Quick heads up: This is a bit of a public journaling kind of email, rather than an email about how to learn A&P. Feel free to skip this one if it isn't your cup of tea :)

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Hey everyone!

I hope you all are doing well. I'm...doing okay, haha.

Ups and downs, as they say.

My 3yo son just walked into my office as I was typing and responding to emails (currently 40+ unread emails in my inbox, so apologies if I haven't gotten back to you in a timely manner...) and asked, "Daddy, why...why you not doing the body stuff?"

Most of the time when he wanders over here, I have a Tory or Mortimer (my torso model and skeleton) out, usually some organ diagrams up on the screen, maybe a recording setup going...you know, "doing the body stuff."

Teaching.

The stuff that reminds me why I got into this in the first place.

But I spend probably 50% of my time doing business stuff, and 50% of my time making videos for YouTube and for my A&P 2 course.

For example, this morning, my wife and I spent literally the whole morning on calls with Stripe and our local bank trying to get a single transfer made. I've had nightmares where I was trapped in the mall and couldn't find my way back to the entrance I came in...this felt just like those nightmares, but in real life and with our bank accounts instead of a mall.

I never feel like I'm doing enough. I have to get the videos done for the next unit of my course. I have to write emails to my list. I have to work on YouTube videos. I have to respond to emails. I have to...

Why can't I just TEACH?

This feels like I'm complaining.

I guess I am complaining.

But I imagine you have probably felt like this too, yeah?

Not in the exact same scenario, of course. But many (most?) of you could write this same email and replace my list with all of the things you have to get done. All the people who depend on you. All of the bad things that will happen if you don't get it all done.

In fact, I know there are some of you on this email list who are single parents, working a job, AND going back to school to get a degree.

And yet you're doing it. You're making it happen.

I heard a quote a few weeks ago from Alex Hormozi (this entrepreneur/business guy) last week that really resonated with me:

Dang.

When I was single, I thought that getting married would make me happier. When we didn't yet have kids, I thought having kids would make me happier (or at least more fulfilled). When I started YouTube, I thought that getting monetized would make me happier. When I was teaching high school, I thought going full-time with Siebert Science would make me happy.

I mean, I knew intellectually those things wouldn't make me happy. But emotionally I think I keep expecting the next milestone to fix all the problems. 😅

This might apply to you too.

Studying to become a nurse/doctor/therapist/etc.?

Will achieving that goal fix all your problems and make you happy?

No, probably not.

And yet...

We need these goals. We need things to work towards in life, things to strive for. It's not good to be aimless.

So here are my two cliches takeaways:

1. Figure out how to enjoy the journey. What else is there besides the journey? There is no destination, not really. Life is just a journey, and if we can't enjoy it now, we won't magically be able to enjoy it at some later milestone. If you're in school right now, taking stressful exams, try to figure out how to enjoy the process even now.
2. I need to keep working toward my goals anyway. That Hormozi guy also said this: "If you have someone who loves you, and you have your health, and you have a goal to work toward, then you're winning." Maybe that's an oversimplification, but it's pretty good. Let's keep working toward our goals. I hope you have someone who loves you and that you have your health as well.

For now, as I sit alone in my office (Tory and Mortimer notwithstanding), I need to remind myself how amazing it is that I get to do Siebert Science as my job. How amazing it is that I have a wonderful family (as mind-boggingly difficult and stressful as parenting often is). And to be thankful that I have good health.

None of these things are guaranteed.

None of these things last forever.

But we can enjoy them while we can :)

Best,

-Justin

P.S. This feels weird to put in this email, but I do need to mention it here...

But I'm planning to reopen enrollment for my A&P 2 course in two weeks on September 28. If you missed the first enrollment window and need some help learning A&P 2, look out for some more details on that soon.

P.P.S. I also have a new YouTube video coming out soon. This one is on the muscles of the shoulder and upper arm. We'll be tackling all those origins, insertions, and actions. I'm pretty excited about this one, plus it includes some great visualizations from Anatomage 🙌🏼