Seven weeks later and our stay in Mexico is coming to an end.

Lorena and I came to Mexico City for the first time together. For her, it was her first time back home since the pandemic began. And for me, it was my first time ever in Mexico City!

I loved it, and cannot wait to come back!

Mexico is incredibly full of life and culture, far beyond what I ever knew. The food, the people, and the history make for a lively experience that I find hard to match in the United States.

We were able to do quite a bit during our stay, but we also didn’t pack our schedule. First, COVID is still an issue, so we wanted to be safe. But we also just wanted to spend time with family. To live like locals. Even still, we managed to get out to see some sites, such as:

• Castillo de Chapultepec
• Museo de Antropología
• San Miguel de Allende
• Teotihuacán pyramids
• La Roma, La Condesa, Polanco, Coyoacán, San Angel, Sante Fe, and more of Mexico City’s most popular areas

In addition, I got to work on my Spanish (and it definitely needs work).

When we return, I plan to start up my lessons again. My level as of now is around high B1. My goal is to be a strong B2, and that will take a lot more work on my part. Nonetheless, the trip was great for additional practice! My listening comprehension certainly improved, and I picked up local vocabulary.

But now the trip comes to an end, only with a slight detour. Our original plan was to go back to Austin, but I recently received word that my grandmother is gravely ill. As such, Lorena and I will be flying back to Michigan first – a sobering reminder that life waits for no one.

I look forward to returning to Mexico to discover more and to immerse myself into the culture again. As of now, that looks like the new year, but it will depend on the global situation with COVID (which has gotten worse since our time here).

#personal

The tweets that make it to my Twitter home screen can be categorized into these six areas.

I am on a plane right now and the internet is broken… so I need to fill my time. That is the real reason behind this post.

Anyway… 😅

So, I have been more active on Twitter for the past six to eight months. In that time, I have noticed a bit of a trend in tweets that I see, be it from people I follow or “viral” tweets.

My totally 💯 super scientific analysis concludes that my Twitter-sphere types 180-240 characters that fall into the following categories (in order of popularity):

1. Pontificating

2. Passive Aggressive Complaining

3. Marketing (self or company)

4. Aggressive Complaining

5. Humorous

6. Life Updates

1. Pontificating Someone knows something, and they are going to tell you what’s up. I’m guilty of writing these tweets and that bothers me. I feel like I want to share things I’ve learned as an entrepreneur, but when I go back to read them, I cringe a bit. I don't know it all, and what worked for me might not work for others.

2.  Aggressive Complaining The tweets where someone is “tired of XYZ” and they call it out in a somewhat nonspecific manner. Politics to business, parenting to driving and everything in between. It’s all there. I think people tweet these to reaffirm their position on a subject. It’s nice to see you’re not alone on a worldview. Confirmation bias at its best.

3. Marketing (Self or Business) Thought leaders. You know what I mean. Men and women sharing their thoughts. Building that trust. Growing that personal brand. Rocking those FB pixels when you visit their articles. Eventually, trying to sell you stuff. Nothing inherently bad here. I even find the content enjoyable from time to time.

4. Aggressive Complaining Directly calling someone out. Using profanity at times, but not always. People type out platitudes at one another. Arguments ensue. I mute these if they come up too often from someone. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

5. Humorous Sort of rare now, which is a shame because they are my favorite. I’m a sucker for a perfectly timed meme or snarky remark. Like this one…

6. Life Updates What the FB status feature used to be. I like these too. They are inherently friendly. Sharing pieces of life makes me feel like I get to know someone on a different level. Unfortunately, these are often “humble brags” in disguise.

#personal

After over a year of trying to get to Mexico, Lorena and I are finally on our way and I cannot wait!

It has been a long time coming, but I am finally going to Mexico City!

This will be my first time visiting CDMX, and I have to say that I'm pretty excited. As one of the largest cities in the world, I cannot wait to learn more about its culture. It's also where Lorena grew up, so I am just as excited to learn about her childhood and to experience the areas she frequented before she moved to the U.S.

We have a few concrete plans, including seeing Lorena's friends to celebrate her birthday. We will also be taking some time to visit some other cities (a few hours from CDMX).

We'll be there for an extended amount of time, which is perfect because I want to jump right into the culture... not to mention refine my Spanish a bit!

Vamanos!

#personal

Recently, I have been thinking more about web privacy and what it means to me. In short, I'm tired of being “spied on” all the time by websites so that they can send me creepy advertisements.

As I reflect on this, I am keenly aware that I am over my head into the data distribution ecosystem.

Every day I use Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, iPhone, Google Chrome, Google Fi, and Google Fiber. My life is very much intertwined with these services. Honestly, I'm not sure how to disconnect but still enjoy the benefits that these offer. I guess it's a question of benefit versus cost that I am still trying to determine.

But while I am still working on ways to become a little more anonymous in my personal life, I think about my involvement on the “other” side.

So, I have my personal website: JustinFerriman.com.

Today I went through and removed anything that would “spy” on someone who visits, and then I updated the privacy policy to reflect these changes. The result is probably the shortest privacy policy on the internet.

If you sign up to receive my weekly newsletter, then you can opt out at any time (naturally).

I plan to look at other areas of my personal and professional life to see where I can further respect the privacy of others, as well as defend my privacy. It's a big undertaking, and one that will come with sacrifice, for sure – but I'm sure it's worth it in the end.

#personal

The surest way to piss me off is to insinuate that I need to spend my time a certain way.

First, the amount of ego in such a request is astounding. It’s like telling someone they are wrong for spending their money on something, but worse. We can always get more money, not true with time.

When someone implies that my time has correct and incorrect uses, I flip out. I’ll do the opposite of what is being asked just to prove that I am the master of the oh so little amount of time I have in this world.

You’ve been warned. ☝️

#personal

It's official: I am married to the love that I've been searching for my entire life, Lorena.

Lorena is incredible. She's intelligent, loving, supportive, and deeply committed to those that she cares about. Every day I pinch myself wondering how I got so lucky.

As I reflect on my happiness, I am keenly aware that my life didn't go according to the traditional plan, and what a blessing that has been.

My path was a little more winding. There were deadends and detours. But in the end I arrived to where I am today. A little wiser, and far more grounded.

I have learned to live life rather than life living me.

And now I am ready to live life with my beautiful wife.

#personal

In one week, Lorena and I get married!

All the tasks have been completed (minus one or two minor things) so the focus is entirely on preparing for family to come into town. I have excited nerves now, whereas before I was focused on just getting things done.

The enormity of this life event is not lost on me, and I plan to embrace every little second of it.

#personal

I have been to Vegas a few times in my life. It's not for me. I always say that the city feels like one giant ocean cruise ship – and well – I don't like cruises.

But other people like Vegas, so I find myself in the city regardless of how I feel about it. 🙂

This weekend Lorena and I are going to Vegas to attend the wedding of her brother-in-law's brother. It was nice of them to invite us (we've only briefly met once on Zoom). It worked out on the calendar so away we go!

I am excited to have a “normal” event again. You know, the pre-COVID things that people used to do. This is a new thing for me and Lorena as a couple. We had all kinds of plans to go to different concerts and other activities in our early dating days, and obviously those were put on hold due to the pandemic. Now that we are vaccinated and the country is slowly opening up, we get the chance to do these activities as a couple.

Lorena's family will be in attendance, so it will be nice to see them as usual. While the trip is a quick one, we will see everyone again for our own wedding at the end of the month!

#personal

I am becoming too productive, and it’s giving me anxiety.

In business, making lists is a good way to keep you accountable. They can help you be more productive. They assist in making sure you have your priorities straight and are working towards the right things. Overall, you’ll reach your targets with a well thought-out list.

Using lists is also how we can see positive movement in a business. This is especially true when you are just starting out, before any revenue is earned. That movement feels good. It keeps us fueled and moving forward, and we all love to check tasks off a big list.

I think lists are great for business, but when it comes to my personal life, it’s a little different. I have found that living from one to-do list to the other is a sure way to miss the moment.

Look, I am not one to write self-help advice and I promise that I am not going to start now.

I have just found myself reflecting on my current life (something I like to do) and evaluating whether I am living my life or if my life is living me. And lately it has felt like the latter.

A lot has been going on for me personally, and when professional aspirations and personal goals get overwhelming, I create lists to stay organized.

I have been living in my lists for about eight months straight now. Completing one and moving onto the other. At this point, it’s not even satisifying to finish a list, it’s just part of my standard routine.

I am becoming too productive, and it’s giving me anxiety.

Weird thing to say, right?

But it’s true, at least for me.

Over the past eight months I have been crushing tasks. Getting things done and Moving onto the next. Knocking that out. Rinse and repeat. I have been a machine marching forward.

And you know what? All this productivity is resulting in some pretty great outcomes. Business is more profitable than ever. Personal relationships are getting stronger. Life is becoming more colorful.

So I know what you’re thinking… all this sounds pretty great!

It is. It is great.

But I cannot deny that this pace of life is taking its toll on me. This outcome oriented outlook is causing me to miss the moment. This “get it done and move onto the next thing” approach is too mechanical for me. I can’t sustain it.

That is what causes me anxiety. I am in the habit of productivity and that’s not a good thing.

Anytime you have a habit, it means that you do something automatically. You don’t have to think. You don’t have to be present. It just happens because you’re used to making it happen. You’re able to switch onto autopilot. This is good for a little while, but I don’t want to be on autopilot throughout my life.

I have a few more lists to go, then I’m stopping.

The reality is that I have a few lists still on my plate, but they are getting close to being completed. As I finish them out, I am refusing to add more lists wherever possible.

I am not grasping the moment like I normally do. That gives me pause. Time is the most valuable asset that we have and I am not appreciating it nor experiencing it fully – and I blame these lists!

So, once I knock out these remaining items then I plan to just “be” for a little bit. For me, that means:

• Removing self-imposed sense of urgency on non-urgent tasks.
• Not planning a bunch of near-future events.
• Exploring my home city and surrounding area.
• Studying Spanish.
• Exercising daily.

I have a habit of making everything feel urgent – like it needs to get done as soon as possible or it will never be “as good” as it possibly can be. I suspect that’s how I am able to get anything done. By removing that self-imposed urgency (or, dialing it down), I will remove that tendancy to always be looking towards “the next thing” to do.

Avoiding any near-future event planning will help with removing that sense of urgency too. For me, when I plan an event that is 30-45 days out, it weighs on my mind and I start to go through that list process all over again. Be it for filing taxes or planning travel, it will occupy headspace until it’s done and dusted.

I think it’s best to not be traveling during this time so that I’ll have time to explore my new city with my fiancé Lorena. I like that. I need to get a better sense of where I live so I can appreciate the people and places.

But not everything will be about exploring the local area. I do have personal, self-improvement goals that I will dedicate some time to as well. Things like studying Spanish and exercising. I do these activities anyway, but lately it feels like I “make time for them” and that prevents me from fully enjoying the time spent.

A solid month or more of following this strict approach is enough to get me centered and to calm my mind before jumping into the next major projects of life and business.

If you got this far, here is what it all means…

I am not going to recommend you do exactly what I am doing. That feels a little egotistical. You are a unique person with your own life outlook. What works for me might not work for you.

But there is one key takeaway from this self-reflection that I wish to share.

My prescription may not be for you, but the underlying motivator is applicable for anyone. To be happy, you need to live the time you are given.

To do this you need to be present in the moment. Check-in with yourself. Analyze how you are feeling as you are feeling it. If life feels like it has been a bit of a blur lately, then you need to make a change – even if temporary – to gain a little control & perspective.

Trust me, you will feel more fulfilled.

#personal