About 6 months ago, on the 25th of September, I decided to stop using social media completely.
“I’m taking a break from instagram. I’ve come to realize that my goals have been inadvertently affected by how I want to be perceived by others (ego), as opposed to what I truly want to pursue for myself (consciousness).
A blacksmith must keep the forge door closed to build the heat that can shape iron.
BFN ✌️”
I have an egoistic tendency to think about my life story. How can I make it more interesting? More engaging? More meaningful to others? Notice that the emphasis here is on the story part, not the life part. I don’t like this tendency.
When I thought about why I’m spending time and effort to put together this narrative for people to consume, then eagerly anticipate their feedback, I couldn’t really find a good reason. I used to have (what I considered to be) good reasons, but they no longer apply to this stage of my life. Previous goals included things like making new (female) “friends” and pursuing sponsorship opportunities for racing and freediving. I’m happily married now with no interest in being sponsored. I’ve outgrown my need to use this tool, but it’s taken me years to realize that.
News has its way of finding its way to me through conversations. Seeing friends and family in person is an opportunity to learn what they’ve been up to. I may end up missing the occasional wedding or event invitation, but I don’t mind that at all.
Instagram also served as a journal where I got to highlight some of the memorable moments to myself. An opportunity to take a step back from the daily grind and reflect on progress, appreciating the journey. Moving forward, I’ll do that on this blog from time to time. Here are some recent, post-instagram, highlights:
October 14, 2023. I competed in a local Saudi pool freediving competition (DYNB). Lots of mixed feelings. Although I won, with a comfortable margin, I didn’t really enjoy the competition. I didn’t have any serious competitors and almost knew it was inevitable. I didn’t need to push myself in any way. I could stay comfortably within my limits and still win. Winning doesn’t feel good this way. Came to a realization that I’m no longer interested in local competitions for now. I need to aim much higher, and surround myself by people who are much better than me.
November 2, 2023. Luckily this outdoor event managed to go ahead, barely missing the heavy rainstorm earlier in the day. It was Calo’s 4th anniversary. Proud of what this guy is accomplishing and excited to see his journey continue to unfold. It’s still day 1!
November 24, 2023. Porsche Icons. Happy days with my father and bonding over our passion for driving.
December 7, 2023. I competed in an AIDA pool competition, setting a new personal best and national record of 156m dynamic no-fins.
Mid-December, 2023. We spent some magical days camping on the shores of Oman. Experienced a surreal sense of bliss thanks to all the lovely people that were around us.
Christmas Eve, 2023. A happy day with the fam.
January 3, 2024. I recently got the opportunity to be coached online by William Trubridge, arguably the best no-fins freediver in the world. Shortly after being my new training plan with him, I managed to set a new dynamic no-fins personal best of 180m. Grateful to my wife, sister, and brother for always looking out for me during these long dives.
January-February, 2024. It had been a while since we had a family trip. I’ll never forget this experience that we all got to share. Antarctica is out of this world, and we all bonded over 2 weeks the equivalent of 2 normal years together. Lots of extreme ups and downs. Beautiful. Probably our last family trip too 😂!
February 10, 2024. Casual, atmosphere-lifting run around Riyadh with Rawi.
February 25, 2024. Got to meet William in person! Highlight of the day was our underwater chess game.
A couple more random moments that don’t need a description …
Happy days 💙