Are you chasing mice or hunting antelope? (060)

1st Law Friday - May 17th 2024

Author

Lucas Dondertman
May 17, 2024

Welcome back to the 1st Law Newsletter - Friday Edition.

In this email:

  • Types of Fun

  • The Personal Audit

  • Are you chasing mice or hunting antelope?

Types of Fun

There are three types of fun that you can have. Type 1 fun includes things that are actually enjoyable in the moment. For me, examples include sports, talking to friends, good food, cold beer and skiing on a powder day. This type of fun is accessible, repeatable and sought out constantly.

Type 2 fun refers to experiences that are miserable or uncomfortable in the moment and only fun in hindsight. For example: a grueling workout, tree planting, surviving a grueling hike, getting lost in the woods with a friend, hard martial arts training and grinding for exams.

Type 3 fun is misleading because it’s not really fun at all. It is miserable in the moment and miserable in hindsight. Better to avoid type 3 fun if possible.

Interestingly, the strongest friendships are formed mostly through type 2 fun. While doing things that are difficult in the moment, peoples true colours come out. This encourages more honest conversation and bonding, and even if the experience was difficult, everyone looks back on it fondly. Type 2 fun is also more fulfilling in the long run and carries a sense of accomplishment with it. Seek type 2 fun more often!

Personal Audits

During university I would do a personal audit/ life review every term (4 months). Now that I work full time, I need to figure out a new timeline for conducting these personal audits. I am considering perhaps doing a small one every month and a big one every year. The questions I used to answer during university include the following:

  • What have I been doing well?

  • Where could I improve?

  • What has been adding to my happiness?

  • What will I do to pursue holistic wellness?

  • What habits should I stop/ continue/ start?

  • What were the main life lessons learned?

See below for some new questions that I may add going forward:

  • What did I not do because of fear?

  • What have I changed my mind on?

  • How do I want my life to look in the next time period?

If you do something similar, please reply and share the questions you ask yourself!

Are You Chasing Mice or Hunting Antelope?

“A lion is fully capable of capturing, killing, and eating a field mouse. But it turns out that the energy required to do so exceeds the caloric content of the mouse itself. So a lion that spent its day hunting and eating field mice would slowly starve to death. A lion can’t live on field mice. A lion needs antelope. Antelope are big animals. They take more speed and strength to capture and kill, and once killed, they provide a feast for the lion and her pride. A lion can live a long and happy life on a diet of antelope. The distinction is important. Are you spending all your time and exhausting all your energy catching field mice? In the short term it might give you a nice, rewarding feeling. But in the long run you’re going to die. So ask yourself at the end of the day, ‘Did I spend today chasing mice or hunting antelope?’”

James Carville and Paul Begala

Chase big goals and solve big problems. Do not be satisfied by chasing mice. It may feel like progress but you will slowly starve to death… metaphorically of course.

Thanks for reading!

Lucas