Hey friends 👋🏻
Last week I told you about my conference presentation. The milestone moment. Becoming my future self.
What I didn’t mention: the behind-the-scenes chaos that nearly derailed everything.
Sometimes the wins that look smooth on the surface required showing up despite everything going wrong.
Today in 3 minutes or less, you’ll learn:
✔️ How to prepare for things you can’t predict (the Stoic’s playbook)
✔️ Why noticing small joys matters more than you think
✔️ What to do when life throws curveballs right before your big moment
Doable ideas 💭
Build your backup plan.
Identify one important thing happening this week.
Create a minimal viable version of it.
Presentation? Have a no-slides backup plan.
Client meeting? Know your three key points by heart.
Important deadline? Finish the core 80% early, leave polish for later.
When things go sideways, you’ll have something solid to fall back on.
Better a good Plan B executed well than a perfect Plan A that crumbles.
Reflections 🪞
What’s one small moment from this week that brought me joy?
Mindfulness 🧘🏻♀️
This is the real BTS of my presentation at the Australian Music Therapy Association Conference last week:
I got food poisoning right after I landed in Melbourne on Thursday night.
By Saturday afternoon I was on stage, delivering my speech.
Was I ready?
I had to be.
What other choices did I have?
Life never went as planned.
Literally anything could happen: I could get sick (checked), audio or screen might not work etc.
Time and time again, I rely on, and am reminded of this Stoic concept:
Focus on what is in your control.
I did tons of preparation prior to the presentation and hoped for the best.
In fact, I remained quite calm to a point I didn’t think anyone would notice I was sick, or the fact that I slightly messed up the sequence of my script.
I remained my composure, even when life threw curveballs at me.
And here’s what you can learn:
- Prepare thoroughly, but stay flexible when things don’t go as planned.
- Focus your energy on what you can control—your attitude, your response, your preparation.
- Trust that you’re more resilient than you think, especially when you have no other choice but to show up.
Life will always throw unexpected challenges your way.
The key isn’t to avoid them—it’s to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally so you can handle whatever comes.
When you focus on what you can control and let go of the rest, you’ll find a quiet strength that carries you through even the toughest moments.
Keep showing up. You’re more capable than you think.
Ideas Worth Pondering 🧠
Life is harder when you expect a lot of the world and little of yourself. Life is easier when you expect a lot of yourself and little of the world. High standards, low expectations.
– James Clear
Video This Week 🎥
NEW piano mashup is out now.
These two emotional songs actually go well…
Did you love this newsletter?
If so, please let me know by either:
- #1: Forwarding this to a friend whom you think would benefit from actionable well-being tips
- #2: Hitting reply. Send me a sentence or two about what you enjoyed. I meant it when I say I’d love to hear from you. Typing into the void isn’t nearly as fun as interacting with real humans 🙂