socks means I’m officially an adult, but I’ve been looking for good no show socks ever since Darn Tough changed their no show socks for the worse. These fit exactly what I was looking for and are perfect for the frequent trips I take.
Q: What’s something you use regularly that was a game changer for you?
It’s a been a great 3 months…
As you can see, these updates aren’t exactly short… but then again a lot can happen in 90+ days. But maybe now you feel more ambiently aware as if we chatted recently. And moreso, I hope there’s something above that prompts you to reach out and say hello.
And if you want to send one of these out yourself to your friends and family, feel free to blatantly steal the format I used. That’s what I did to Adam :).
Looking forward to your responses.
(an)drew
PS. I was following up with a client that was a lawfirm and decided to include a joke. I googled to find a good one and found this gem:
“I won’t say anything without my lawyer present.”
“But sir, you are the lawyer”
“Exactly, where’s my present?”
Fun to read. Thanks for sharing