Trev

I know when to stop working for a company. And when this time comes, I fire myself from work.

I resign, then I move on to new projects. I’ve never been fired by others.

I’ve fired myself several times in the past. Here are some of the symptoms that initiate my decision:

Not arriving to work happy anymore.
Goals reached.
Lack of meaning or purpose.
Boredom.
Money becomes more important than the job.

I could probably think of a few more, but these are the main triggers for me.

Oddly enough, people aren’t one of the reasons why I leave a job. In fact, most people seem to love working with me and I love working with people.

I like challenges. I like to be pushed. I like to push myself. When these likes are met, I get excited.

If you’re in a job where you feel unchallenged, ask for more challenges. If there’s nothing promising in sight, you know what to do.

Fire yourself.

Someone else should do your work. Go and do the work you want to do instead.

My parents genuinely love their three boys.

They gave us the flexibility to be kids when we were kids.

I’ve had my fair share of messy mistakes growing up. My parents supported every misstep, both big and small.

From my observations spanning nearly 29 years, I feel obliged to share my ideas for what an awesome parent would be like. Maybe these ideas will help you:

Awesome parents unconditionally love their kids.
Awesome parents support and foster their kids’ interests.
Awesome parents know how to resolve screams and tantrums with reasoning.
Awesome parents ignore promises of being good in exchange for sugar.
Awesome parents hug their kids often.
Awesome parents are authoritative.
Awesome parents are not strict dictators.
Awesome parents are not passive.
Awesome parents make adventures out of boring circumstances.
Awesome parents do not abuse their kids in any way.
Awesome parents encourage their kids to love any weather, rain or shine.
Awesome parents offer life advice without being too biased.
Awesome parents do not make excuses for being a bad parent.
Awesome parents smile often.
Awesome parents have kids who smile often.
Awesome parents love each other and show it appropriately.
Awesome parents do not unnecessarily drug their kids.
Awesome parents do not force their kids to do anything.
Awesome parents educate their kids and let them make decisions for themselves.
Awesome parents share parental responsibilities.
Awesome parents do not give out computers to distract their kids at dinner.
Awesome parents have deep conversations with their kids.

None of this is set in stone, especially when it’s coming from an adult who’s never parented before (I hope my time will come soon). At the end of the day, you get to decide whether your parenting skills are amazing or not. I am a child at heart and wanted to let you know why I have awesome parents.

I personally hope you are an awesome parent too.

In less than one month before race day and with literally no training under my belt, I decided to register for my first triathlon. This was a bucket list item and I’m glad I did it.

One year later, I doubled the distance and completed an Olympic-distance triathlon.

Here are 5 life skills I learned along my journey:

How to survive for hours with no water and food.
There were countless training days when I came unprepared with no food. Jumping into a cycling group, I thought there’d be a food break halfway in, but I was wrong – the fellow cyclists just ate along the way while I made the mistake of packing nothing. Even when you’re hungry or exhausted, you learn to make do and push through.

How to swim for more than one minute.
Starting out in the swimming pool, I had forgotten how to breathe properly. My form was horrendous. My body was screaming in pain. I thought it was silly to even attempt a triathlon at this point. The next day, I did what the majority would not do: I returned to the pool. If you’re hitting roadblocks, that’s good. Keep practicing until you can go two minutes, twenty minutes, and so on. By race day, I could go the distance without a problem.

How to socialize.
Triathlon is a solo sport, yet by attempting one, you are giving yourself a reason to talk with people and learn from others. Your friends are fascinated by your passion and motivation, and you come off as a different type of person. We often forget that hobbies help us socially, as we grow from new experiences.

How to bootstrap.
You will find every bell and whistle imaginable in the shopping mall, but the fastest way to improve your times is to improve your body. Eliminate the noise and recommendations for the priciest equipment – I went with a basic road bike and running shoes to get me through the race. You will find that as you start, the biggest barrier to pushing through is the idea that you need something better. Losing five pounds of fat is much cheaper than losing five pounds of bicycle equipment weight. As you progress in life, you can start looking at tools to improve your performance. For now, focus on starting.

How to be independent.
The only person to push you through the course is yourself. The support network is invaluable to have, but the race day will shed some light on one important fact: you are solely responsible for your success. I spent my life depending on friends and family too often, and too often I was spoiled. With triathlon, I was forced to take control. I’m glad I did.