Issue 47: Although I saw my shadow

Back again …

Hello there! It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks what with the start of my first writing class of 2025, and getting ready for my upcoming decluttering class (this time in person!). I’m also well underway with preparations for episode 500.

Phew! I really could have used another week away but as I’m just three steps shy from the finish line, I’m feeling a strange combination of adrenaline, nostalgia, exhaustion, and a pinch of melancholy. Right now, I’m sitting at one of my favorite spots: a small corner study at the library pecking away at this newsletter. There’s a part of me that is pushing to get this done. Yet, there’s another that’s trying to savor every moment; given that I’m approaching the end of this journey.

I think I’ll dub this strange feeling “nostalgia-fatigue:” a state in which you’re pushing to finish something because you’re tired but at the same time you don’t want it to end. This is not to be confused with “nostalgia fatigue,” which comes from watching too many poorly done sequels and reboots of movies and TV shows.

Oh yeah, before I forget, Happy Valentine’s Day. Enjoy this manufactured holiday immersed in a sea of Hallmark pink cardboard, candies with the consistency of chalk, market fluctuations in the price of flowers, and two crowds: those experiencing lovesick joy and those with utter contempt for the former.

-John

Moving Forward 497 : Growing out of my comfort zone

Speaking of contradictions.

Those who know me best would describe me as half-extrovert, half introvert. Some would use the term “ambivert” (the snobby ones with a twenty-dollar vocab) or simply “confusing” (those who don’t have time for technical jargon). My journey as a podcaster over the past decade is an audio-video reflection of this dichotomy.

As a sometime extrovert, I do fine with large crowds, having presented to audiences as large as several hundred, and given keynote speeches on a moment’s notice. Those scenarios don’t really faze me. I can even hold my own within a room of small talk schmooze at a cocktail party or alumni event. However, there’s a part of me that really enjoys flying under the radar. I recently took an art class to learn the fine craft of string art. It was extremely therapeutic, and part of my 2025 goal of getting out of the house more. It took a lot of energy to resist my natural inclination to hibernate on a chilly February night.

Hosting a podcast is much like that art class. There’s the part of me that enjoys the anonymity that comes with recording at home on a mic and Macbook. This side somehow co-exists with the one that’s comfortable transmitting my thoughts, opinions, pontifications, and conversations across the interwebs at blazing fast speeds. When I speak into the mic, I rarely think about the fact that this show is listened to across the US and in over 75 countries. I have the opposite framework, picturing more of an intimate conversation with one person; as if I’m speaking to a friend or colleague at a coffee shop.

It’s this juxtaposition that has made Moving Forward a tool to grow out of my comfort zone. It has kept that part of me that would rather stay home in check. Because of the podcast, I’ve been invited to be guests on other podcasts, both audio and video, a featured speaker at events like TEDx, and even an instructor for classes hosted by libraries and programs like Johns Hopkins Odyssey. Moreover, I’ve spun off my content into articles and books, further pushing me out of my introverted tendencies. This in turn has changed the way I use social media; seeing it as a tool of connection, conversation, and consideration.

While Moving Forward is meant to inspire, encourage, and facilitate growth for you, the listeners, I’ve gained those same benefits as the guy behind the mic. The show is a constant reminder that there’s a world of possibilities, both unexpected and wondrous. Moreover, each episode is an antidote to complacency, one that continually pushes me to move forward.

Catch this week’s episode on Spotify.

Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, CastBox, Pocket Casts, Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor), and Audible.

^{*Affiliate disclosure: these are links through which I earn a commission from qualifying referrals and / or purchases.}

Moving Forward

What’s ahead this season.

1. Moving Forward season 12: Moving Forward’s final season will be split into three parts with the first seven episodes serving as a retrospective. Part III will wrap the show with episode 500, the series finale.

2. Moving Forward release schedule:

   • ✅Season 12, Part 1 (episodes 493-496) will air Thursdays, starting Jan. 9th, and concluding on Thursday, Jan. 30th.

   • Season 12, Part 2 (episodes 497-499) will air Thursdays, starting Feb. 13th, and concluding on Thursday, Feb. 27th.

   • Season 12, Part 3 (episode 500) will air sometime in late March 2025.

3. The Weekly Quirk: The newsletter resumes today (Friday, Jan. 10th) with issue 43. The remaining issues will be released on Fridays, coinciding with the podcast schedule, and concluding with issue 50 sometime in late March.

_{[Note: Upon conclusion of the podcast and newsletter, all Moving Forward episodes and The Weekly Quirk issues will remain available to stream and read online so long as I’m able to keep them published cost-free via their respective host providers. However, while I would like to keep them preserved for posterity sake, I can’t guarantee they will be available forever. Additional note: the copyright to all content, including audio and literary rights, remains with me, my assigns, and my heirs, regardless of publication status.]}

Available now at my bookstore on Pangobooks

Cue up the jazz with this memoir by one of the all-time greats.

Quirky reads 📚

Speaking of good books, here are some titles I’ve been reading lately.

[Affiliate disclosure: these are affiliate links to Amazon through which I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.]

• Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King (not yet reviewed).

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations and to see what else I’m reading.

Upcoming (February 20, 2025)

Declutter Your Home and Free Your Life - in person class through Johns Hopkins Osher (Osher membership required).

Upcoming (March 25, 2025)

Declutter Your Home and Free Your Life - virtual class through Johns Hopkins Odyssey (open to all with discounts for Hopkins alum).

Resources

Teach a man to fish, you know the rest (if you don’t, check these out).

• Book a coaching call with me on Clarity.

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations.

• Check out one of my favorite daily newsletters Morning Brew (affiliate referral link).

Books

I wrote most of these so spruce up your home library and look smart in the process.

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Paperback, Kindle, Audible) 

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Apple audiobooks)

• The Poshmark Journal for Individuals and Small Businesses

• The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book

• I Am a Professional Metalhead (audiobook) (Audible affiliate link) written by Angelo Spenillo, narrated by John Lim

Support the newsletter and podcast

“What are you selling?!?” -actual quote from a b-school classmate

• Books! Check out my used bookstore on Pangobooks.

• Try out Audible (affiliate paid link).

• Try out Amazon Prime (affiliate paid link)

Affiliate disclosure

Note: Links to Amazon and Audible products are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.