Happy Easter everyone.

I know it's a holiday weekend and I'm writing this from Queenstown, New Zealand - so I'll keep it short.

Reflecting on Time Gone By.

The last time I was in Queenstown was October 2018. That's nearly 2000 days ago.

To put that in perspective:

• COVID-19 Pandemic still hadn't happened.
• I was in Year 11 in High School (I'm now about to finish my 5-year dual degree at University)
• I had been dating my girlfriend for just under 2 years (We're celebrating 8 years in December).
• I didn't even have my drivers licence.

Essentially, a lot of time has gone past. There's been a lot of things that have changed, but honestly, a lot more that I'm shocked have remained the same.

It's a sobering example of what Seneca wrote about in his essay, On The Shortness of Life, which I reread before coming here.

Seneca reminds us that "It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it." Looking back over the past 6 years, it's impossible not to recognise the countless hours, days, weeks, and months that have been wasted away.

It's a bit disheartening to see myself struggling with largely the same problems, fighting for the same goals, and having to re-learn the same lessons (more on this soon). I've let myself be lazy for a long time. To quote Seneca again:

"You are living as if destined to live forever; your own frailty never occurs to you; you don't notice how much time has already passed, but squander it as though you had a full and overflowing supply".

Six years is a hell of a long time. Twenty-two years is an even longer time. I can afford to be patient - but I can't afford to squander time. None of us can. We can waste no more time - not if we want to be or do anything meaningful.

But don't worry, because Seneca tells us this as well: "Life is long if you know how to use it."

So, let's start using it well.

On Re-reading.

Queenstown has my favourite burger in the world, beautiful waterways, fresh air, and great walks - but my favourite part of the city is the mountains.

Every direction you look, the mountain ranges tower. They cut against the sky, some snow-capped and others filled with trees.

I love the mountains - to quote my favourite character of all time: "I like mountains, always have done. Big obstinate bits of rock sticking up where they're not wanted and getting in folk's way."

That's exactly what mountains best symbolise - obstacles.

Which is funny, since the last time I was in Queenstown, I read The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. It took me coming back here to finally crack open the book for a re-read. And honestly... It was a huge mistake leaving it this long.

There's so much that I've had to learn from experience over the past few years, and so much pain I've come across, all because I failed to heed the lessons in the book.

If I look at my lack of progress in the past six years - it can all be linked back to inaction and inconsistency, where I've been dismantled and destroyed by obstacles. Because I failed to implement the countless useful and potent strategies in this book. To channel Teddy Roosevelt, I've been rusting out - not wearing out.

Which is crazy - since The Obstacle is the Way is one of my favourite books of all time.

It's a reminder of two things: I need to re-read good books more, and I definitely need to implement those books.

One of the most successful people i know will re-read books seven times when he likes them, filling notebooks on experiments with what he's learning. Is it any wonder that he's strides ahead of nearly everyone I know by any metric?

Now, I'm not saying you need to re-read books tons of times to get results - like Ryan Holiday's 100+ readings of Meditations - but you should delve deep into content where possible. Let yourself absorb it - especially when you want to gain something out of it.

Pick up a book that's meaningful to you - or that had an impact, and re-read it. Think about how you could have acted better in the time that has since gone past. Let it instruct you on how to move forward.

I'll be writing a full breakdown of my lessons from re-reading soon - and on some experiments I've been running from books I'm reading.

Stillness.

I know I just told you not to waste time above - but I'm not saying that you need to burn yourself out with a whirlwind of action. That's never fun and always detrimental.

We can cultivate Stillness too - meditation, reading, journaling, walks, any act that helps you re-centre. All these things can have a huge impact on us and help us reach a higher level.

Part of the reason this trip to Queenstown has been great, is that I've been intentionally practicing Stillness. I've pretty much avoided my phone and email where possible. I've been trying to give my mind a rest so that it can think better.

For those interested, Ryan Holiday who wrote Stillness is the Key (another recent re-read), has a great blog post with 28 ways to find Stillness that you can read here.

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That's it for this week, I hope everyone has a great Easter and finds time to reflect - on how far they've come and how far they still have to go.

Until next week,

Zachariah