Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I'd like to begin today's post by showing my thanks, gratitude, appreciation, and love for all the family and friends in my life, the adversities that I am faced with which allow me to become a stronger person, and the strength to move forward. I am thankful for life and for being alive.

I'm currently trying something new. I'm on the indoor bike and writing this on my phone as I'm exercising. I've come to love my exercise time, as I feel that more than physical benefits I get mental clarity. This time is essentially what Jordan Peterson calls "voluntary self-sacrifice": it allows me to do something difficult, self-initiated on my own terms, and which will inevitably make me better in the future.

Writing these posts has allowed me to practice the art of what I call "thought sh*ts": essentially brain dumping onto the blank page. I also make all the artwork that I present on these posts' headers. Sometimes I stare at them before I write in order to get some inspiration, sometimes I draw them after, and sometimes I draw separately from writing. I feel that these posts are connecting my mental and visual states at that specific moment in time and allows me to sort of round out my brain dumps in a more visual way.

I was thinking about something yesterday: it really is annoying to me that people these days bypass Thanksgiving decorations and go straight to Christmas. Christmas really has become such a commercial holiday that I feel like it's losing its meaning and spirit. I remember in Catholic school we used to light Advent candles and to to Church during the Christmas season. We'd play out the Nativity scene on state (I was the North Star in the play), and learn about what Christmas really symbolizes: new beginnings, appreciating your family and loved ones, and making sacrifices. I hope that this is something that we as a society can come back to.

At the end, it all comes back to sacrifice. Maybe that's what I'll title this post.

Either way, it's time for me to continue my workout, so I'll end it off here. Let's get after it today and revisit our thoughts tomorrow. I wish you all a happy beginning of the holiday season!

Vivek

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I'd like to begin today's post by showing my thanks, gratitude, appreciation, and love for all the family and friends in my life, the adversities that I am faced with which allow me to become a stronger person, and the strength to move forward. I am thankful for life and for being alive.

I'm currently trying something new. I'm on the indoor bike and writing this on my phone as I'm exercising. I've come to love my exercise time, as I feel that more than physical benefits I get mental clarity. This time is essentially what Jordan Peterson calls "voluntary self-sacrifice": it allows me to do something difficult, self-initiated on my own terms, and which will inevitably make me better in the future.

Writing these posts has allowed me to practice the art of what I call "thought sh*ts": essentially brain dumping onto the blank page. I also make all the artwork that I present on these posts' headers. Sometimes I stare at them before I write in order to get some inspiration, sometimes I draw them after, and sometimes I draw separately from writing. I feel that these posts are connecting my mental and visual states at that specific moment in time and allows me to sort of round out my brain dumps in a more visual way.

I was thinking about something yesterday: it really is annoying to me that people these days bypass Thanksgiving decorations and go straight to Christmas. Christmas really has become such a commercial holiday that I feel like it's losing its meaning and spirit. I remember in Catholic school we used to light Advent candles and to to Church during the Christmas season. We'd play out the Nativity scene on state (I was the North Star in the play), and learn about what Christmas really symbolizes: new beginnings, appreciating your family and loved ones, and making sacrifices. I hope that this is something that we as a society can come back to.

At the end, it all comes back to sacrifice. Maybe that's what I'll title this post.

Either way, it's time for me to continue my workout, so I'll end it off here. Let's get after it today and revisit our thoughts tomorrow. I wish you all a happy beginning of the holiday season!

Vivek