🌧️ The One Thing Josh Waitzkin Never Misses

Spent yesterday afternoon watching home videos at my in-laws house and laughed my guts out seeing them all do the silliest things as kids. Go watch some old family videos! It’s good for the soul 😌 

Then check out my buddy Brandon’s newsletter:

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Josh Waitzkin never misses playing in a rainstorm with his son.

Why?

First, he’s not your average Joe. (nor your average Josh, either)

1. Became an international chess master at 16

2. 2x world champion in Tai Chi

3. Become the first black belt under Marcelo Garcia in Jiu Jitsu

4. Is now on an unkown island becoming a master surfer/foiler

So yeah, he thinks different.

Second, he believes in having an “internal locus of control.”

Which means you believe you’re capable to do what you want, regardless of external circumstances.

When his son was only 1 or 2, he started noticing other parents talk about the weather as “good” or “bad”, and that being the determining factor in whether or not they were able to go do something.

People talk as if they’re controlled by it:
“Oh shoot, it’s raining. Guess we can’t do anything.”

Which is rooted in an external locus of control - or believing that the circumstances must be just right in order for you to succeed or do what you want.

Josh wants his son to feel empowered and capable to do whatever he can dream up, regardless of the external circumstances - so he vowed to never miss playing in a storm together.

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Whether you follow Josh’s example and start deliberately playing in the rain, or you take an entirely different approach, the princple is the same:

Be consciuos of the ways you’re playing victim and stop falling into an external locus of control.

Don’t blame the weather for why you can’t go out. Either go out anyways, or say “I’d rather not get wet, so I’m choosing to stay inside”.

That one change switches your mindset from “I can’t” to “I choose”.

It’s not the rain controlling you - but rather you ultimately deciding what you want to do.

Thanks George Mack for the inspiration.

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You know what it’s like.. you sit down to do someting, get that one notifcation and 47 minutes later you’re learning about flat-earth theory on youtube wondering how you got there.

Test drive your phone’s do-not-disturb feature and get some deep work done 🙂 

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Speaking of teaching your kids right, Snoop Dogg created the BEST song you could possibly play for your kids. I promise!

(as long as you can deal with slight cringe) 😅 

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“EVERYONE! LISTEN!

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I got dirt on my toe.”

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Thanks for reading!

- Kody

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P.S. I always read and respond to your messages. Feel free to hit reply and say hi!