Breaking a Lifelong Bad Habit
My August Challenge
New Month, New Challenge!
My challenge for August is to break a lifelong bad habit: biting my nails. This Brix Pen is supposed to help reduce the urge. If you see me cheating, please call me out. My goal is to go the whole month without biting my nails once. Wish me luck!
My First Triathlon
Last weekend I completed my first triathlon. HERE's a Video Recap of how it went!
A FEW LESSONS LEARNED:
Challenge Yourself - I impulsively signed up for this race 4 days ago. I’ve done ZERO training for the swim or the bike ride, and I haven’t gone on a run in over a month. But stepping outside of my comfort zone and doing hard things is the only way to grow
Don’t be afraid to ask for help - I REALLY struggled on the half mile swim. There were lifeguards on paddle boards stationed throughout the course, and I stopped at almost every one for a rest. I don’t think I would have made it without the helping hand
Running after swimming and biking is incredibly challenging. Who knew?
Give Yourself Grace - I was probably one of the last guys in my age range to finish due to my swim time. I could either let myself feel bad about this, OR I could feel proud of myself for even finishing at all. I choose the latter
️Always remember your Why - It would have been so easy to give up at any point throughout the race today, but reminding myself of the reason I signed up in the first place kept me going. Goals are meaningless without a why that fuels them
1 Month Since Mount Rainier
It has been just over a month since I climbed Mount Rainier. To be honest, it’s been a very weird month for my mental health.
The week before last, I was supposed to be meeting up with a friend, and I asked to reschedule because I was having a rough day. He immediately called my phone, and I answered reluctantly. He made sure I was okay and helped me talk through what was going on inside my head.
I had a realization that although it felt great to achieve some huge goals in June (running a marathon and summiting Mount Rainier), I’ve felt empty and unmotivated since then. Apparently post-race-depression is something that a lot of people struggle with. Feeling sad after achieving something awesome is counterintuitive, but it’s a very real thing.
My friend said something that stuck with me: “Maybe you’re just the type of guy who always needs a mountain to climb.” And he was absolutely correct. We are all wired differently, but for me, if I don’t have something that I’m working toward, then I might as well never get off the couch. I’m not proud of this about myself, but being self-aware of this quality will help me ensure that I always have some big dream to chase. And I also need to remember to enjoy the journey along the way.
I’m so grateful to my friend for calling me even when I had no desire to talk. I challenge anyone reading this to reach out to 3 people in your life who might be struggling. Knowing that you care about them could make all the difference in the world.
Street of Dreams
Checked out the Street of Dreams in Portland last week with some of the Theory Team! This is one of my favorite annual traditions. Every year, a neighborhood of incredible luxury homes is built, and the public has the opportunity to tour them before they’re sold. My family has gone almost every year since I was a kid. I used to love looking for the secret rooms in some of the houses. I have always been intrigued by architecture, and it’s fun to think about my “dream home”!
August Market Update
I spend time every month analyzing market stats from the previous month, and the real estate market is definitely changing! It doesn't appear that a major crash is coming, but we are seeing the market start to level out. Median home price dropped in King, Pierce, AND Thurston Counties for the first time since January 2019. Home prices are back down where they were around March of this year.
The most significant change to the market is how competitive it is. Homes are sitting on the market for 1-3 days longer on average than they did only a month ago, and they're selling for closer to list price. Over the last 2 and a half years, we've seen homes sell for all the way up to 12% over list price. Bidding wars became the norm. Now for the first time in several years, listings are selling for only slightly above what they're being listed at.
Although interest rates are making it more difficult for many buyers and investors, this decreased competition is making it a much less stressful time to buy. If any buyers decided to put a pause on buying earlier this year because of the crazy market, now may be the time to consider re-entering the market. Many buyers are buying now with the plan to refinance in the future when rates go back down (although there's no way to be certain when this will be).
