Hey Reader,
“Ah that felt good” I thought to myself as the sunlight lands softly on my table. I’ve claimed it for the past several hours.
The sunlight is shining gently onto my table. I’ve possessed it for the last two hours. Some cafes are designed for you to enjoy a slow Sunday afternoon, like this one I’m in right now. (I already wrote about them once and I think I should stop telling people—it’s starting to get crowded).
It’s strange how quickly peace can flip into adrenaline.
Because last night, at a different cafe, I filed my first police report after 4 years of living here. Not for a stolen phone—I didn’t lose anything physical. It was because two men, working in tandem with newspapers a tactic to steal people’s phone. I called them out by raising my voice “don’t try to steal our phones.” Annoyed, one of them spat on me as the other reached across my table.
So, the to-do list I had for last night went unfinished. The content plans and shorts were paused. Instead, my only priority was to restore my own calm.
It took 7 hours of sleep, a good workout, and morning sunlight spilling through the window to realize: I need to continue my life, regardless. They shouldn’t control my actions. My coffee steamed, my shoulders unclenched, and the city felt forgivable again.
This is what I was protecting. The answer to a question a friend often asks me when I’m near burnout:
“What would you do if you had completely no to-dos?”
“Just a good book at a favorite local cafe,” I always say.
Maybe that’s why the theft hit so hard—it violated a personal sanctuary.
Maybe that’s also why I keep reaching for books. This week it was The Millionaire Fastlane, a reminder that freedom starts with how you think about time. The book talks about the ‘sidewalks’ and ‘slowlanes’ we’re told to believe in — the prescribed paths that rarely lead to freedom.
It resonated deeply, maybe because Friday happens to mark two years since my lay-off — the moment that cracked everything open and set me free to chase my own life and define my own value.
Co-incidentally today at lunch I watched a video by Ali Abdaal that echoed this. Easy, Boring Business Ideas to Start in 2025 - Answering your Questions
One of the biggest takeaways was this: if your employer says you can’t do something, it’s usually not everything. And if you’re waiting for a step-by-step plan to start a business, you’re still in an employee or student mindset.
Two years on this journey, I see the difference.
Last year, I was still looking for approval—grant applications, external validation.
This year, I’ve ditched the idea of needing to be 100% ready. The only way to know if something will work is to begin
💌 Gift for Your Pocket
Before you open your inbox, open a window. Take five deep breaths of outside air. Notice one thing that isn’t rushing—a tree, a stranger, your coffee steam. What does it remind you of? A past memory, or someone you’ve been meaning to reach out to?
💌 Prompt for your week ahead:
Where can you build a small anchor—physical or mental—that lets you feel light, even in a heavy week?
Sometimes, it’s even a tool. This week I tried ChatGPT’s new Pulse feature, and it surprised me. Instead of noise, it offered real just enough feed: questions I hadn’t thought to ask, pathways I hadn’t sketched. In a world that overwhelms with input, Pulse felt like a brainstorm partner who knew when to nudge and when to step back. It offers the mental space I need.
P.S.
- New Podcast Episode: On Escape 9 to 5, I spoke with Ania Wysocka, founder of Rootd. She scaled her app to 3 million users as the solo founder. We talked about building as a solo founder, bootstrapping what matters, and how “imposter syndrome leaves when you’re with other builders.” Her philosophy: “build so people graduate from it.”
- A Timely Story: This podcast episode on What Now With Treavor Noah with Kara Swisher offers the “getting the f*cking duck” story—a perfect metaphor for how entrepreneurs find a way to get what they want, even if it’s not on the menu.
- A Personal Milestone: It was the 2-year anniversary of my layoff. I reflected on it here "A Special Two Year Anniversary".
What’s one small thing you’ve started, even imperfectly?
Hit reply — I’d love to hear.
Maybe the real ‘fast lane’ is this: sitting at a sunlit table, doing the work you chose, at your own pace.
