The truth about The Acquisitor

I finally moved back into college this weekend, and needless to say, I am exhausted! My internship resumes today, classes start tomorrow, and I still have a lot left to unpack—on top of the one million other errands I need to run. But I told myself that, no matter what, I was going to sit down and write the next Tree Rings email… So, here we are.

Long story short, just like most of us are, I am quite the busy bee. I have a large amount of responsibilities as both a student and an intern. Finding time to fit personal projects into my schedule, like this newsletter and that newsletter, is not an easy task.

As I head into the school year, I want to take some time to reflect on where I was at this same time last year when it comes to launching The Acquisitor.

🤯 The truth about The Acquisitor

The momentum that we had for The Acquisitor going into August 2023 completely tanked by October 2023. Our schedules filled up. We had other commitments. We no longer had time to entertain ourselves with The Acquisitor.

Our newsletter was such a side hustle, we hustled it right off to the wayside.

When I look back on why we threw The Acquisitor to the back burner, I realize it wasn’t just about being busy. For me, it was deeper than that. It was about my fear of things beyond failure:

• I was afraid of being labeled delusional. Were we chasing a lost cause? Is it even OK to set a project down and come back to it months later? Will people think that we’re quitters who get bursts of motivation here and there, but can never fully commit?

• I was afraid of putting myself out there. It’s really easy to remain anonymous and get lost in the details of a project like The Acquisitor. It’s hard to make that extra effort to connect with others and find validation and support.

• I was afraid to make time for The Acquisitor. Our newsletter felt like one more thing on my overflowing to-do list. Instead of pushing through, I decided it was easier (and far less scary) to set the project aside instead of confronting the challenge of keeping it going amidst everything else.

However, as you might’ve already guessed, we’re back again this year to give it another go. And I’ll be honest, I have absolutely no idea what will happen or—dare I say—what won’t happen.

All that aside, what I do know is this: Something is different this time. Some might call it the determination to succeed. Others say it’s perseverance through a time of mental blockage. A few might even say it’s just a false alarm and that The Acquisitor will fall off the wagon again.

But I think it’s intrepidness. It’s the quality of being invulnerable to fear. And I think it’s the difference that will make up everything we need to see The Acquisitor to the end, for better or worse.

🤔 How do I do more of what matters to me?

This was the question I asked myself at the beginning of the summer this year, and it’s the question I’m still asking myself now. I’m not looking to cram a bunch of random tasks into my day. What I’m looking for is a way to take the responsibilities that I consider valuable to me and give them each the time they need, and the time that I would like to give to them, on a consistent basis.

But how do I do that when it’s not just one thing I’m focusing on, but many?

My guess is that something, or a few somethings, will have to give. What will I say yes to? What will I say no to? I’m sure that answering these might give me a clearer path to follow.

However, it isn’t necessarily that simple right now. For example, I can’t compromise my responsibilities as a student, and I don’t want to compromise my contribution to The Acquisitor. But I also can’t compromise my responsibilities as an intern. And none of that even includes things like exercise and maintaining a healthy social life.

Honestly, I don’t think there’s a direct solution for this. It’ll be a lot of trial and error, a few late nights, and plenty of leaning to others for support.

• 🎙️ You don’t need mentors, you need believers. I heard this on the My First Million Podcast, and it really resonated with me. There’s a sense of trust and confidence that comes when someone puts their full faith in you. I’ve experienced this more than once, and I’ve also experienced what happens when the opposite occurs (it’s a not-so-great feeling).

• 💬 Great quote about burnout: “Sometimes, people feel burnt out when they’re working very hard but don’t see that translate into [anything worthwhile]. It’s not necessarily about the degree to which they’re working or the amount of time they’re putting in. It’s the lack of relationship between the amount of time they’re putting in and the amount of movement or progress that they’re seeing that can be really defeating.” -Steph Smith (she said this on a random podcast I listened to a long time ago)

• 🧭 Trying to stay laser focused: I often struggle with focusing on one thing and ignoring the distractions—whether those distractions are big ticket projects or playing with the bells and whistles. Here’s a quote that I try to keep running in the back of mind to avoid getting distracted with other things I’m not totally committed to:

  • 📖 “Diversification is for wealth preservation and protection, not wealth creation.” I’m ngl, I don’t know if this quote actually makes sense in this context. But in my brain it scratches the itch I need it to scratch, so I just run with it.