#1: Becoming to be

A new beginning.

Author

Ben Wainwright
January 10, 2025 • Reading time: 4 minutes

I have a few motivations for starting this newsletter, stemming from reflections I’ve had over the last six months.

I’m not going to cover them in great detail today, but here’s the summary.

  1. Self-accountability & reflection: I’m using this newsletter as a structured & documented weekly reflection. It’s split into the three areas of my life that I aim to balance - career development, climbing & personal time. Every week, I am holding myself accountable by sharing what I’ve been up to in each area.

  2. Documenting my journey: So many people only show the highlights in what they share. It makes sense & to some degree is necessary. I’m using this newsletter to be open that I’m not where I want right now - but I am taking consistent action to become who I want to be.

  3. Developing my personal brand: One of my biggest takeaways from leaving Remap is the importance of a personal brand for business owners. People buy from people, people partner with people, people recommend people. ‘Influencer’ culture feels alien to me, so I’m finding my own path into it.

  4. Improving my communication: There is always uncertainty in being ambitious. By definition, you’re doing lots of things that you haven’t done before. Uncertainty of outcomes is natural, but clarity of immediate actions & past results is crucial. I’m using this newsletter to better communicate in times of uncertainty.

Each week, I’ll be sharing 3 things from the past week in the topics of career, climbing and personal time. The title of each section is the self-talk I use in each area of my life to get me in the right mindset.

  1. Career - Now is the easiest time. A pretty common phrase that helps me get out of planning mode and into taking action.

  2. Climbing - It’s send o’clock. I was climbing with a friend last year, both of us close to completing a tricky boulder problem but losing motivation. I knew we needed to get excited if we were going to finish the climb (aka ‘send’ it). This phrase popped into my head & it’s been something we both use ever since.

  3. Personal - Let me be me. This is simply a quote from the film Surf’s Up. It’s about staying true to yourself and not giving in to other people’s judgements.

Now is the easiest time.

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It’s the first week of the 2025, which means new beginnings for me. My end goal is still to be self-employed in some capacity but right now my priority is gaining more stability. So, I’m on the search for my next career.

I’ve applied to a job that I’m very excited about, revamped my personal branding & started this newsletter. A good mix of reflection & taking action.

It’s send o’clock.

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I’m prioritising climbing more this year. Whilst it’s winter, I’ll be climbing at the Depot centres in Leeds & Freeklime in Huddersfield.

My goal for this year is to be outdoor bouldering & continue my mountaineering training during the summer. For now, climbing at least twice a week with additional mobility training is the focus.

Let me be me.

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Last year, I didn’t take much time for myself. And when I did, I’d find myself wasting more time than I’d like mindlessly watching TV or scrolling on my phone.

In recent weeks, I’ve taken my stretching & mobility routines more seriously, read more & spent more time in nature (enjoying the snow ☃️).

That’s it for this week.

I’ll probably be one of the only people to read this week’s newsletter. But, as I said at the start, this is a new beginning.