🌱 Remember You Will Die

REMEMBER YOU WILL DIE - MEMENTO MORI

676 words | 2 min 28 sec read

The purpose of this post is not to scare you. It is to create within you a sense of urgency and action towards the things in life that truly matter to you.

Law #27 in Steven Bartlett’s ‘Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life’ explores the simple fact that our human existence is finite, and that our inability to comprehend our own finality quite often sees us fail to prioritise what really matters.

The world is moving at a faster pace than ever and we are becoming increasingly distracted. Social media, emails, the news, all bombarding us with notifications and information. Most of us lack stillness.

Spending just 3 hours per day on your phone compounds to 46 DAYS EVERY YEAR.

Of course, our phones are powerful and we can use them in tremendous ways. But how much of our screen time is meaningless distraction?

Bartlett uses his concept of Time Betting & ‘The Roulette Wheel of Life’ in the chapter, with every chip representing one hour of our lives.

Every single hour, we place down a chip that we will never get back.

We can use our chips wisely and engage in activities that will hopefully enable us to be dealt more chips (more hours) - like exercise, and other health related activities.

I won’t tell you, but you would be shocked at how many hours you have left in your life once the non-negotiables (Sleep etc.) are accounted for (NB: the number is based on whether you live to the average life expectancy).

We have a limited, finite amount of time to reach our goals, achieve success, have happy and meaningful relationships, pursue hobbies, travel and live the rest of your life.

WHAT IS MEMENTO MORI?

I included this phrase in the title of todays journal as it translates into ‘Remember You Will Die’.

Ryan Holiday explains it succinctly when he says:

“Meditating on your mortality is only depressing if you miss the point. It is in fact a tool to create priority and meaning. It’s a tool that generations have used to create real perspective and urgency. To treat our time as a gift and not waste it on the trivial and vain. Death doesn’t make life pointless but rather purposeful.”

THE PERFORMANCE JOURNAL DAY 11 🌱

The movement of the day was a 60-minute walk and coffee run with Becca.

We used this as an opportunity to have our weekly meeting about the business:

• What went well last week

• Tracking the numbers

• Planning for the week ahead

• Are we and our members on track?

• How can we continually improve

If you get the opportunity to have a meeting outside, do it, and do it whilst walking. Take in the fresh air, get the blood flowing. It will improve you physically and create mental clarity.

Join our WHOOP Community with code COMM-66F82A

RESEARCH PAPER OF THE WEEK 📝

Patellar Tendinopathy is a Musculo-Skeletal injury that I have personally suffered with for a number of years. It occurs as a result of high loading and intensity of the tissues.

This study looks at a training and nutrition intervention to reduce pain and develop strength within the tendon.

Protocol:

Isometric Hold Protocol 2x per week for 6 months.

3x Mid-Range Isometric Hold exercises: Leg Extension, Leg Press & Spanish Squats

Duration: 1-3 Sets: 2-4 Reps: of 30s Single Leg Holds

Short periods of loading (5–10 min) are optimal for stimulating the cellular response to load and increasing collagen synthesis

Findings:

• Self reported pain in the patellar tendon decreased

• The midpoint of the patellar tendon got thicker and wider by 10%

• leg press strength increased 187.5% over the period of the program

TAKEHOME MESSAGE

If you are struggling with patellar tendinopathy (jumpers knee) following an isometric loading protocol can both acutely reduce pain whilst strengthening the tendon long term.

SUMMARY🌱

We are not going to be around forever. Your time is unbelievably precious.

Place every chip you have with clear intention.

Don’t waste them on mindless distractions.

Focus on what truly matters.