complaining or informing?

how to develop a stoic mindset for better productivity, idea for PR management for small businesses, plus three different workouts to keep you moving this weekend.

February 07, 2025

“Are you complaining or just informing?”

This phrase was often uttered by my dad to my brother and me when we were young. It typically emerged when either of us would whine about things beyond our control—how cold and rainy it was during rugby practice, homework assignments, or not wanting to go to school.

Translated: suck it up, buttercup.

You might feel compelled to call CPS right now—but don't waste your time (we're both deep into our 20s). That's not the point anyway. The real lesson here is about adopting a Stoic mindset: focusing on what we can control—our inputs, not our outputs.

Though I couldn't appreciate it back then, this mentality became a valuable gift that now shapes my approach to work, life, and fitness.

When faced with obstacles, instead of defaulting to complaints, I've learned to distinguish between situations I can control and those I can't. This shift in perspective has been transformative in both my personal and professional life.

Rather than dwelling on circumstances beyond our control - like the weather, market conditions, or other people's actions - I focus my energy on what I can influence. This approach has helped me maintain focus, reduce stress, and achieve better outcomes.

Want to read my full thoughts on developing a more productive mindset? Check out the complete article HERE.

idea of the week 💡

  • Problem: it’s easier than ever for small businesses to go viral… for the wrong reasons. Nothing like the local politician ‘posting’ his explicit search because he thought he was in the search bar 🥴. Their response to these mistakes is worse - often doubling down or saying they were ‘hacked’.

  • Idea: Create an AI chatbot that will act as a "Small Business PR Crisis Consultant" for small business owners. This would provide immediate guidance and tools for handling PR issues when they arise.

  • How it makes money: Implement a retainer-based pricing model, charging clients per incident. You can even make it task based and automated.

  • Why it might fail: you would need to build awareness BEFORE the crisis happens. It is tough to stay top of mind with owners, especially in a death spiral. Solve this by using intent-based Google Ads (i.e. “how do I delete a Facebook Post” 🤣)

friday fitness

give one of these workouts a try this weekend

at-home workout:

Perform as a circuit, 4 rounds:

  • 15 Dumbbell Goblet Squats

  • 12 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

  • 10 Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts

  • 8 Dumbbell Bent-over Rows

  • 1-Minute Side-to-Side Hops

gym workout

AMRAP 15 (As Many Rounds As Possible in 15 minutes):

  • 15 Air Squats

  • 12 Dumbbell Deadlifts (50/35 lbs)

  • 9 Push-ups

  • 6 Box Jumps (24”/20”)

outdoor workout

Complete 3 rounds:

  • 50m Sprint

  • 10 Broad Jumps

  • 20 Box Jumps (find a bench or ledge)

  • 30 Lateral Bounds

  • 1-Minute High Knees

tweet of the week

brutal but so true

my plugs

every second counts