No story, no lesson, just 5 quotes.

“If you only do what you can do, you will always be who you are.”

Hi guys,

Hope you are well. I’m doing okay, Alhamdulillah.

Honestly, there’s been so much going on over the past few weeks. I feel like I need to restart my brain lol. You know how sometimes your computer has too many files running and you restart it to make it function better? That’s what I need right now.

For 3 of the last 4 Sundays, I started my morning with a 2+ hour phone call that drained me. These were unrelated calls with different stakeholders, but each of them affected my ability to be productive for the rest of the day. Not that I didn’t get anything at all done, but my motivation x energy levels were lower than I would have liked, forcing me to prioritize the absolutely important things and push everything else.

There are quite a few emails, social media messages, and missed calls that have piled up in the past few weeks. I keep telling myself I will get to them. I also just realized that the last time I replied to comments on Substack was February 20, over a month ago. 😬

And today, in particular, writing this newsletter has been the last thing on my mind. I did everything else - my laundry, small cooking, some documentary watching, some shopping, a few hours of office work, and even a 6km evening run - before I had the mental energy to come here.

It is now past 11pm, and instead of a regular newsletter, I shall be sharing 5 quotes I find interesting. I generally like quotes, and when I see one that I like, I either save it on my Notion or keep a screenshot in my gallery.

You might have seen some of them before, but I hope they are just as useful anyway.

—————

One.

“If you only do what you can do, you will always be who you are.”

- Kung Fu Panda

Two.

"No matter who we become or what we accomplish, we still feel that we’re essentially the kid we were at some simpler time long ago. Somehow that’s the trick of leadership, too, I think, to hold on to that awareness of yourself even as the world tells you how powerful and important you are.

The moment you start to believe it all too much, the moment you look yourself in the mirror and see a title emblazoned on your forehead, you’ve lost your way. That may be the hardest but also the most necessary lesson to keep in mind, that wherever you are along the path, you’re the same person you’ve always been."

- Bob Iger, The Ride of a Lifetime

Three.

“Loving someone is like moving into a house. At first, you fall in love with all the new things, amazed every morning that all this belongs to you, as if fearing that someone would suddenly come rushing in through the door to explain that a terrible mistake had been made, you weren't actually supposed to live in a wonderful place like this.

Then over the years, the walls become weathered, the wood splinters here and there, and you start to love that house not so much because of all its perfections, but rather for its imperfections. You get to know all the nooks and crannies. How to avoid getting the key caught in the lock when it's cold outside. Which of the floorboards flex slightly when one steps on them or exactly how to open the wardrobe doors without them creaking.

These are the little secrets that make it your home.”

- Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove

Four.

“Despite the losses, Skilling’s interest in the market did have one benefit: it led him to business classes. That’s when the lightbulb switched on. Once he discovered business, Skilling knew he’d found his intellectual passion. Though he’d dutifully taken his engineering classes, he found them mind-numbing. By contrast, business was fun, engaging, even creative.”

- Bethany McLean, The Smartest Guys in the Room

Five.

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.”

- Richard Feynman

—————

Dazz eet. No story, no lesson, just 5 quotes.

See you next week?

** Jara content:

إِذْ قَالَتِ ٱمْرَأَتُ عِمْرَٰنَ رَبِّ إِنِّى نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِى بَطْنِى مُحَرَّرًۭا فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّىٓ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

Imran’s wife said, ‘Lord, I have dedicated what is growing in my womb entirely to You; so accept this from me. You are the One who hears and knows all.’

Surah 3:35

Allahuma baligna Ramadan. 🤲🏿

Have a great week. ✨