Hello and welcome to the second release of the Sunday Snapshot series – a platform where I share the music, thoughts, and images that have influenced my week.
I don’t know about you, but this week has flown by for me. I’ve experienced success in some of my initiatives but also faced some challenging moments too. I’m spending a lot of my time running at the moment – more on this soon 😜.
So without further ado, let’s dive into this week's snapshot – it’s been a chilled one, largely because I worked from home for most of the week.
Regardless of the chill factor, I'm sure you'll find something that radiates.
Sonic sanctuary (music):
Kaya project feat Randolph Matthews - Sema Yaka
This week marked the one-year anniversary of attending a show called ‘Black Boy Joy Gone’ at HOME Theatre, Manchester, with my very special friend Jane and her daughter Cliodhna. I remember feeling the winter blues around this time, and Jane suggested we go to the show. It had a transformative impact on me, largely because I resonated with the stories from the performers, and there was such great artistry on display.
Randolph was one of the performers on the night, and prior to the show, I had never come across him. Now let me tell you, the vocal range and emotion he carried in his voice are enough to stop anyone in their tracks. He has worked as a vocalist and composer and had his work featured in songs and movies. I went home and immediately searched through his discography, and that is how I came across the song "Sema Yaka," which features Randolph’s vocals. I’ve never visited India, but I think this song would make a good backdrop (see what I did there 😉) to the sun setting across one of Goa’s beaches.
Aaron Frazer - If I Got It
When adding this song to my library on Apple Music (yes, I’m one of those people 🤪), I found it difficult to place it in any one of my 51 self-made playlists. I decided to crown the new playlist ‘Funky’. I don’t think this song is actually a funk song; it’s actually listed as belonging to the ‘Blues-Rock’ genre. But what the hell, I felt funky listening to it, and I think you might too 😉.
Jordan Rakei - Family
My last song for you this week is by the illustrious Jordan Rakei. He’s featured in songs with some of my favorite artists such as Bonobo, Loyle Carner, and Tom Misch.
When visiting Berlin last summer, I met Bhima, who is a musician, composer/all-around music wizz. He told me that you can tell a song is good in the first 3 seconds, and that is definitely the case with this song. The guitar intro riff grabs your attention and informs you that something good is about to happen.
The song features lyrics like “you’re still part of me,” “I bear my brother's fears,” and “just don’t let time be wasted here.” I’m not sure what your relationships with your family are like, but family relationships can be a rollercoaster, and no matter what happens, your family is still a part of you, like Jordan reminds us.
So, have a listen and get in touch with that family member you’ve been too busy to connect with and check-in.
The Socratic segment (thoughts/ideas):
‘Consider Yourself a Builder’ by Robert Greene
This one really made me think…
In this meditation, Robert Greene discusses how building anything requires that you understand the building process and possess the necessary skills. He adds that “you cannot make anything worthwhile in this world unless you have first developed and transformed yourself.”
Success in the current world doesn’t always align with self-development. People garner fame and following for some of the craziest reasons - like pretending to be a video game character. Success is also so subjective, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others or thinking that what society deems as success has to be your own definition too.
My challenge to you is to reflect on what ‘you’ actually deem to be successful that has nothing to do with your friends, family, or society.
Write it down and then work towards it.
Napoleon's Maxim's
This week we’re back with another episode from the Founders podcast. This time it’s about Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon came to mind not too long ago when I was watching an episode of F*** that’s Delicious where someone offers Action Bronson a bottle of Cognac from around 1812 that was made especially for Napoleon - I digress.
This episode of the podcast was about Napoleon’s strategic mind. David (the host) reviews two books - Roots of Strategy by Thomas R. Phillips and Napoleon and Modern War by Napoleon and Col. Lanza.
I found it really interesting that modern-day business is used as the battleground to test out some of these strategies. The things that stood out to me in this episode were how much Napoleon read and studied books and history. But not only that, he insisted on going back over them. Which is something I don’t really do. There were lots of interesting maxims shared. Definitely one for those strategic minds out there.
Afford Anything by Paula Pant
I first came across Paula Pant on the YouTube channel - Big Think. She was preaching a message I could get behind ‘You can afford anything, but you can’t afford everything’. She has a podcast with her friend Joe where they answer questions from their community who are working towards building wealth and becoming financially free. It’s a topic I’m interested in because building wealth isn’t as quick as my impulsive brain would like it to be - it takes time and you need to create value and adopt habits to build and sustain it. So I love the podcast for the knowledge they share on the topic, but I’m a bit sad that it’s not related to the UK because there’s so much talk about 401k’s which just don’t apply to my life in the UK. If anyone out there knows any good UK-based finance/investment podcasts, please share them with me.
So this particular episode I listened to featured a question from the community who was deliberating saving a lump sum to put down as a deposit for a house or taking an intense pottery class that she’s always wanted to take. Paula and Joe shared some nuggets that made me think.
“If you don’t pursue your dream, you will regret it and resent the people around you.” Life is a selfish act especially in the western world but I do believe in doing things you want to do and not having relationships that prevent you from doing what your heart desires. Don’t get me wrong I know you need to compromise at times but it shouldn’t be on matters that mean the most to you. Another interesting nugget from the episode was “when you go for a job that’s 70% joy/meaning - you’re mortgaging your time.”
I hadn’t ever heard it put this way before.
Seeing (images):
Boom!
That's all for this week, folks.
It was a good week overall with lots to feel positive about. I hope you found something that resonated with you.
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Awesome read! Love the “Reset to Rise” statement.