First-Time Experiences

Welcome back to the long-lost WHI&T weekly newsletter!

We've been apart for some time now - 5 weeks, give or take.

Hopefully you weren't holding your breath.

I apologize for my absence, but am VERY excited to share what I have been working on during my newsletter intermission.

Stay tuned later this week for a follow up post!

Story Time: First-Time Experiences ⭕

In honor of our first newsletter back from a 5-week sabbatical, I would like to start this issue talking about another recent first in my life.

This past weekend, I traveled home from vacation in Moab, Utah. This was my first time visiting Moab - another first - and for what it's worth, Moab is almost unbelievable. If Elon moved to Moab he'd probably forget about Mars. But that's not what this post is about.

The journey home was not a short trip. One of the nuanced aspects of living in the Virgin Islands is that any trip west of Texas will inevitably require a Red Eye flight. I'm well aware no one feels bad for us islanders.

Our odyssey home began Saturday morning with a 6-hour drive from Moab to Denver. The long, winding road is canvased by desert and mountain throughout. Absolutely gorgeous.

We made a brief pitstop in Vail to pick up a hitchhiker named Nate we met the day prior while exploring Moab. Nice guy. Another first. Yet again, not the point of this article.

After dropping off our newfound friend, killing some time exploring Denver, returning the rental car, holding our breath while the check-in lady confirmed our negative COVID tests, then essentially sleep-walking our way through security and onto our first flight, we were off to Miami! 1:30am Mountain time. 3.5 beautiful hours of sleep ahead.

In what seemed like 10 minutes later, our deep slumber came to a violent conclusion with the sudden jolt of tires skidding across the runway. Welcome to Miami!

After the third mimosa before 9am (probably not a first), our sleep-deprived Miami layover felt like an extension of the vacation. With a newfound energy only equal parts coffee and mimosa can provide, we proceeded to the next and final leg of the trip.

Which brings me to THE first...

Brief context - I love meeting new people, hearing their story, and attempting to ask thoughtful questions of them. I also love airplanes because they are quiet, peaceful, and provide a much needed respite from the noise of the world below.

For 28 years of my life the two have been mutually exclusive.

That is, until last weekend.

For the first time in my life, I spent the entirety of a 3-hour flight engaged in a non-stop conversation with someone I just met. Did I mention I was on an airplane? Running on fumes? Three mimosas deep? A first for sure.

In spite of my lack of sleep, dazed demeanor, and traditional respect for others' desire not to be forced listeners of a 3-hour conversation between strangers... I decided to play along for the first few minutes before takeoff to test the waters.

Once again, in what seemed like 10 minutes later, we were landing. Only this time, I was fully awake and my heart rate didn't suddenly jump to 180.

In three hours we discussed freediving, global travel, starting a business, raising series funding, investors, LPs, family, friends, philosophy, books, personal growth, what matters in life, and what doesn't matter in life.

I won't share his name, but I sat next to the Founder and CEO of a young, growing, VC-funded startup working to improve the user experience for physical moves.

He said many interesting things during our three hour chat - but one thought in particular has stuck with me.

I'm paraphrasing because we added multiple additional mimosas to an already sizeable tally during the flight. He said something to the effect of -

You attract the energy you convey and you convey the energy of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

Nothing about that quote is novel. I've encountered some version of it multiple times over in various self-help books and podcasts.

The reason his words resonated with me is because I realized they were the only reason our conversation occurred in the first place.

From the moment he walked on the plane, he conveyed an infectious energy and a tireless enthusiasm. I appreciate people who have a stealthy overconfidence about them. A subtle and approachable air of superiority. Never diminishing or belittling others, but fully understanding the gravity of their position.

I don't think anyone is born this way. Rather, I believe confidence is refined by experience and perseverance. Tested and retested time and time again over the course of a life.

His path to success was undoubtedly a bumpy one, as is everyone's. But he stayed the course, remained true to himself, and is now beginning to reap the benefits at the sprightly age of 44.

You attract the energy you convey.

You convey the energy of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

Choose wisely and set yourself up for success.  

Parting Thoughts 🤝

I hope everyone is happy, healthy, and life is treating you well!

This is our first newsletter in quite some time and I apologize for my absence.

I could say life got in the way, but it didn't. I simply overextended myself.

Despite better intentions, my attempts to do all the things resulted in subpar quality throughout all the things.

After refocusing and reprioritizing, we will get back to a consistent weekly cadence!

Cheers Everyone 🥂

If you made it this far in the article, thank you for your time! I appreciate you tremendously and am thrilled to have you in our community.

If you enjoyed what you read, consider forwarding to a friend or two! 💌

That's it for this issue.

Until next time - be well, be intentional, and be yourself!

Have a week,

Whit