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The Newsletter | Edition 096
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Progress Report is dedicated to providing inspiration for action. In this special takeover newsletter series, we highlight our team members and the ways in which they achieve progress in the day-to-day.
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ROLEStrategist
CURRENT LOCATIONRichmond, VA
HOMETOWNMonterrey, Mexico
Hello there! I’m Sofia, and I’m all about optimizing life, while kindling joy in between. When I’m not strategizing, you can find me regrowing plants from grocery or community garden scraps; pet sitting; learning about investing, data science and bugs online; and putting jigsaw puzzles together.
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What “progress” means to me: Progress is making sustainable choices easier.
Choices should have a positive impact in the short-term and compound in the long-term to make a sustainable lifestyle. I know a choice is sustainable for me if it leads to either: less headaches (by automating joyless tasks), or smarter friendships (by practicing relational intelligence).
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Recent article that expanded my worldview: This fish-Earth theory post
The theory challenges the predominant land-centric perspective and suggests viewing our planet from a water-first standpoint. Nowadays, we’re often presented with a doomsday view of our maritime situation, highlighting industrial spills, rising sea levels, environmental degradation, and sinking islands preserving their culture through the Metaverse. While these challenges are real, they overshadow the sea's potential to enable our adaptability in the face of climate change, and even to life beyond Earth. We’ve already learned to commune with water in many ways: through fishing, affordable housing, cultural practices, or luxurious dining experiences, and underwater innovations are already emerging to reduce energy use and optimize system maintenance. Who knows? Humans might once again find themselves at home in the water.
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Cool fact I learned in the past week: Arborists intentionally cut to set a growth path.
When growing trees, trimming and pruning them early will make them balance and flourish later on, rather than trumping their growth halfway through. I believe this holds true for decision-making: we must make deliberate sacrifices in order to be a better version of ourselves. |
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Tactic I use when I need to make progress: Do 1% more every day.
This tactic comes from the 1% principle shared by Chris Do from Chris Gardyner’s The Busyness Delusion. 1% translates roughly to five minutes per day. Therefore, if you take the time to do one extra thing that’s worth it in those five minutes, over time, you can see the results compounded on your wellness, relationships, skills, etc. For example, if I want to deepen my relationships, I’ll use those five minutes to text or call a friend. If I want to improve a skill, I’ll spend five more minutes practicing it. It’s a good way to stretch yourself constantly without overexerting.
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Quote I live by: “Follow the path of least regret” (a personal interpretation of: F*** it)
Particularly when enticed to take a big leap, I ask myself: Will doing [insert wild idea here] follow the path of least regret, instead of least resistance? Meaning: Am I chickening out because not doing it would be easier, even if less fulfilling? If the answer is yes, then I infuse my decision with some vicarious confidence from articles, books, shows, or podcasts, to convince myself I’m not doing something new and scary. If it’s already been done in the past (maybe in a smaller way), then I can do it, too.
Note: Some regrets are worth having. The idea is to optimize your regrets, not to attempt to eliminate them completely, which is futile and leads to paralysis by analysis.
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Current favorite music artist: Lord Huron
Lord Huron is living proof that music does not live in a vacuum. It is a narrative playground ready to be immersed in and inhabited. From grainy musical postcards, to comic books and music videos Lord Huron unravels a world of stories, mixing mystical with wild west, sci-fi with horror. And the band is coming to Richmond in August!
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Favorite game (for now): Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition
I recently started playing Spiritfarer, where you go on a heartwarming adventure to host lost spirits on your boat, giving them time to find closure and learn to say goodbye. It combines some of my favorite things: traveling for exciting quests, caring for others, managing resources, and owning a boat.
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