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- #123: Build beautiful
#123: Build beautiful
Shem Opolot
May 30, 2025
Hi! Welcome to The Friday Fix! You’re reading this because you probably stumbled upon this post somewhere on the internet instead of where it should be—in your inbox. But no worries; we can fix that.
Who am I? I’m Shem Opolot, a health professional turned content creator, passionate about helping people be their best selves in life and work.
Why should you subscribe?
I have over ten years of work experience in healthcare, program management, and data analytics on two continents. So, I know a little about helping you work smarter
I comb through tonnes of self-improvement content so you don’t have to, and I distill the content into bite-sized wisdom for you
I’ll occasionally make you laugh
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Hi! I'm Shem Opolot, and this is The Friday Fix, my weekly newsletter. If you've received it, you’re either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. If you fit into the latter (yes, I’m the kind of person who uses words like “latter”) camp and want to subscribe, then click on the shiny button below:
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Otherwise, grab a seat 🪑.
HAPPY FRIDAY 🎉 According to The Guardian, the semicolon is dying; so, to hold a candle to its flickering flame, this anecdote is much like a semicolon, separating the beginning of the newsletter from the rest while maintaining a loose connection. The semicolon is also the most romantic punctuation mark, showing that two wholes can coexist independently while choosing to remain connected. It’s emblematic of healthy, secure attachment. We could all learn a lot from the semicolon.
But also, more often than not, a comma or period works just fine, or better, even.
LIFE.
Build beautiful.
“I like dark-skinned men.”
I figured I’d start with that one for shock and awe.
“I like brunettes.”
“I like skinny valley girl blondes.”
“I like big butts, and I cannot lie.”
The other day, while battling back pain on one of those dreadful bar stools as I watched a basketball game at a local hole in the wall, I overheard the two gentlemen next to me audibly gasp when a lady—with a, umm, how do I say this without losing subscribers? Er…a beautiful bosom—walked in. The louder, drunker one of the two summoned his lips to make some sus sounds before saying, “Can’t resist those bad boys.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the altar on which we finally crucify toxic masculinity and patriarchy, so simply scoff at those men if you feel so inclined, and let’s proceed.
For the life of me, I’ll never understand people who have types. But if pressed to choose, I’m a sucker for a good face, myself.
I still remember the first time I saw my wife's face as she smiled at me. This might be revisionist history, but I think I was a goner from then on.
And by extension, I love beautiful things.
What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? Do you remember?
I remember a few. I remember a Florida summer sunset with a kaleidoscope of color that would stump the most sophisticated color picker. I remember my wife’s face. I remember my mother’s smile. I remember the first time I went to Disney World.
For most of the beautiful things you see, your reaction, after taking it all in, is the same as mine—you tell someone about it.
That’s what beauty does; it insists upon itself. It self-disperses.
Beauty will always scale.
And my love for beautiful things is why mediocrity pisses me off. It’s why I hate lousy websites, dirty bathrooms, and ugly buildings. Because if you’re going to build something, then why not build something beautiful?
Beauty is the cheapest way to advertise. This is true in nature, as peacocks compete for the attention of peahens, and ripe fruits catch your eye, forcing you to climb into the neighbor’s compound and pluck them from the tree. And it is also true in your life.
So build beautiful things. They’ll always sell themselves.
THINGS.
A quote.
I think proximity shows you the problems and love decides whether you’ll look away—are you close enough to see clearly, or close enough to stop looking?
Sometimes I think intimacy is the agreement to not look too closely at everything, because what’s more important is just loving people in the ways they never ask for out loud.
A picture.
While walking back home after a hard day this week, feeling jaded and a little dejected, one look at the neighbor’s dog lifted my spirits.
WORK.
Here’s a useful site
Gif by Giflytics on Giphy
When most people in the professional spaces I’m in want to find a good time to meet that works for a group, they either email each other back and forth or use Doodle polls. And Doodle works fine, but its free version is clunky and, quite frankly, unsightly, if you ask me.
I recommend this site instead. It does the same thing as Doodle but better. And you don’t even need to create an account to use it.
FUN.
The Friday Fix playlist
Shem’s picks
✅ Create a two-word brand
✅ Focus with sounds of random forests
✅ Why Pinocchio is story about art and God
✅ An endless supply of dad jokes
✅ A free library of short stories
Have a great weekend,
— Shem
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