My First Newsletter: Welcome!
A brief introduction and what to expect!
Estimated reading time: two minutes
Hello friends,
I assume many of you who are reading already know me, but if not, here's a quick introduction. My name is James Broussard, and I am a senior in high school at the American School of the Hague in the Netherlands. I have lived an unconventional life to some and a pretty conventional life to others. Without going into detail, I have gone through a fair amount of trials and tasted success. With this, I have learned lessons that have shaped me into the person I am and made me think the way I do. Every week (feel free to subscribe at the end of the post), I’ll be sharing these lessons, ideas, and thoughts. While I don’t think these ideas will be revolutionary, I know they have helped me, and I reckon they can help others. Also, I’ll include updates on my life—what I’m interested in, what I’ve been up to, etc. Essentially, I am treating this as an online journal open for others to see.
I'm still figuring out the format; some weeks could be one long message, while others might be divided into subcategories. This week, I'm opting for the subcategory approach.
A Question I am Contemplating:
Where is the path to serenity?
Serenity, by definition, is "the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled." These words we see so often frequently receive little thought. But how can I get to this stage? How can I be untroubled, calm, and peaceful? I think it comes from knowing that the only ability I truly possess is the capability to make choices. Seriously, think about this. There is so much chaos in this world, yet the only things I can control are the choices I make and my (optional) opinions. This is an empowering feeling! Why worry about things outside of your control if you can't choose to influence them? To me, acknowledging this is the first—and most essential—step to serenity.
Quote I like:
“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” — Von Goethe
Goal for This Week:
Act on inspiration and eliminate the thoughts of "I'll do this later."
Naval Ravikant—entrepreneur, angel investor, and co-founder of AngelList—once said, "Inspiration is perishable, act on it immediately." When you feel inspired to do a task, regardless of its size, it's important to prioritize it and take action. Ignoring inspiration may result in missed opportunities and uncompleted tasks, causing frustration out of lack of productivity.
Book(s) I’m Reading
The Good Life Method — Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko (58% done)
A Little Life — Hanya Yangihara (44% done)
Small Things Like These — Claire Keegan (37% done)
Top 3 Songs from Last Week
Andra — The Ghost of Paul Revere
Easy on the Eyes — Texas Hill
Northern Attitude — Noah Kahan & Hozier
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to subscribe to stay updated for next week and feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Take care,
James
Love the contemplating question of the week and the Naval Ravikant mention. Can't wait for next week
Andra slaps. About this part: "yet the only things I can control are the choices I make and my (optional) opinions." Since when can we control our opinions?