What I would do if I won the lottery....

At our box we recently added a strength class. Last week I felt I pushed new limits. Monday I did 10 sets of 3 reps of 225-pound back squats. Now 225 pounds is a heavy back squat for me, and I have never done 30 reps at that weight in a single session. I did it, and my legs were sore for a few days. Wednesday we did sled-push "suicides. (This is one sled-push suicide: first, push the sled to a cone 30 feet away, and then jump over the sled and push it back (from the other side of the sled), and next, push the sled to a cone 60 feet away, jump over the sled, and push it back from the other side of the sled, and the finally, push the sled back from the other side of the sled.) By the time we were done I was seeing stars. I then did a bunch of muscle-ups after class. Friday was more back squats and then some log presses, and then this crazy 6-minute drill of non-stop weighted sit-ups, burpees, and then weighted burpees (!), and then after class I did some tire flips and muscle-ups.

A few questions came up, one with a friend hiking a couple months ago, and another this weekend paddleboarding. What would you do if you won the lottery? Where would you live?

What I would do if I won the lottery, satisfies 2 things:  (A) It offers value to other people in a way that is emotionally satisfying to me [whether or not I yet know how to make a living doing it]. (B) It's something that I am good at, in other words, it utilizes my talents.

With this in mind, I'd love to give a high-minded answer such as that I would go to Haiti, but to be honest, there are plenty of people who are better with a hammer and tools than I am.  I mean, I'm decent but I'm not going to pretend to be great or anything. So something like that is out.

OK then, is it related to what I am doing now for my day job? Well, my day job definitely does utilize my talents. So my day job satisfies (B). But I don't always feel that I am offering value in a way that is emotionally satisfying to me.

Is it related to writing this blog. Maybe. There are some bits and pieces of (A) and (B) here. Maybe people reading this can identify with my search for growth and meaning. And for overcoming things such as poor self-image and lack of confidence. And even a certain amount of procrastinating in going after certain things in my life--such as making a move (see below). And any success that I have at this CrossFit thing may have a "If I can do it anyone can" ring to it. If there is anything I've learned, it is that people will be attracted to you for your strengths, but they will connect to you through your experiences, and even your vulnerabilities and weaknesses.


When it comes to looking for a place to settle down, I would say that the place that I live would offer 3 things: community, challenge, and comfort.  With this in mind,  how does Annapolis stack up for me?

Moderately high on Challenge. Between CrossFit and my job, I do feel that I am growing in some meaningful ways. I'm not too far away from some good hiking and I went SUP this weekend. But I'm not near things such as surfing or skiing.

High on Comfort. I know where everything is here. I have a lifestyle and a steady paycheck, and a nice place with strong air-conditioning.

Moderately low on Community. I've made some good friends here. But Annapolis can be a hard place to make friends or date if you are a single guy in his 30's moving here. Seems that most people anywhere near my age have settled down and have families already.

To this end, I am strongly considering a move to San Diego.  High on Challenge and even Community.  I made a couple of friends 4 years ago that I am still friends with even to this day. People just seem to be more welcoming out there than they are here in Annapolis (there are a lot of exceptions as I have met some great people here) and dating seems to be a lot easier for me out there.  But it is low on Comfort as I currently do not have a job waiting for me at the moment.

More to come.