James Hsu

First of all, for those of you who subscribe to my email newsletter, thanks for reading.

My last post about running my fastest marathon at the age of 42 received the most “opens” in the newsletter’s history.

That’s super cool. Since most folks aren’t interested in running marathons — statistically speaking, 0.01% of the world’s population — doubly cool. Thank you.

Below is a combination of (1) what I’ve experienced this year and (2) what I’ve learned from those experiences.

The information / social media diet

Proud to say that this is the year I (finally) got off Twitter, and started paying for quality content across news, social commentary, entertainment and sport.

I fixed the ‘laziness’ information diet problem of relying on one platform, or set of algorithms, to dictate not only how I received new information, but how I would feel on a given morning.

When it comes to investing, I use the principle “follow the smart money” — look for experts, friends, and reputable sources to inform what you should watch and buy.

I’m not going to be the smartest person in the room, but I’m eager to find those who are — and leverage their wisdom.

Similarly, I’ve asked trusted friends to tell me what sources to trust and read when it comes to my information diet.

No, it’s never going to be perfect. Which leads me to…

Know who your real friends are

Your real friends don’t turn on you in a dime, or change their opinion of you in a flash, or stop defending you.

Your real friends will give you the benefit of the doubt. Even if you’ve messed up, they’ll talk to you first to understand, and then to set things right.

Your real friends are willing to catch up with you over Zoom or phone call, even if they’re halfway around the world.

Your real friends know the real you. They will fight for you. And you will fight for them.

Your fake friends have easy principles, no sense of direction, and are looking for entertainment.

Your fake friends have nothing meaningful going on in their lives. They need to lash out at someone to find meaning.

Your fake friends are easily offended. They also think everything is about them.

This was a big year in me understanding, and accepting, whom my real friends are. And to leave out the rest. Which takes me to…

We only have so much energy to spend

This has been a meaningful year for me. I re-discovered the spark in my career, started working towards goals that are physically and mentally difficult, and tried my best (not perfect!) to be there for family.

I slept as best I could, especially important given the rigors of training for long-distance running. We can get away with low-quality sleep when it comes to desk jobs, but running a hard session after a night of poor rest is when I start to feel it.

Performance craters dramatically; I am reminded that there are real consequences when it comes to energy, pace, heart rate, and other factors.

What this means is that I not only treat sleep with importance, but I also use the weekends to truly recharge.

This weekend — still in marathon recovery mode — I shopped for new running gear, finished a book, bought two new books, had Korean BBQ with the wife, and caught up with an old friend. I wasn’t making stuff for social media. Which takes us to…

The James Hsu social media strategy, circa 2024

Those of you who follow me on social media may see the occasional video, podcast, or piece of writing. I still produce them, like this piece you’re reading, but I’ve significantly scaled back.

I only produce them now when I feel that I have something relevant to say and my energy allows for it.

I needed to make space for the weekend recharge. I needed to make room to (sometimes) do absolutely nothing.

I’ve thrown out the “be consistent and produce something every week” playbook.

I went through a phase where I felt like I needed to say something, and that pushed me to produce.

I used to send out an email newsletter every week.

I used to record, edit and release an episode of my interview podcast, every single week, for two whole years.

I went through a phase this year where I tried to “make” engaging content for LinkedIn every week. And I didn’t enjoy it.

Or at least, I lost the enjoyment because I was too focused on consistency and getting reps in.

It’s actually a bit like running. You can get lost in the metrics sauce — the kilometers logged, the speed records — and lose sight of what makes it fun to jog in the first place.

Been there, done that — it’s time to move on.

Go slower, with quality

Part of growing up (and being at peace with myself) is being confident in saying less.

Say less, and do less. I’ve already demonstrated that I can grind with the best of them when it comes to building a business, putting out content, or working myself to the limit.

I don’t need to prove that anymore.

I need to do things that I’m comfortable with, regardless of audience “potential.”

Case in point: my previous blog post about running a marathon.

Instead of writing it, I could have put out a video on YouTube or Tik Tok to make the same points.

I could have spiced it up with a clickbait title like “HOW I IMPROVED BY 20 MINUTES IN MY MARATHON (THE ONE SECRET!!!!!)”

But I chose to write about my marathon experience because I enjoy the writing process.

Writing gives me the space to expand on my philosophy of running. I love the editing journey and playing with the words on the page. That’s where I’m happiest.

I cared more about the few hundred people in my newsletter reading about my marathon than some possibility of a video version of it going viral on Twitter/Reddit/whatever.

I also cared more about the quality of the reading experience for readers who enjoyed the craft of consuming something that is well thought-out. I wrote the previous post over several days, so that I could revisit and add to it.

—

Life is a set of choices, and choices centered around opportunity cost.

If I choose to pursue something, then it is at the cost of not pursuing something else.

Similarly, if I choose to represent something, then I also need to believe that it’s meaningful. Like writing this post.

It’s surprising to me that I went through more than six months without writing anything for my blog.

Now I’ve written two posts — this self-reflection, and the marathon recap — in less than a week.

Maybe a sign of things to come? When the muse strikes, it strikes.

Take care of of yourself and be well.

James