Hey Little Pineapple,

Kelvin Kiptum Cheruiyot holds the current marathon world record: 2 hours, 0 minutes, and 35 seconds.

He is also dead.

Kelvin was 25 years old.
According to people who know something about running (not me), he had a great future ahead of himself.

Heck, he was ranked #1 among the world's men's marathon runners.
So you don't need a specialized knowledge to understand he was going places.
When you're number one in the world at anything, that usually means there's a future for you there.

If you haven't been in a fatal car accident, that is.

Here's the timeline that I can't stop thinking about:

October 2023: He breaks the world record at the Chicago Marathon.

February 2024: World Athletics formally confirms his record as valid.

Five days later: He's gone.

Five days. 5.
Between official recognition and not walking on this earth anymore.
He barely got to be the world record holder.

The Thing you're putting off

I don't know all the details of Kelvin's story.
I'm not going to turn this into some doom-and-gloom meditation on mortality.

But when I found out about it, it was another reminder that we really don't know our time and place.

And if you have things you want to try (like really want to try) go for it.
The cost of waiting might be higher than cost of starting.

Think about it: there's probably something sitting in the back of your mind right now.
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That business you want to start.
That skill you want to learn.
That relationship you want to repair.
That trip you want to take.
That person you want to call.

You tell yourself you'll get to it next time.
When things settle down.
When you have more money.
When you have more time.
When you have slept better and have more energy.
When you're more ready.
Tomorrow.

But Kelvin was ready.
He was at the peak of his powers.
And he still didn't get tomorrow.

The only predictor of satisfaction that matters

Research shows that the number one predictor of life satisfaction isn't wealth, status, or achievement.

It's filling your days with things you actually enjoy doing.

Not things you'll enjoy later.
Not things that will pay off eventually.
Things that make you feel alive right now, today, when you do them.

I wish it would be any other way and I'm writing this as much for you as for myself, but future isn't guaranteed.

Working at a job you don't like, hanging out with people you know aren't good for you and not trying the thing you constantly circle back to in your head.

All because we hope there's time for everything.

Meanwhile, the world record holder gets five days.

What are you waiting for?

I'm not saying quit your job tomorrow and move to Bali.
I'm not saying be reckless.

I'm saying: notice what you're putting off for "tomorrow".
Notice what you're saving for later.
Notice what you keep telling yourself you'll get around to. Eventually.

Then ask yourself: what if there is no later?

What if this is it?
What if this is your one shot to try the thing you really want to try in the world?

And my little pineapple, let me tell you something - you might fail.
You might look foolish. You probably will.
You might waste time and money and energy on something that doesn't work out.

But you know what's worse than any of that?

Running out of time before you even start.

Kelvin Kiptum didn't get to defend his world record.
He didn't get to run another marathon.
He didn't get to see how fast he could really go.

But you? You still have today.

What are you going to do with it?

With a little urgency,
Patryk

P.S.

If there's something you've been putting off, I want to hear about it. Reply to this email and tell me what it is. No judgment. No advice unless you want it. Just someone bearing witness to the thing you actually want to do.

Sometimes naming it out loud to another human is the first step.