Justin Kerby

Pet Sematary is one of my favorite Stephen King books, probably right behind The Shining. It’s a modern horror classic ripe for remake, so I headed to the theater this week to check it out.

The film was full of jumps and scares, but overall didn’t bring anything new to the table other than some more realistic looking pets than the ones in the original movie. The cast was great but the acting was nothing special. I think I’ve been a bit spoiled with horror films recently, as Hereditary and Us were both excellent.

My rating: 5.7/10

Watch the trailer:

My family motto is “Until the end”.

Apparently, we’re big on finishing. I personally love starting new things. Projects, side hustles, books – I love what’s new. It’s why my Goodreads is typically full of 6 different genres under my “Currently Reading” section. I figured since starting isn’t much of a problem for me, I might be better to invest some time into learning how to finish more of my projects.

Finish by Jon Acuff tackles the subject of finishing in a straightforward, prescriptive approach. He highlights seven major points of advice in the book that I found useful.

1. Planning fallacy

Optimism leads to the assumption that we can do more than we can, especially in short periods of time. Acuff believes we should try cutting our goals in half and “move forward imperfectly.” I gave this a try for a couple of weeks in February and hit all my goals, so there’s something to it.

2. Strategic incompetence

Figure out three things you’re going to suck at and accept no shame about them. For me, I decided to be bad at Instagram and Twitter, staying late at events and parties, and working on projects that didn’t improve my skills. Not worrying about things that are less important to you frees up time to focus on what’s important. It’s not so different from some of the principles in Gary Keller’s The ONE Thing.

3. Make it fun

Joyless goals typically fail. Look at all your goals and ask yourself: how could this be more fun? While you’re examining your goals, you should also look at ways to simplify them. This comes back to embracing imperfection. If your goal is to meditate for 20 minutes everyday, make sure you know it’s okay to meditate for 5 minutes a day on the busy days. Knowing how to simplify keeps you on track (and embraces imperfection).

4. Look for your hiding places

Where do you go accidentally when you’re not thinking? These are your hiding places from your goals. If you move to the couch and throw the TV on like me, you need to eliminate your time in that spot, or tell others that if they see you in that spot to say something. Some people hide from their current goals by making new ones, which is another hiding place. Don’t set new goals until you finish the one’s you’ve set now, and eliminate any side goals you’ve taken on.

5. Get rid of your secret rules

Write down the secret rules you tell yourself. Ask why, and say no. Goals don’t have to be perfect, boring, or hard. Perfectionism tricks us into making things hard. Don’t fall for the trap. Everyone has secret rules, like “it’s not a workout if I don’t go to the gym” or “listening to an audiobook isn’t reading”. You should be trying to make reaching your goals easier, not harder.

While you’re identifying your secret rules, it’s also important to note how you use the word “until”. Many people use this word as a way to put things off. They set noble obstacles, like “I can’t start my business until I get my taxes in order”, or “I can’t clean my garage until I have a garage sale”. These noble obstacles prevent goals from being accomplished, so watch for them and notice when you use the word “until”.

6. Use data

Data can help guide your journey. If you’re trying to lose weight, look for many points of data, not just the scale. Watch your waist size, your workouts per week, and your calories. Data prevents denial.

If you’re golfing in the dark for 10,000 hours, you won’t improve. You need to be able to study the data.

7. Keep going

The day before done is where many give up. They get scared to launch or achieve success. Boats are made for water, don’t be afraid of launching. Use your finish line as a starting point for a new thing.

Overall this was a highly actionable book. Acuff lays out some steps you can take immediately to make sure you finish what’s important to you. I’d recommend it.

My Rating: 4.2/5

The title of this book might sound familiar. 

It’s from J.R.R. Tolkein’s, The Two Towers. 

“Don’t leave me here alone! It’s your Sam calling. Don’t go where I can’t follow! Wake up, Mr. Frodo!” 

The title alone led me to pick up this book while I was wandering through the library this week. As I flipped through the pages of the book, I saw photographs, sketches, hand written notes, post cards, and lots of other things that looked unique. It looked like a great book, and I couldn’t resist. 

It was indeed great. Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow is Anders Nilsen’s memorial to his late fiancé, Cheryl Weaver, who passed away of Hodgkin’s disease. It chronicles their travels, time-spent together, Cheryl’s sickness, and a short time period following her passing. 

Here’s one of my favorite pages of selections from the Tao Te Ching – another great read that I’ll do a review on in the future.

The book is extremely raw and undeniably beautiful. It speaks to the importance of connection, acceptance, and ultimately being grateful for what you have. 

My Goodreads Rating: 5/5