Welcome to this week’s 1-2-1 newsletter. A small pause to recharge, rethink, and reconnect.
Inside you’ll find one ideas I’m sitting with, two voices I’m learning from, and one tiny step you can take to feel more like yourself this week.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about trade-offs.
Every day we make dozens of choices.
Each one quietly shapes the direction of our lives.
We tend to focus on what we’re trying to gain.
But every choice also comes with something we give up.
And that part often goes unnoticed.
Personal Insight
I recently had my 34th birthday.
There was a time I would have thought that was old.
Now, I just see how many different paths a life can take.
Some of my friends have kids in middle school.
Some are having their first child.
Some have lost their first pet.
Some have never had one.
Some have traveled widely.
Some have stayed close to home.
None of these are inherently better or worse.
But they are different.
And different paths lead to different lives.
More importantly, not all of them are right for me.
I choose to believe there is goodness in many paths.
But not all of them align with my life.
That’s becoming clearer with time.
The real work isn’t just choosing what’s good.
It’s choosing what’s good and right for you.
Some alignments are obvious.
Lean in. Let go.
Others are harder.
They ask for honesty.
And sometimes, difficult conversations.
2 Voices I’m Learning From
1.
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.David Wagoner
Sometimes the answer isn’t to move faster or figure it out.
It’s to pause long enough to actually see where you are,
and let life meet you there.
2.
“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” - Greg McKeown
If you don’t choose your priorities, they get chosen for you.
Most of life’s drift isn’t accidental.
It’s unclaimed responsibility.
1 REFLECTION / ACTION
What is important to you that isn’t getting enough time?
What is one way you could realistically make it a priority this week?
There is no perfect path through life.
Things won’t unfold exactly how we imagined.
There will be unexpected wins.
And quiet losses we didn’t plan for.
Stay open.
But don’t drift.
Pay attention to what matters.
And be willing to choose it, even when it costs you something.
If this resonated, share it with someone who might need it.
Thanks for being here.
Jack
P.S. I’ve been thinking a lot about pressure and freedom lately.
I recently published a short essay called The Freedom Paradox.
It goes deeper into some of what I’ve been working through.
eBook + audiobook here:
https://jackjohnstonwrites.gumroad.com/l/freedom-paradox
I love that poem by David Wagoner.