Back On The Trail
Editor’s Note: This newsletter was originally published on Monday, August 22nd, 2022.
As a Boy Scout, I never participated in our backpacking outings. During my time as an Adult Leader in my sons’ Troop, backpacking outings have been some of my favorites.
While I took a hiatus for a couple of years, our troop did not do many hiking/backcountry events. We had one of our first this past weekend.
Boy, are we out of practice!
- This was my first outing after surgery last month.
- We didn’t take enough water & our two adults who own water filters (myself and another) decided to leave them at home. #Duh
- There is a skill and knowledge gap for many of our youth about what constitutes “backpacking meals” & good nutrition when you are in the wilderness.
As for my surgery, I walked seven (7) miles with very little discomfort or pain. I got my second blister with these boots so it is probably time to replace them. (On a positive note, I have been the most comfortable walking in those boots during my last two hikes (pre & post-surgery). I’ll have to check my day-to-day shoes too.)
The water issue was a real planning miss. One Nalgene bottle of water (in some cases, not filled) is not enough water if you don’t have a refill source. I noticed on the trail that most of the creeks were surprisingly low. As noted, it wouldn’t have mattered as we didn’t bring filtration/sanitization materials. (Thankfully, two members of our party decided to cut their hike short and met us at a waypoint with bottled water. #ProblemAverted)
In addition to getting our adults re-acquainted with what it takes to have a successful backpacking outing, we have got some training and skill development to do for our youth. Instant Macaroni & Cheese with sandwich meat is NOT good nutrition and it is NOT adequate when you are more active than normal.
Overall, it was a successful trip and a fun weekend. We wisely took this outing as a “feeler” and “warm-up” for getting us ready for more challenging adventures.
As we get more practice, I’ll keep you up to date.
Personal Note – If you haven’t taken a weekend or some time away from the daily grind, I definitely advise it. Don’t worry – all your regular problems will be there waiting to greet you when you get back.
Many Americans inheriting an IRA will pay a much larger tax bill under new IRS guidance. “Grandma meant well, but the plan backfired.” https://t.co/EbbruiAmwE
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 13, 2022
It’s interesting. Another quote that I’ve shared from Gary Vaynerchuk also highlights things that we should ignore – namely other people’s opinions.
“When you tune ‘them’ out, you can start living for you!” -GV
An important stepping stone to success seems to be developing the ability to ignore things where so many of us focus our attention.
In this case of this week’s quote, he shares his belief that things “in the middle” are often our biggest waste of energy and time. Many of us obsess and worry over things that provide value.
This widens to industries & skillsets as well. If you think about it, things in “the middle” have been shrinking and becoming more competitive for diminishing returns for the last few years.
It simply does not pay to be a mediocre player. It does no good to be the “generic” provider.
If you want to find success, you have to offer something unique. If people can get it from other places, there will always be someone else who will provide it cheaper than you. Your value must be what you (individually) bring to the table.
For those who haven’t found where they bring unique value, keep looking. If you have, double down there. There is much more bandwidth and opportunity where the offer includes you.
This quote from my first newsletter from almost two years ago is just as relevant (if not more) than it was then.
— David Adams (@SwamiDaveSays) August 14, 2022
The ability to develop authentic relationships is an even greater competitive advantage than it was then! pic.twitter.com/KkQ7L89CKR
For those checking out the book reviews, I reviewed Twelve And A Half (Amazon affiliate link) by Gary Vaynerchuk. You can check out my notes at this link.
Keep a lookout as I have finished reading the following books and will be posting my notes for those very soon!
- E-Myth Revisited (Amazon affiliate link) by Michael Gerber [review notes link]
- One Million Followers (Amazon affiliate link) by Brendan Kane
- Content Inc. (Amazon affiliate link) by Joe Pulizzi
- Twelve And A Half (Amazon affiliate link) by Gary Vaynerchuk
When should #founders quit their #jobs if they are #bootstrapping a #startup with a paycheck? https://t.co/MZqzwwVLpt
— 1Mby1M (@1Mby1M) August 13, 2022
Other Links
- Improving Rankings for Older Content
- If you have existing content, you could have an untapped traffic source and attention. Improving SEO [and, thereby, rankings] for your current articles could positively affect your site rankings. Whether it is through updates, technical improvements, or more-aggressive link building, your previously-published work might uncover new revenue potential for you & your business.
- Elementor ThemeBuilder Error
- If you are using Elementor & your site got broken by a recent update, this might be interesting too. It is always a bad feeling when you see those dreaded “error” screens after updates. #Thanks to the Elementor community for quickly posting this fix. Worked like a charm!
- Search Indexing History
- Are you interested in the “sorcery” that leads to some pages ranking and others garnering little-to-no attention? This article shares background into the “science behind the magic”.
- JPMorgan CEO suggests boosting oil & gas production
- I’ve supposed an “All-of-the-Above” energy policy for a long time. Without entering the whether or whether not debate about “climate change”, the reality is that a good bit of our current economic downturn is directly addressable to reductions in our production of energy. The reality is that “Green Energy” sources (solar, wind, etc) will not meet our current energy needs for many years. Belief otherwise is trust in a fairy tale. Jamie Dimon is correct – we should increase production across the board.
It's officially back-to-school season! Whether you're heading back to a physical or virtual classroom, starting a new school year calls for stocking up on new notebooks, folders, pens, and more. Shop our links to save big and support our journalism. 1/ 7 https://t.co/OBuQRjq19g
— WIRED (@WIRED) August 13, 2022
