Turning 30

Turning 30.

I turn 30 this week.

Big milestone (I think…).

In some ways, it feels like just another day.

In others, it feels like the beginning.

The beginning of the next season of my life.

Years ago, I read a great book by Robert Greene called ‘Mastery.’ (click it to see my notes)

He researched some of the greatest people in history who were masters of their craft and figured out what made them all great.

What made them tick.

What made them so incredible.

Many things.

Here are a few of my favourite notes.

‘All great masters in history: a youthful passion, a chance encounter to apply it and an apprenticeship to come alive.

Choose positions and places of work that have the greatest opportunity for learning.

Value learning over money and everything else.

You must continually start over and challenge yourself.

Actions say more about a person’s character than words ever do.

You cannot find anything new if you are unwilling to leave the shore.

The man who has not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.

Mastery is not a function of genius or talent; it is a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge.

The person with the wider global perspective will always win out.’

All incredible pieces of advice I try to incorporate into my life.

But the biggest idea was this.

Imagine your life is 3 seasons.

Season 1 is 0-30.

Season 2 is 30-60.

Season 3 is 60 till death.

Season 1 is called the learning phase.

Season 2 is the earning phase.

Season 3 is the giving back phase.

In season 1, prioritize learning.

Make that the main goal.

Don’t prioritize money.

Don’t prioritize status.

Prioritize learning.

Find a good mentor/mentors and watch them.

Follow them.

Learn about them and their craft.

Look at the best.

See how they do it.

That’s what I’ve been doing for years.

I was a healthcare VC for almost 7 years.

The way I described it is that I got paid to learn.

Learned about biotech and healthcare.

But also learned about everything.

Anything and everything, because you never knew how it would help you.

So what did I do?

Started with reading.

Had a goal in 2018 to read 50 non-fiction books in one year.

Read 52.

Since then, I’ve never stopped.

I’ve now read and taken notes on over 300+ non fiction books (see my library here), including 49 this year (including audiobooks).

That is learning at a scale that most people will never do.

Only it wasn’t just that.

I’ve been listening to podcasts.

Watching interviews.

Learning from the best in the world at what they do.

Across every domain I can find.

Every, single, day, for the last decade.

Eventually though, you have to apply yourself.

You have to act.

You can’t learn forever without applying the knowledge.

So I started that.

Started with fitness.

Lost 25 pounds in 3 months.

Ran a marathon from zero in 4 months.

Training for an Ironman and hoping to complete it in 7 months.

Most people take 2 years, if they ever get there.

So I’ve kept that up.

But I’ve also been writing.

Been getting my thoughts down.

Started journaling in 2018 then decided to start a blog in 2021.

Goal was 100 posts that first year.

I wrote 500.

Now I’m at 1100+ and it will never stop (see blog database here).

I will do this till I die.

So reflecting on turning 30 has been interesting for me.

In one way, I’ve done everything and more in my 20s.

Never thought I could achieve what I have.

And yet in another way, it’s all meaningless.

All in the past.

All doesn’t exist.

However, the thing I can never discredit is the work.

The time.

The commitment.

The choices I made.

The actions I took.

How many people in your life do you know who have read 300+ books, written 1100+ blogs, run 2 marathons, completed an Olympic distance triathlon, trained for an Ironman and been a healthcare venture capitalist for 7 years in Europe and Canada after graduating medicine all before turning 30?

I’ll tell you.

Zero.

I have lived a life that is beyond blessed.

Beyond lucky.

Beyond what I deserve.

And yet here I am.

On the precipice of the next phase.

The earning phase.

The growth phase.

The phase of my life where I get to show the world what I’ve done.

Don’t worry, you will be hearing from me.

If I could do all of this in my 20s, mostly in the last 7 years since graduating med school, what can I do the rest of my life?

Just watch.

That’s what makes me excited.

That’s what gets me going about the future.

From a world perspective, I’m very scared for where we’re heading.

Especially in the next 5-10 years.

We’re in a fourth turning and all fourth turnings are times of crises.

The global order will be reshaped.

But personally, I’m so excited for what’s to come.

I’ve been thinking and writing about all of this for years.

That and much more.

Now I sit here 6 weeks away from completing a full Ironman.

3.8k swim.

180k bike.

42k run.

All together.

A feat that most people will never try, let alone finish in their lives.

So as I look to turning 30, I can’t help but give myself credit.

I have to remind myself.

Look how far you’ve come.

Look what you’ve done.

Look what you’ve achieved.

Enjoy it.

Celebrate it.

But also, don’t stop.

Never stop being you.

Keep going, you’re doing great.

This week in training - (Follow me on Strava here):

Swimming - 5.9k. Two sessions this week. One was cut short as the pool closed, but the other was great. Swam 3.8k, the full Ironman distance. First time doing it and happy with the result. Not as fast as I would like, but still. Speed is not the key for those distances, it’s endurance. Tried some new techniques with varied results so need to go back to the drawing board and try some new things.

Biking - 158k - big biking week. 45k during the week then did a 113k long ride. Longest I’ve ever done. Look at this guy - hard to believe 6 months ago I had never biked more than 10k and now here I am finishing more than 100.

Still not totally locked in on the nutrition as I didn’t have enough fluid towards the end, but know what I need to do for the even longer rides.

Running - 37k - big run week. Good 10k time. Long run was tough as I did it when it was 32 degrees outside. Ran 22.5k at a bit slower than I would like, but heart rate was super high because of the heat. Felt good but also praying it’s not that hot during race day. Feet are sore, especially because I added in a rave on the weekend, but happy with the effort.

Notes from Week 24 of training:

• Big build week, including a huge weekend. 3.8k swim Friday, 113k bike Saturday with a rave then 22.5k run Sunday. Happy with the progress and crazy to think how far I’ve come.
• Nutrition was decent this week, besides the long bike ride. Brought more snacks this time, but not enough fluid so finished it too early and had to conserve it. However, was really good on Sunday during the long run, even with the 32 degree weather. Know what I need to do going forward to just need to lock in the next little while.
• Solid swimming this week. Regressing on time but considering the distance, I still need to be happy with my performance. Tried a new technique with limited results so will continue to see how it goes.
• Happy with my bike week. Longest ride I’ve ever done and happy with that, considering I’ve only riden outside a handful of times. Bike nutrition I slacked on but know what I need to do going forward.
• Good run week. Happy with my 10k time. Long run was tough in the heat but still ran over a half marathon in a humid 32 degrees. Feet sore but should be no issue this week.
• Movies - watched Incendies (awesome movie that is super haunting but impactful). Finished ‘The Rehearsal’ Season 2 and it was epic. Nathan Fielder is a genius. Just amazing television. That ending was WILD.
• Really happy with the progress this week, especially on the weekend. Was pretty nervous about the amount of volume I was going to be doing, but overall it worked great. Never thought I would ever be up at 5:30 on a Saturday to do a 100k+ bike ride and yet here we are. Gotta give myself credit for getting this far, no matter what’s to come. I’ve already done more than I ever thought. Body’s feeling good too. Excited about a rest week to come - still working out every day but just lower volumes. 6 weeks out. Hard to believe how far I’ve come. Final push, let’s get it!!!

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