January 1, 2024
Hi Friends,
As I write this letter to reflect on 2023, all I can remember was blowing balloons for my four year old son, Seth. Yes, he spent a lot of time with balloons. He explored features of a balloon that are routine knowledge for most of us.
- If you fill a balloon with helium air and let loose, it will go high up in the sky
- You can fill a balloon with air and not tie it. Then release the it and the balloon will go in all different directions as it deflates
- It’s fun to fill balloons with water and then pop them against the fence
- Balloons can be toxic and our not good for our environment
- You can fill water inside a balloon and leave it in the freezer. You end up with an ice-filled balloon. How cool!
It turns out all these things have a lot to do with other aspects of my life in 2023.
Believing in yourself and embracing uncertainty
In 2023, I had the opportunity to take on new projects such as teaching a class in clinical trial design to planning large in-person events. To be honest, I had limited knowledge or experience with such assignments. But intuitively I knew these were the types of projects I wanted to pursue. What pushed me forward was believing in myself (“I can do it”) and accepting the fact that I’ll experience some setbacks along the way.
Just like the balloon filled with helium, knowing we have the potential to fly high, can help us achieve great things both personally and professionally.
If you’re trying to learn something new in 2024, a great (and free) resource I recommend is the Coursera course – Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects
Finding time to think
I’m not sure about you, but I can’t get important work done when my days are filled with meetings. Quiet time is needed to solve problems and come up with creative solutions. When I dedicated time to think, I found myself to be more proactive and less reactive. A simple strategy that has worked for me is avoiding meetings in the mornings (between 6am and 10am) and blocking my calendar to concentrate on deliverables that matter the most.
Similar to an air-filled balloon that is not tied and then let loose, I found myself going in all different directions when I failed to dedicate time to think.
More freedom equates to greater responsibility
In June 2022, I decided to pivot my career and start working for myself. Over the past 18 months or so, it has become clear to me that greater freedom comes with even greater responsibility. For example, I found myself being responsible and accountable to my podcast listeners. There were occasions when I did not want someone to interview on the podcast because I feared they would mislead the podcast listeners.
So yes, it’s been fun to pop water balloons against the fence as long as our fun doesn’t happen at someone else’s expense.
Have you experienced greater freedom in your career or life this past year? If so, I’d love to know how you feel about the relationship between freedom and responsibility.
Distancing myself from toxic relationships
In 2023, I continued to disconnect myself from individuals who took my relationship with them for granted, did not nurture the relationship (starting and maintaining a relationship is a two way street), or simply did not make me happy.
This group has included some family members and past friends. In many cultures, there is an expectation that just because you’re a member of the family, you need to learn about getting along with each other. I no longer subscribe to this belief.
So yeah, balloons can be toxic and litter our environment. It’s sometimes best to not deal with them.
Managing the feeling of being overwhelmed
This past year, there were times when I was overwhelmed with work and personal commitments. But I had to find creative ways to manage my physical well being and mental headspace. Like the water filled balloon in the freezer, I had to find ways to cool off!
The things that I found most useful were exercising (ran San Francisco Half Marathon with my wife Jinal and worked out at Barry’s Bootcamp), daily 13 to 16-hour fasts (Zero app is awesome), massages, a flock of backyard chickens (we love Murray McMurray Hatchery), learning and practicing French on Duolingo, being around nature, reading (highly recommend Peter Attia’s book, OUTLIVE, The Science of Art and Longevity) and simply asking others for help.
Just like my son, I’m excited to embark on 2024 and create more “how cool” moments for me, my family, friends, colleagues, students, and clients. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful year ahead.
Until next time,
Kunal