An Excellent Wknd [25.46]
Some thoughts on emotional weather
Hello, hi, 👋
Happy Saturday, my friends! Here’s hoping you’ve got a full weekend planned, and that it includes just enough emptiness to clear your head.
Let’s get into it.
EMOTIONS ARE JUST WEATHER
You feel guilty about eating something you said you wouldn’t. You’re ashamed of how your body looks. You’re afraid that one meal will derail everything you’ve worked for.
These emotions show up uninvited, demanding attention, making you feel like you’re failing at something that should be simple.
But what if emotions aren’t the problem? What if they’re just information?
Arthur Brooks offers a helpful framework: imagine you’re the project manager of your life. Your job is to make progress, to build something meaningful. Emotions are simply weather reports - they tell you conditions have changed, but they don’t determine what you do next.
When it rains on a construction site, good project managers don’t send everybody home and complain. They don’t pretend it’s not raining. They acknowledge the weather, adjust the plan, and keep moving forward.
The same applies to emotional weather. When guilt shows up after keeping leftover food in the house longer than you intended, that’s just a tap on the shoulder. Something shifted. Now you get to choose what comes next.
The problem isn’t feeling guilty. The problem is staying in that guilt, replaying it, building a story around it that keeps you stuck.
Here’s the key question: Is this emotion serving you right now, or are you serving it?
If keeping certain foods in your house creates a constant battle that drains your mental energy, get rid of them. Not because you’re weak, but because you’re choosing to direct your limited willpower toward things that matter more.
If an emotion has been hanging around for days or weeks, it’s no longer just weather - you’ve made it climate.
Acknowledge what you feel, get curious about why, then choose your next move based on where you want to go, not where the emotion wants to take you.
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On Tuesday, we’re diving into a powerful framework with our friend Jamison Price: Dragons, Lions, and Wolves.
It’s a guide to self-mastery, strength, and service that explores what we face in the cave, the pit, and the pack.
You won’t want to miss this conversation about becoming dangerous to darkness and dependable in the light.
Until then, keep on chasing.
🤙🏼 Patrick
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The idea of emotions as weather is so good and excited for next week - great teaser! I’m very curious for the conversation. Thank you for giving useful content to focus our attention on what matters.