A thief of good ideas

Over the years I have found there is a strange calm between Christmas and New Years — compared to the previous 51 weeks, it is disturbingly quiet. Why this is I can only hazard to guess but it probably has something to do with figuratively catching your breath and emotionally preparing to do it all over again but with a new calendar.

I am probably just transferring.

I also find myself reflecting on the events of the past year, as well as actively looking for commentary and ideas that may be useful in the coming year. Today I was listening to Ryan Holiday who is a modern champion of stoicism and someone I would recommend you free up some time for — his perspectives truly have stood the test of time. He introduced me to a new phrase I hadn’t heard before, and although it’s something not uttered by Marcus Aurelius, I still found it impactful.

“Don’t Yuck on someone else’s Yum”

It is a reminder to not be critical of someone else’s idea or opinion — you don’t have to like it or agree with it but it is their opinion so let them have it without any egotistical comment. Sure, there are ideas and opinions “that are ‘draw a line in the sand’ wrong” for moral, ethical, and legal reasons but that’s not what I am referring to in this context. I liked this phrase — it was because it was something new to me, aligned with my goals and is something actionable that would offer beneficial results to me.

It was a good idea in my mind. For one, it prevented needless friction but more importantly, it prevents “blind spots” that come with an ego and the belief your opinion or view is more important than someone else’s.

Although I don’t just look for ideas in the last week of the year, there is a concentrated effort in this last week to feed my thinking as I head into a new year. New ideas come about all the time, but in my view, most ideas are taken from someone else, and as a working model, it’s probably better to apply the view that there are few new ideas and it’s much easier to search for existing ones than create new ones.

There is a hierarchy to ideas you know, something akin to features, benefits, and value:

• A bad idea is better than no idea

• A good idea is better than a bad idea

• The best idea is one that aligns with your goals

I am always looking for ideas to steal, and although I like the romantic idea of coming up with a new and unique idea myself, I am very comfortable with “borrowing” someone else’s idea and using it with abandon. It really is fun searching for ideas that someone else has.

“Don’t Yuck on someone else’s Yum” is a great reminder not to let your preconceptions get in the way of the next idea you can take and that you should critically think about whether someone’s Yum is your next bad, good, or best idea before you cast judgement.

And why does it matter? It’s because idea statuses change and yesterday’s bad ideas can become today’s best idea so fill your idea funnel.

iamgpe

*13 more

Moments — Love in my heart

I have five days to bench press 200 pounds; it was a goal I set myself back in January when I noticed I could lift 170 pounds with little difficulty — shortly after, while playing outdoor shinny, I fell and jammed my shoulder… which then took six months to recover to a point that my goal seemed achievable again.

As I started to progress and feel the momentum building, I aggravated my other shoulder and tricep. That took six weeks to work through this injury, and as I looked at the calendar, my runway was getting short — and yes, it does scream “metaphor for life” but that’s for another time.

Today I wanted to see how my shoulders were holding up and how close I was to my target — I felt good and slowly progressed as I incrementally added weight to the bar. There comes a point, particularly when you are reaching your limit, when you need a spotter. A spotter is someone who watches over your lift to ensure you don’t crush yourself. In this case, I asked someone I didn’t know to watch and keep my ego from causing undue harm. He was more than happy to help and offered encouragement as I started my lift. I lifted 190 pounds with some help and made a new gym friend. I told him about my target and what I was trying to accomplish, and as he went back to his workout he said, “It’s good to have goals”.

My shoulders felt good and I was optimistic — just 10 more pounds… just 5% more. I only have five days left and as I said before, I’m working with a short runway — very short if truth be told. I will keep it up until the end and we will see.

As I started a light exercise, I caught the eye of another gym dude who smiled, dropped one side of his headphones, came over to bump fists, and said, “Hey”. In our conversation, I asked him if he was ready for 2026 and he looked at me strangely and said that, He only worries about the day he’s in and maybe the day after. “ He then put his hand to his chest and continued, “I live with love in my heart”.

He smiled, bumped my fist again, then went off to continue his workout.

So, with five days left in 2025, today I was reminded that perseverance brings progress, that the world is full of people willing to help and offer encouragement as you make your way, and love is a great energy to carry with you — whatever you happen to be doing.

iamgpe

*14 more

Fuck you; I am...

I have noticed that when I am dealing with something or trying to make sense of a situation, I go hiking in the forest — I am attracted to nature and something much bigger than myself. This morning the air was fresh and the icy trail forced you to pay attention with every step. As I made my way, I ruminated — I was frustrated, and the more I reflected, the darker my mood got. Under my breath I mumbled, “Fuck you; I am…”. The murmur trailed off as I came to a stop. I stood in the forest on the first day of winter and I was different. My mood had changed: what seemed insurmountable was not anymore, the problems, although not gone, were straightforward to overcome. The person who walked out of the forest was someone totally different than the one who had entered an hour earlier.

But why? Metaphorically speaking, how was a cold, wet blanket that was suffocating me so easily removed? I had the rest of the hike to think about it.

Many will find the term fuck you vulgar, but everyone would agree that it is direct and forceful and pressures you to take notice. This sets the stage for the “You” in the term fuck you and needs to be dissected a bit — this could be directed to a specific person but, and this is important, it can also be directed to a situation or circumstance. More important still, it could be directed to yourself, and with honesty on the table, we all know we get in our own way more often than not… so get comfortable directing this to yourself.

Now to the second part of what I am starting to think is simply a forceful affirmation — “I am”. This really is the reason, or reasons you said, “Fuck you” in the first place.

• I am… skilled and competent.

• I am… strong and resilient.

• I am… honest and trustworthy.

• I am… adaptable and courageous.

• I am… smart!

• et cetera

I think you get my point.

On that cold sunny day, it simply changed the narrative and perspective which forced me to reflect on who I was and how I can overcome the situation. It’s important to remember it must always be “I am…” and never “You are…” because this is about you changing the narrative and owning the situation. You’re not blaming the circumstance on someone or something else, you are saying why you can overcome anything in front of you — I believe this only works if you simply say “I am”… and know it to be true and own it.

So there you have it, a reminder to myself as well as a catchy new affirmation mantra.

Also, if you happen to adopt this, you should keep it as a mind exercise or write it in a journal — running around saying Fuck you is just going to cause a kerfuffle.

iamgpe

*just 15 more blogs.