Skip to main content

Growth

I definitely was not expecting the first meeting with my 5'5 40-something-year-old personal trainer named Zubin to go that well this morning but was pleasantly surprised. I went in thinking that at a minimum I would get some good material to write in a sketch or comedy set one day but left feeling pretty humbled and curious about some aspects of training that I took for granted. Thanks, Zub.

Personal Updates

This week was a bit busy in a few different areas of my life. In regard to my physical health, I got an MRI for my hip this past Monday and am currently awaiting the results. I know that I will not have to get any surgery but it will be nice to figure out what exactly is wrong, what caused it, and what I can do to get better. I actually started to make some progress this week as well with squatting and some other lower body exercises while my bench has remained strong. I also had a free session with a personal trainer at my gym this morning which was definitely an interesting experience. Being an athlete that has lifted with a number of strength coaches over the years I had pretty low expectations going in, but was actually pleasantly surprised and was able to ask a lot of questions and get a different perspective on things. 

In regard to academics, I picked classes this week, met with my thesis advisor, and also got to work on some interesting new developments for the eating club. I got into all of the classes I was hoping for except for 1, but there is still hope. The one class I wanted to get into, but didn't, had very limited availability, and only had 3 spots available for seniors so it was really just luck whether or not my request would load before the probable dozens of others vying for the same spot at the same second. I am so far very pleased with my thesis advisor. He seems like he will be extremely helpful and has already sent me interesting articles and ideas and is almost more eager to get started on things than I am. I am excited to start getting ideas down and hopefully have some solid plans and perhaps some work done ahead of the fall semester. Regarding cannon, the details still need to be worked out, but it is interesting to be a part of planning new and exciting projects. 

Also with my work, I was able to participate in the hiring process for new interns which was a very cool learning experience. From sifting through resumes to conducting interviews over the phone and answering questions, it was definitely some good experience and gave me some things to think about as I go on to apply for other jobs. It also has already paid off in some of the advice I am able to give to my friends who are also on the job hunt. I am looking to apply to some other opportunities for this summer, but if I end up not getting anything that is better than what I am currently doing, I have it to fall back on which is comforting. I also think due to the relationships that I have built with my current employer I will be able to do some work and maintain good standing with them regardless of what I decide to do which is always positive.

Books/Other

I got through a few more books this week which is always nice. I revisited The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy which was sort of a blast from the past and took me back to when I first read it. It was nice to take a break from the more serious books and read something purely for enjoying the story rather than to learn from it. I also went through 12 Rules for Life which helped to spark some political discussions in my life which were beneficial. It helped me realize just how little I know about these different topics and encouraged me to go back and read up on different ideologies and older material from ancient philosophers and scholars. It is amazing how much knowledge is held within books and passed down and I am happy that I am finally taking advantage of it.

Additionally, I think I have found something to fill in a gap in my life. I definitely spend way too much time on my phone each day, and with a job where I need to use my phone, it is very easy to become distracted and waste time. A potential solution was reading and audiobooks/podcasts, but sometimes I need visual stimulation which is where I turn to social media. I decided to subscribe to Morning Brew and The Daily Stoic which both send emails each day with some topics or advice on things and so the plan is to turn to those when I find myself having the urge to start scrolling. I have added some other podcasts and other ways to encourage productive use of my time so now I really just need the willpower to follow through.

Gratitude

One of the lines in a book I recently read is the inspiration for my gratitude post this week. It was something along the lines of you are privileged because you are reading this book right now. This is for a number of reasons, most notably because you have the ability to read and the time to do so. Also, you have some sort of motivation to read and are looking to better yourself, etc. In this past year as I have surpassed 100 books total, I continuously realize how much value there is in seeing what other people felt was necessary to write down. I think there is only so much that you can learn by living your life each day, but through reading, we have the ability to partially live others' experiences and learn some of the lessons that they learned in their own lives.

This is true not only for recent authors, or friends and family who post about their lives, or people who make instructional videos, all of which are helpful but also for all of history's greatest thinkers. It is amazing that through the internet I am able to have access to just about the sum total of human knowledge at my fingertips, usually for free. It is great to be able to read human beings' thoughts from thousands of years ago and see that they are dealing with a lot of the same thoughts, trials, and problems that we are dealing with today even though the worlds that we live in are vastly different. I just wanted to take the time this week to reflect on how fortunate I am to live at a time when this is all possible, and to have the time in my life to be able to read and learn about basically whatever topic I want with as much depth and detail as I desire. I think that the present day is the best time in history to have access to this vast wealth of knowledge and it only gets better and better as time goes on.
Labels:

Popular

The Battle Against Biology and Evolution

The Battle Against Biology and Evolution Thoughts as of 6/6/24 Something that has come up again and again in my quest for physical fitness and happiness is the unavoidable fact that we are products of evolution and at the mercy of our biology. The problem is, we have escaped the food chain and these systems no longer serve us. The more you learn about the processes of the body whether it be chemical balances, circadian rhythms, impacts of light, exercise, and food, etc. etc. there are evolutionary reasons why things are the way that they are. We are beings that are optimized to survive and reproduce and things that serve that purpose give us good feelings and things that do not, do not. This does not lead to optimum behavior in today’s world. One example of circadian rhythms and our biological clocks is in the impact of light on biological processes. If it were up to us, we would probably want to divorce these clock signals from light exposure so as to be able to stay up late using art...
Read more

The Adventure of Truth

The Adventure of Truth I have heard from several disparate sources in the past few weeks the notion that following the truth is the most adventurous way to live one’s life. Initially, this sounds like some trite saying you would see on a bumper sticker or a t-shirt that someone wears to the gym, but the more I have thought about it, the more it has resonated. The best thing about reading books and articles and listening to podcasts and audiobooks across different fields has been the connection of ideas and principles that start to take shape. The core attestation in the truth equals adventure claim is that by using truth as a guide, we cede control to the powers that be outside of our rational mind and operate by some “feeling” instead. This sounds a bit woo-woo, but then again, the esoteric is what I find to be the most interesting when it comes to thought experiments. I heard from another source - the creator of Veggie Tale’s autobiography to be exact - that there is almost assuredly...
Read more

THE TRUTH

God is Real. Jesus is Exactly Who He Said He Was. That’s the message. Simple. Complete. If you know, you know. If you don’t yet, maybe this will help you start to see it. I’m not a preacher. I’m not a prophet. I’m just a guy named David Hoffman who stumbled into the most beautiful truth there is, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it. My only job is to point. Like a decoder. Not to tell you what to think, but to help you look where I looked. The SparkNotes to Finding the Truth Life is messy. Painful. Loud. But there’s an order behind it all, like music underneath static. Here's the shortcut: Pray  – Even if you don't believe, even if it feels weird. Get on your knees. Ask for help. Ask for clarity. Pray to whatever you think might be listening. You're not alone. Look and Listen  – The signs are there. Always have been. In music. In movies. In the people around you. They start as coincidences, but eventually you'll see the pattern. God is subtle, but never silent. Beli...
Read more

Nobody Cares

Nobody Cares Not to sound too pessimistic, but I think it is true at the end of the day. This is more from a principles perspective than anything else. I think it is probably beneficial to live your life thinking that nobody cares about what you are doing. A chip on your shoulder attitude is part of this mindset, in that it may be helpful to live life as if you have something to prove and that you should make people care about you. However, I feel like the more important interpretation of this quote that is likely fundamentally true, is that people think about you a heck of a lot less than you think they do. In my life, if I take the portion of my waking thoughts that are about my own thoughts, feelings, biases, actions, past, present, and future, and put that over the portion of externally focused thoughts, it would probably round to zero. Not that I am overtly selfish or have a huge ego, but it is just impractical for 99% of people to genuinely think about others more than them...
Read more

Diet and Nutrition

Thoughts as of November 2024 - subject to change as I learn more - feel free to poke holes, always happy to be corrected. Many people over the past few years have asked me for tips and tricks about diet and nutrition. I have gone into detail with people on an individual basis over text/dm, on phone calls, or in person, but I felt it would be helpful for me and others to spell out some of my thoughts in greater detail. This serves a dual benefit of forcing me to list out my thoughts and having something to point to for others to look into at their convenience. Also, over time it will be interesting with new studies and experiences to see how I revise my own beliefs My advice to you People often get annoyed with me when they ask a simple question about nutrition. “Is this good?” “Is this bad?” The answer is, it depends. Some will ask what brands of products that I use, and sure, I could tell someone to eat xyz food or use this supplement, but if you do not understand the reasoning behind...
Read more

“How do you do life without a coach?”

“How do you do life without a coach?” Thoughts as of 6/12/24 This question comes from a recent conversation with a friend contemplating life post athletics. For people not involved in athletics past a certain level, this may not resonate. However, I think that the longer one stays within a sport, and the more of one’s time that sport takes up (highly correlated I’d imagine), this will likely strike a chord.  Further, I think it is more of a commentary on the schooling system writ large rather than something narrowly confined to athletics. The lesson should ring true to anyone finding themselves in the midst of uncertainty, but an example will be helpful in illustrating the point. Speaking from my own experience, I had always been involved in competitive sports. I started at probably 5 years old and continued until I was 22. The myriad benefits of athletics have been widely touted my whole life, such as increased discipline, teamwork, leadership, etc. but I think that there is a som...
Read more

You Are What You Eat - Literally!

You Are What You Eat - Literally! Thoughts as of 5/30/2024 These thoughts have been percolating for a few months now since I first heard the concept mentioned on a podcast. It seems so incredibly simple and obvious, and yet, after 25 years of living, I was and am blown away. We have all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” It sounds trite and meaningless, and until I heard it expressed in this specific way, I dismissed it as nothingness. In fact, I imagine most people do the same, and I am not sure the originator of the quote intended the meaning in the way I now interpret it. As an athlete, I would always hear analogies along the lines of treating your body like a racecar. You need to take care of the racecar to make sure it is operating at peak efficiency. When it came to food, this was more so fuel for the racecar, or gasoline. You would not just put any old thing into a racecar and expect it to perform at its best. Similarly, as an athlete who wants to perform at a high level,...
Read more

Ego - Lifting and Otherwise

Ego - Lifting and Otherwise Thoughts as of 4/15/2024 These thoughts have been percolating for some time, and there are many more illustrative examples outside of lifting, but I feel that the point is easier made with lifting. In terms of religious or philosophical concepts, I have a lot of work to do to understand what exactly the ego is, and what exactly pride is, but I know they are both very dangerous. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity made me think about pride more seriously for the first time. All of the quotes about pride being the worst sin, or compared to the devil himself I was able to brush past as hyperbole, but upon reflection, it makes sense. Similarly, ego I have never taken all that seriously; however, books like Ryan Holiday’s Ego is the Enemy, and other schools of thought that warn of the dangers of ego have been a part of my knowledge consumption over the past few years. One of the catalysts for taking these concepts more seriously was an instance in the weight room and...
Read more

Weekly Updates 3/10-4/2/2025

“I know that I know nothing” - Socrates New quote to start these posts so I can just push out content without worrying about formatting and spelling errors. Instead of giving myself permission to be a beginner, I figured I could just admit that I know nothing and whoosh, all the pressure is off. One last Julia Cameron quote for the road: “It is impossible to get better and look good at the same time. Give yourself permission to be a beginner.”​ — Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way Sorry for the 2 week hiatus, but it was out of my control. I am back in the saddle and hope to continue posting weekly updates once again. “Backstreet's back, alright!” - The Backstreet Boys “I’ll be back…and I am back” - Michael Scott Since I was out of commish for two weeks, I do not have 3 weeks of content, but rather what I did during the original 3/10-3/16 period. Thankfully, it was plenty to make a post out of without having to have a truncated 3-week post. There were one or two podcast episodes I list...
Read more