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- #92: Do hard things.
#92: Do hard things.
Shem Opolot
October 11, 2024
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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.
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Happy Friday 🎉 Zion (my son—for the new and uninitiated; Hi 👋🏾 btw) turned three this week, and he got more gifts than we have space for. But his favorite toy remains whatever toy his sister holds at any given time.
LIFE & WORK
Do hard things.
Gif by sherchle on Giphy
The first time I went to the gym, I met Yücel while squirming under a 40-kilogram weight I underestimated on the bench press. Sensing my struggle, this stocky, Arab-looking, full-bearded Turkish-German rushed to the head of the bench to salvage my neck and my dignity.
Yücel gripped the barbell.
His bare, calloused hands moved along the length of the bar searching for the commensurate friction to lift the barbell.
From that day, Yücel became my guide in the gym, motivating me to get out of bed and cussing me out when I skimped on my reps. He made me lift progressively heavier weights over time and called me a little b*tch whenever I slacked. Under Yücel’s militant regime, I went from squirming under the barbell on the bench press to lifting twice my body weight and doing about 500 push-ups a day.
I was in the best shape of my life.
When I graduated from college in 2013, unemployment anxiety packed its bags and moved into the space in my head, vacated by biostatistics. The easy thing to do was to return home and figure things out, but instead, I emailed the intimidating doctor I interned with the previous summer to ask for a job. The doctor responded and summoned me to Ohio to work as a research assistant.
I had no place to stay in Ohio, I didn’t know anyone there, and I’d be the only black man there for miles. But I did it, and Ohio became the darling of my past in America.
2 years later, my work permit expired, and again, the easy thing to do was to go home and figure things out, but instead, I applied to Duke University.
I graduated from Duke, and again, post-graduation anxiety visited me like an unwanted relative on a quiet Sunday afternoon. The easier thing to do was to apply for jobs, hope for the best, and worst-case scenario, return to my parents’ home in Uganda to regroup.
Instead, fully understanding the challenges Duke had in Uganda, I wrote my job description and shared it with my advisor—an illustrious, intimidating neurosurgeon who excelled at everything except interpersonal skills. Such a bold request would make or break our professional relationship.
My advisor said yes.
If you lift the same weight in the gym forever, you’ll still be in decent shape. Mediocre, but decent. However, periodically lifting heavier weights will make you stronger.
The more you do things you’re afraid of, the more you do hard things; like a muscle, your threshold for “hard” increases, empowering you to do incredible things.
Do hard things often.
THINGS.
A quote.
Gisele Pelicot’s story is jarring but monumental for how we think and talk about sexual assault.
Shame must change sides from the victims to the perpetrators.
In a heroic move, Gisele Pelicot fought to make public the videos of her unconscious rapes at the hands of over 50 men and won. She wanted the public “to look rape straight in the eyes.” Shame, she said, must change sides —from the victims to the perpetrators.
Police found more… x.com/i/web/status/1…
— Laila Mickelwait (@LailaMickelwait)
5:49 AM • Oct 8, 2024
A picture.
My little sister took this picture of Zion earlier in the year while they were out on a date, and it captures who Zion is—a bustling contradiction. He wants to have a good time and make a mess, but he also likes comfort and a soft life. He’s adventurous, compassionate, and loving, but he still can’t share his toys (or her toys) with his little sister. I love him. I pray for him. I thank God for him.
WORK.
Get sh*t done.
This site will help you turn big projects into actionable steps.
FUN.
The Friday Fix Playlist
Shem’s picks
✅ A word search game is always a good idea.
✅ Six core skills mastered by the smartest people.
✅ Help choose the most beautiful word in the English language.
✅ The BBC has an archive of 33,000+ sound effects you can download for free.
✅ What was the weather like on the day you were born?
Have a great weekend,
— Shem
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