Hello Move Fast, Think Slow Readers - I’m always so dumbfounded when we arrive at the end of the year. HOW DID WE GET HERE? HOW DID THIS ALL GO BY SO FAST?! Time. Time always be moving. It’s one of the guarantees in life.
I hope you found utility in reading Move Fast, Think Slow in 2024. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. My pledge is to continue to find interesting things to share and push you to seek out the best.
This week’s Newsletter is a little bit of a reflection and a little bit of a push. Reflection on what was covered in this year’s dispatches. A push for you to continue to discover / honor your practice.
END OF YEAR = TIME TO REFLECT | HECK YES!
One reason why I love this time of year is we all get a chance press timeout. We get a chance to sit with ourselves. I encourage you to take me up on this exercise and draft notes on gratitude and confidence banking for the year. I bet you have a lot to be grateful / items to be proud in this past year’s journey. And if what you’re putting down onto the page is not good enough for you, what will you do about it?
BY THE WAY YOU’RE DOING GREAT!
Keep up the great work. You’re doing great! I bet you tended to your duties this year. Made a few people laugh along the way. You showed up! You tried your best! As music artist Ian MacKaye has said: “success is in the doing.” And I know you did a lot of things. Give yourself a pat on the back. Give yourself a moment to acknowledge your own grace and ability to lean into your life.
I’M THINKING ABOUT: COMMUNITY AND GOING BACK HOME
I’ve been thinking a lot about community, grace, striving for our best, fighting for it, about renewal, and long journeys home. Is that too much for one sentence? Did you have fun taking a peak inside my brain? LOL.
I think we’re all heading towards our homes in the long run. Like our aging elders, who will be gone one day but are still here with us. I think they’re almost back home. I think we all are, heading back home. Maybe that’s a dark thought. Maybe a naive thought. Yet, it’s a strong reminder on what really matters in our time on this plane. How unbelievably inconsequential all of our first-world pursuits are. In the end, life is about a whole bunch of other things versus the endless pursuit of accolades, achievement, and the collection of stuff that no one will keep after we leave this earth.
And yet, I do think there’s so much to gain from the pursuit. So much to gain from practice. From having a goal and setting out to achieve it. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. And if you can go on that journey with family, friends, colleagues, you’re pretty lucky. I hope you’re embracing those blessings because in the end, I don’t think it gets much better than being able to do what you’re interested in while having a community around you. 🙏
RECAPPING MOVE FAST, THINK SLOW 2024
My goals at the top of the year for Move Fast, Think Slow were simple: hone in on the focus and be more consistent by writing weekly. I tried writing more about my life’s work (and passion) in brand marketing / advertising. I also wanted to write about high performing people and teams. And I wanted to write about the power of consistent practice.
The results are in! I wrote 14 more dispatches in 2024 than I did in 2023 (netting out at 26). I love that journey for us! 🤗
As for the top 3 most read dispatches in 2024?
What is Great Advertising - Remembering Mary Wells Lawrence
Biz School with Jeff Bezos - Genius steals and if you’re interested in running first-rate organizations, it behooves you to steal from Jeff
What is a brand? Brand marketing 101 - Why brand matters. What it is. And why people take it for granted.
What were my personal favorites? I’d say it’s a tie between finding your weird and optimizing ourselves to death.
In an era that tells us our humanity is secondary to the synthetic. An era where we have access to so much “social connection” but loneliness is at an all time high. An era where education, books, facts, and reality are being bullied and distorted, I say double down on your humanity. Double down on you. The world needs you. No matter what the noise of the day says, the more human we can be, the better we are for it.
KEEP IT PUSHING, YOU’RE ALLOWED TO BECOME A MASTER OF YOUR OWN JOURNEY
As I wrote at the top of the year, I am biased towards growth. In case that’s not obvious. LOL! But truly, I think we all have an opportunity to grow. But what does growth require? What does it mean for you? There are a few themes I’ve come across recently that I think can help. And since tis the season for reflection, these are quality meditations to consider as you look to 2025 and beyond.
SHEDDING
What junk do you need to remove? The mental junk. The physical junk. The bad habits junk. Give it a thought. Being light is freeing but being light needs constant care and attention.
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE
I’ve been obsessed with practice ever since I read James Clear’s Atomic Habits book. Yet, it’s challenging to have one in a modern day existence that demands you show up to work and show up for others frequently. For me, I try to practice running, writing, and positive tone setting as much as I possibly can. They make the events themselves that much easier/better. I like gravity holding me to the ground versus floating in outer space. What is your practice? How is it going? Do you need new ones in 2025?
IMAGES OF THE WEEK
Go forth.
Stay safe.
Ride the wave.
-Mitch
P.S. If you have thoughts or feedback on Move Fast, Think Slow I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply on this note and I’ll get your email. Have a wonderful 2024 holiday season and see you in 2025!