#21: Everyone is panicked by change
Why the way we approach change can make or break us
Hey friends,
In this edition, I will talk about:
Some personal updates
How you deal with change
3 posts I liked
a tv show I recommend
a personal story from my past
1/ Last days of summer, big plans for autumn
The dessert above is a pancake with Nutella, raspberry, biscuits, and peanut crumble. It’s a caloric bomb but…
Well, it was hot but it was short. It was a great summer, even though we didn’t have a proper vacation, we spent some weekends away from Bucharest or at the seaside. It was terribly hot, though, and I’m glad the cold season is approaching.
If you were curious, there are 155 days until Christmas :)
Anyway, last weekend we were at the seaside, just the two of us and we relaxed on the beach, went to bed early (slept for more than 8 hours each night), ate good food and did a couple of runs.
By the way, I ran more than 100 km in August, which is probably longer than I ran in all my twenties.
It’s interesting how easier it gets once you run regularly.
And we’re preparing for our honeymoon, we leave for Bali on 9/11 (a bit strange, I know), we are taking care of things at work before the holiday and I’m also looking for an MBA.
I’ll let you know how it goes once I decide to apply and I get in.
And that’s pretty much all for now, I’ll have an interesting weekend ahead of me and I’ll let you know more about it in next week’s letter.
2) How do we approach change
I never liked change. Most of my life I hated it, I didn’t like surprises, I didn’t want things to change around me.
Later, I realised change is the only constant in my life and I learned to embrace it.
These days, a lot of creators on Twitter are alarmed by the latest changes in the platform. Aside from the obvious name change, Musk’s team has added monetisation to the platform, which means top creators get paid by X, depending on the number of impressions.
With these changes, the biggest difference is that the algorithm has evolved in a way that it’s a lot harder to go viral.
People who had posts with thousands of likes and reposts now see a dramatic increase in their reach and number of impressions.
Now consider this, For a LOT of people, Twitter is their main income source. They have a big following on the platform, and they use this authority to promote their coaching business or their courses.
And now they are in panic mode. Or, to be more precise, in complaining mode.
What we all need to understand is that the world is evolving. Apps are evolving, some get sold, others go bankrupt.
We need to find ways to make sure our message gets across, despite these changes. We need to evolve as well, we need to adapt.
That’s why emails are a lot more important than any platform.
There was a saying: when you’re building your presence on Facebook or any other social media, you’re building a house on borrowed land. If something happens with Instagram, or if Twitter decides to ban you, what will you do?
I must admit, I am more relaxed about this because I don’t monetise my online audience. I have a stable job that I like, I don’t want to become a “solopreneur”. I write online because I like doing it and this gives me the luxury of watching it all from the sidelines.
But, like in all aspects of our lives, we can’t live with the comfort that things will always be the same.
our jobs
our health
our relationships
Will all suffer changes at some points in our lives.
We just need to be prepared for these changes. To keep a clear head. And act on them.
How do you prepare for change in your life?
3/ 3 Posts I liked
3 tweets or LinkedIn posts that made me think, educated me or amused me over the last week
Boost your email game with these phrases:
Do you agree with this?
There is no bad product, only not enough money
4/ TV Series Recommendation: Derry Girls
I found this sitcom on Netflix a while ago and would watch an episode or so every evening.
I finished it quite fast, as it only has 19 episode.
The action of the show transports you to the 1990s in Northern Ireland, a setting which might seem unlikely for comedy, yet this show captures the era and its nuances brilliantly.
The series is centered around the humorous escapades of four teenage girls (and their male English companion) and does a phenomenal job of putting the mundanities of teenage life in the context of those bleak times.
For those of you who are younger, or don’t know too much about the context, those were the times when the British army and the terrorist group called IRA were fighting in Northern Ireland.
Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles
To me, 'Derry Girls' is more than just a sitcom. It's a masterclass in balancing humor with depth.
The series gives viewers a peek into a significant period in Irish history without ever feeling like a history lesson.
Instead, it resonates with universal themes of friendship, family, and the ups and downs of growing up. I laughed several times throughout the show, and yet, there's always an undercurrent of realism that makes it irresistibly compelling.
For anyone seeking a comedy that's both heartwarming and side-splittingly funny, 'Derry Girls' is a must-watch."
5/ My own favorite piece of content
I wrote a very personal story about my father, I had a lot of doubts about writing this or not but I said “what the hell”.
It’s an event that contributed profoundly to the person I am today.
So here it is:
It was 11 PM., and my dad was lying on the floor, blood spilling from his head. I was 18, and my high school graduation math exam was due the next day.
Here's the story of how I became an adult:
It's the first time I write about this, and only a few friends know it.
My father had drinking problems, he had them for a while.
They got worse when he was laid off a few years earlier. He would get on these benders, drink all day, and come home to sleep.
Over and over.
My mom was miserable.
And that's what infuriated me the most.
Not to mention that I was in my last year of high school and under a lot of pressure.
High-school end exams. University exams.
And I would spend some evenings looking for him across town.
Usually, he would come home by sundown. Sometimes he wouldn't.
He didn't have a mobile phone so we couldn't get a hold of him. So I would just go out looking for him.
His favorite bars. A garage we had. The streets around our neighborhood.
That night was similar.
But he did home before I started looking for him. He was drunk, went to his room, and shut the door.
I remember feeling liberated when he was home. That meant nothing happened to him. So I just went through the formulas for the next day's exam.
Suddenly, my mom came to my room.
"He's on the floor, bleeding. I don't know what to do"
My dad was unconscious and had blood in his hair.
It was 11 PM. I couldn't drive. He was too big to carry.
"Dad. Dad. Wake up!"
"What's going on? Leave me alone"
"We need to get you to a hospital. You're bleeding"
"Leave me alone!"
I called a cab and used the waiting time to convince him to wake up. We were living on the 4th floor. No elevator. I supported him to the cab.
The hospital is on the other side of the town. We get there fast. A doctor sees him right away.
"He probably fell and hit his head. He's just going to need some stitches. It's a good thing you got here fast enough, though"
My dad doesn't stand still on the operating table.
"Leave me alone! I’m fine!"
I hold his hand and try to calm him down. A few minutes later the doctor finishes the job.
We call a cab and go home. My father is silent. I'm silent.
The next day I go and take my exam.
I've only slept a couple of hours. I'm pretty good at math. I do well on the exam. 9.25 out of 10.
I have a good overall score. I get into Engineering school a few weeks later.
In a couple of months, I move to another city.
My dad and I never talked about that night.
He never quit drinking but he was never in that situation again. In his late years, he would only drink a glass or two.
Even though he had his problems, he was a good dad.
He loved me and I knew it. He was always very proud of me.
I loved him.
He lived in harder times.
He couldn’t go to the college he wanted because his grandad was a former opposer of communism.
He never had enough money.
My moms parents never approved of him.
As with many young people, the transition to capitalism was not the best
3 years ago, on this day, my dad died.
And I miss him every day.
Thank you for reading, and let me know if you liked something in particular in this newsletter.
Until next time,
Leo
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