“Stay with me. Let's just breathe.”
— Eddie Vedder —
Hello and my best to you and yours.
I’m thrilled to announce that the hardcover of my book is officially live worldwide. If you’re not a fan of pre-orders and having to wait to get your copy, you can place your order here and you’ll have it in a few days.
It’s been very cool to already receive feedback like this from Bangz Haung in Singapore as well as messages from readers in Ireland, Austria, and Australia about how excited they are to read the book.
And on that note, here are three things I’ve been thinking about lately that I’m excited to share with you (5-minute read).
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on reclaiming your wonder
I asked readers on Substack if they could write just one sentence for all the world to see, what would it be? The conversation garnered a lot of great answers, but the one that stood out the most to me was from a young writer I like named Nick Waghorn. Nick broke the rules a bit and shared a song by Mr. Wolf entitled Burgs which is kinda like a spoken-word performance from a talk Burg, the founder of The Art of Meditation, gave back in the day.
The song is my new favorite morning drug as it grounds me while simultaneously pumps me up to squeeze the most out of life. Here are a few lines that hit me hard —
The chance to be part of this happens briefly.
The invitation is not to show how inventive and imaginative you are, but how much you can notice what you're already part of. And appreciate it and share it. And care about those that are around. Look out for their welfare while you are looking out for your own. That's it. And then you'll get to the end of it having had an awesome time. Knowing that, that is something you'd recommend to others.
When you came here, you came here with a sense of awe and wonder, dying to just see what it's all about. You know, it's like, what would it be like? To be down there? To be part of it.
And you came here with a sense of wonder. And somehow the wonder of it wasn't enough. And we stopped wondering and started to wonder about ourselves. And in your wondering about yourself, you forgot what you came here for, what you came to be a part of.
Like a lot of things I think about, reclaiming my wonder for the world and the people in it is something I’m struggling with right now. I feel like with the book release and trying to get the word out, I’ve become too self-absorbed. Always thinking I’m never doing enough. Always thinking there is more to be done. I do my best work and feel the most alive when I look outside of myself. When I appreciate. When I notice.
It’s amazing when I think about it.
Being on this earth with you.
Being alive at the same time as you.
Wonder.
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on withholding judgment
Maybe it's because I’ve lived more than half my adult life outside of the US. Or maybe it’s because I love underdogs and people with the stones to put themselves out into the world. But for whatever reason, I’ve been on an American Idol kick of late.
In addition to being introduced to new brave artists, what I really like is the judge's commentary. This is particularly true regarding something country star Luke Bryant said when giving feedback to a Dutch singer named Ziggy who showed up to the audition rocking pink and blue hair.
“When I started this show, I didn’t realize how much I’d grow as a person. Seven years ago, my first thought would have been ‘Who is that crazy person?” Now my brain is like — “Now that’s gonna be a fun audition!”
Luke’s words reminded me of my first impression of one of my now closest friends in Spain. Initially, I saw Angel as the opposite of me and thought we didn't have much in common. Tall. Dark. Shirts with buttons. Car that's somehow always clean.
But one day at the park while our kids were playing I went over to say hi. Shortly into the conversation, he stopped me and said, “Are you making fun of my stutter?” to which I replied, “No! I thought you were making fun of my stutter!”
In an instant, we both started laughing and sharing stories about the good and the not-so-good things that can come along with having a speech impediment. I couldn’t imagine my life today without Angel in it. I still can’t eat anything in his Audi as heaven forbid I leave some crumbs, but he’s a lot of fun.
The experience got me thinking about all the other relationships I’ve missed out on because I let my initial impression become the impression and how much I regret that.
Good things happen when we say to ourselves "This is gonna be fun!" instead of thinking "Who is that person!"
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on having some nerve
My friend George sent me the story below thinking I may like it. He was right. It’s about how French journalist Karim Bennani kicked off his career by taking a moonshot with football legend Thierry Henry —
"In 2006, I had been an intern for four days at RMC. Thierry Henry was in Paris to announce his new boot sponsor. My bosses said to me: 'If you succeed in getting Henry to appear on Luis Fernandez's show, you are a genius'. My bosses were laughing, thinking that I would never succeed... Especially since Thierry Henry had not spoken to the media for a while.
So I arrive on site and at the end of his announcement for his new equipment supplier, I slip discreetly behind the stage. As he passes, I grab Henry by the arm, and he glares at me. I feel like I can only say one sentence to try to get him.
I tell him, 'I’m an intern, if you pick up this phone, you can change my life.'
Henry replies: 'Really? OK, give it!'
So he takes my phone and agrees to appear on the show for 30 minutes before hanging up and saying to me: 'I hope this will help you in your career, my little one.'
Thanks to him, I got a fixed-term contract at RMC the next day. And when we met again at Amazon a few months ago, Henry explained to me that he had accepted because I had some nerve.”
I don’t know about you, but I love this. Taking a chance. Strengthening your courage muscle. Having some nerve.
Maybe you’ll have to take a thousand shots. Maybe you’ll get rejected, and it will hurt. Maybe you’ll find out that what you thought you wanted isn’t actually what you want, and you have to change your course. It’s all part of the deal.
But when you default to asking, you open yourself to opportunities that can bring joy and meaning to your life. If I've learned anything in life it's that being told no hurts a lot less than not knowing.
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That’s it for this week.
I’ve been getting more and more active on Substack where I’m sharing articles, giving workshops with old friends and new ones, and posting daily Notes (think LinkedIn or Twitter/X/Whatever without it yet being ruined by the dark side of humanity).
It's been loads of fun and has restored my faith in the power of writing and social platforms.
If interested, feel free to connect with me below.
Stay wonderous.
Onwards.
— Michael
The best way to support my work and help keep the lights on is to grab a copy of my book and leave an honest review. It makes a great gift for any of your shy or more reserved friends, colleagues, and family members who have something to say but struggle to bet on themselves.
Shy by Design: 12 Timeless Principles to Quietly Stand Out
“In a world that lionizes loudness, it’s actually the quiet and shy among us who are best set up to thrive. Thompson provides an important new way of understanding what it really takes to stand out!”
— Cal Newport
New York Times bestselling author of Digital Minimalism and Deep Work