The Story of My Life

Hello Digging Deep family. I am grateful for each and every one of you and your support. In this week’s newsletter I wanted to deliver something special. I will be going through my life’s story and letting you in on some of my findings. In order to form a deeper bond with my subscribers, it is inevitable that I open up so that you can see the full me. Next week is back to the alpha, but for now, I hope you enjoy my story.

Before we begin, I just want to remind you that with every subscription, we grow this email list a little bigger. If you enjoy my writing and want to support the Digging Deep newsletter, I encourage you to hit that subscribe button and share with a friend, thank you.

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Intro

For those of you who do not yet know me, my name is Zachary Musiakiewicz, I live in New Jersey, and I am 21 years old. Now that my shitty Kindergarten intro is out of the way, I’ll get into the real stuff. As a background, I went to the University of San Diego for two years and ended up coming home because of COVID. I really can’t explain in words the positive impact this has had on my future. It backed me into a corner. With no direction, I was forced to try things until I found something I liked enough to work toward. Having gone through an array of potential career options, I ended up loving blockchain technology. Being that this technology is so early, I see massive opportunity to work my ass off to make myself a staple in the industry. This quick synopsis of my situation does no justice on the lessons I learned along the way and the ups and downs there were to get on this path. Therefore, I would like to use some short stories from my life to exemplify important lessons. Let’s get into it.

Discipline is Destiny

If you read any book about how to get your shit together and grow as a person, there is not a single one that does not focus on discipline. It is the single biggest contributor to all of my success’s in life. And anytime it was lacking is more often than not a failure. How could one thing be that powerful? Here is an example. When I was 14 I could not care less about my personal health, not because I was depressed, I just didn’t think it mattered that much. As I got older I was exposed to more Navy Seal heroes and Crossfit warriors which provoked my own fitness journey. The thought of getting stronger and being healthy was more appealing as time went on. When I turned 16 I began my journey. Now if you think I am going to tell you I jumped right in no problem and haven’t stopped since, you would be dead wrong. Just like anything else, the first bit came easy and then I slacked off. This was a cycle that repeated for at-least two years. I wasn’t crushing it, but I was showing up enough to make some progress. The key words in the last sentence are showing up. Every time I showed up, I felt better, I felt liberated, I felt accomplished. To nobody’s surprise, I was not motivated everyday. I learned motivation was unreliable. But discipline is. If you can program yourself to do it no matter how you feel, the sky is the limit. I fell in love with working out, longevity, and recovery. My health became my number 1 priority and the rest is history. This is the greatest example of how discipline is successful in my life, but of course it applies to all aspects. Once you master showing up, you fall in love with the process and find true freedom. As Navy Seal Jocko Willink says, “Discipline equals Freedom”.

Organization is Motivation

While I was relatively organized in college, when I got home, my room was a good representation of my life. All over the place. You see this with many people. The people who are on it are always organized and the ones who are struggling are always a mess. One day I looked at my room, and literally said “What the fuck am I doing?” I walked in there, tore it apart, threw a bunch of stuff out, and cleaned it to the point where you could lick the floor. Surely enough, I felt great about it. It compounded. I was ready for my next task. Taking care of one problem checked off a box and gave me room to tackle other problems. Looking back, how could I ever do what I needed to do when there was always a mess standing in my way. I took this mentality and ran with it. Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is make my bed, it’s an easy win and a good start to the day. That one small thing makes an immense difference on the rest of my day. Having things in order gives you energy to focus on more important things than cleaning your dishes. However, cleaning your dishes is actually the most important because it’s likely that nothing else will happen if that doesn’t get done. Channel your organization into a source of motivation.

Patience is Key

I feel like I have experienced quite a lot at 21, but sometimes life gives you an urge to rush. What am I going to do next? How am I going to make money? What am I doing next weekend? This is the mindset that messed me up mentally. Don’t get it twisted, patience does not mean don’t work hard. Take action and be patient. Going into college, I had no clue what I wanted to do. I went in with the thought that general business was fine but it was by no means a passion. After coming home, I didn’t rush back. I took the time to reflect and try new things. After dabbling in a few topics for a couple of years, my path started to shape up. If I rushed it, I would be unhappy and broke. This past year I started reading books. I hated reading before I realized there is much to be gained from opening a book. Having the patience to sit down and read a couple of pages sparked a new daily habit that has benefited me greatly. I sit here writing my 8th newsletter. Writing takes patience. I started investing last year. Timing the market takes patience. I have surfed all my life. Waiting for waves takes patience. I love podcasts. Listening to long conversation takes patience. The moral of the story is, there isn’t really a time in life where patience isn’t optimal. Bad decisions are normally made on a moment’s notice. Be the stronger force and wait.

Embrace Your Interests

The best moments of your life will come from doing your favorite things with your favorite people. I have a lot of interests but I try my best to make time for all of them. For me, that is what life is really about. If I didn’t make the time, I would not be in the right headspace to stick to the grind. I have been surfing for about 7 years now and I can’t think of a time where I have ever regretted going. It is the most peaceful yet fun activity that was ever created. It is you vs mother nature. Trying to navigate the ocean is one of the hardest but rewarding things I have ever done. I would go as far as to say it is the reason I have found my way through life. Not to mention, everyone I have ever surfed with is someone I hold a deep and special connection to. Even though working out is a part of the grind, it is without a doubt an interest. 5 times a week I hop in the gym and enjoy a workout to build the mental fortitude I need to attack life. Something as non-concrete as music has an equal impact. My go to genre is hard-core. This sounds daunting but in reality it is the soundtrack to my life. Most people see it as aggressive craziness, I see it as embracing being an outlier, learning it’s ok to say no to the norm, and to express the craziness that life really is. No matter what your interest or interests are, make sure you leave time for them. It is more important than you know.

The Future

One thing is for sure, there is nothing more exciting to me than the future. I never want to be the person who looks back and says college was the best years of their life. My best years are yet to come and I cannot wait. The Digging Deep Community will grower stronger with time and I look forward to building and working with a bunch of amazing individuals. This is just the start - Zach

Weekly Podcast/Book Recommendations

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