Medtitations
9:26 AM
Woke up today around 6:30 am, instead of going back to bed I decided I was gonna go fishing. Instead of self indulgence in scrolling, channel that unsatisfied energy into fishing and tennis. The key was kinesthetic and also getting reps in. Consistency beats novelty in the long run.
Fishing is so interesting, because when pursued with autotelic rather than exotelic motives, the incredible insights are revealed in honing ones craft which leads to improved fish bites. Enter the flow state into perfecting your cast motion, but minimize the resistance and don’t over exert yourself. There’s a sweet spot with the timing where you don’t have to overpower the rod and feeling the tension, naturally whip carries the line further and more accurately.
The principle applies to startups and the VC world where you’re taking calculated bets, but you’re not too invested on one spot. Let thesis drive your approach in prospecting areas for fish, and keep the iteration loops tight just like your roll casts. Reminded me of Bill Ackman hiring Oliver White at Pershing Square, for this very mentality can discover contrarian truths and alpha where nobody else is looking. Fishing is not about mimicking the patterns of other fishermen, but rather having a deeper understanding of integrating your technique, scientific hypothesis approach and personal growth.
Funny enough, I only fished for an hour and a half but I got more out of this and any five hour fishing day on University Lake or Cane Creek. I learned so much more just from this small excursion to Lake Hogan, and relentlessly calmly focused on working the dock.
Going to tennis, I only needed 15 minutes for me to polish and in my backhand. My muscle memory has already been developed for around 10-15 years, but it’s the consistent daily iterations that compound. Mastering self 1 and self 2 were the guiding principles in Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey. Hitting against the wall was more efficient than having to coordinate playing with someone else, and enables maximal efficiency in my schedule.
Key takeaways this morning: minimize the resistance in overexertion in every rep, but strategically in mindfully gain new data. The unit economics of each cast matters, and being efficient with your motion, saves energy and maximizes time on the water in the long-term.
Finding fish is similar to product market fit, where it’s a chaotic system, determined by factors out of your control. But signal propagates and amplifies through repeated iterations and network effects.
On another note, the kinesthetic feeling, and Zen flow in the morning while I’m working on my flyfishing cast was incredible. I had an idea of a fly-fishing film where I used Wes Anderson-eque or Kogonada-esque still shot composition, but very cinematic and asymmetrically composed, showing the fly rippling through and the waves going through the water.