Good morning friends,

I trust you are well as we sail into February. What are you pleased with from January? We spend so much time talking about our big New Year plans and not enough time seeing if they've improved our lives. I am finding it increasingly difficult, as a parent, to sit down and do all things Self-Improvement Project. Someone should write a book on how to maintain creativity as a parent. Obviously, priorities change for the greater good, but I miss sitting down and creating as much as I used to. Plus, despite my acceptance of guilt from not making as much, it doesn't remove it. I feel like I'm missing out on the joy I know I can access via this project.

This has made me think about how paths emerge in our lives at different times. Some we choose, some we don't. Yet, all are the ones we're supposed to walk. Right now, I need to walk the Dad path. And with that comes changing priorities. I never will nor want to stop this project, yet I feel it's changing. Perhaps growing different branches.

In the summer of 2022, I remember going into Deep Work. I was recording a podcast every day for a few months, which now seems unworldly. Yet, instead of pining for what once was, I now respect that moment in time as being right for me. And this is right for right now.

Life is supposed to change. That's what makes it fruitful. The tough thing to accept is not feeling ready to let cherished things go. Not even letting them go but accepting they are a part of a previous life. It's like when you meet a friend you've not caught up with in years and you don't connect the way you used to. That's because life is now so different to what it was.

Yet, the ratio of exchange with joy I am experiencing is positively off the scale. When you make your child laugh or see them showing curiosity about something is nothing I've ever experienced. Channelling this joy into shaping this new path is something we should all try to do. Your new path may be unknown but there's beauty out there you didn't even know existed. Almost being in my mid-thirties, I find the stages of life more stark and more enjoyable. There is something wonderful about growing wisdom but still feeling 22. There is definitely something to be said about how difficult each stage of life is but how to make the most of it. I'd be careful not to listen too closely to anyone clinging onto a particular stage of life.

This is the beauty of life though: we get to live so many! And with each one, we have more wisdom and experience we can tap into. The best wisdom is knowing to accept this stage and yourself. It's not even a debate to consider if life is better accepting or not accepting yourself. Leaning into whatever stage you are at and buckling in is what more of us need to do. If that means less writing or podcasting for now, so be it. But I won't go away. Just know that when I do turn up, hopefully, it'll be worth your time.

Thanks for reading this slightly more honest piece and write to me anytime you feel obliged.

Best,

Lawrence