Welcome back to Connections with Eric! In this twelfth episode, I share how a crazy idea I had in 2007 about fitness trackers and kids gave me more purpose than any promotion or paycheck ever did, and why the stuff we think will make us happy loses its shine in about a month.
If you caught episode 11 where I shared my Timeleft dinners with strangers, this episode zooms out to explore where this whole drive to build connections and create meaningful projects even comes from.
This episode is all about the difference between things that fade and things that stick, why I spent my lunch breaks running around elementary schools in shorts, and the new itch I’m feeling about tackling loneliness.
Keep reading below for why my expensive watch is just a reminder of bad financial decisions, how I cold-emailed fifty principals with zero background in education, and what happens when you chase the crazy ideas you’re not even “qualified” to do.
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The Stuff That Loses Its Shine
Here’s a weird pattern I’ve noticed: the stuff we think will make us happy, watches, cars, promotions, loses its shine in about a month. But the crazy, half-baked ideas we almost don’t pursue? Those are the ones that change us. I had one of those ideas years ago, and following it gave me more purpose than my actual career.
You know what I’ve realized? The stuff we think will make us happy, watches, cars, promotions, loses its shine in about a month. I spent two years saving up for this IWC watch, wore it for like four weeks, and now half the time I forget it’s even on my wrist. It’s just sitting there like a silent reminder of my bad financial decisions.
The Crazy Idea
But the crazy ideas, the ones you almost don’t chase because they seem too nuts, those are the ones that stick. For me, it happened back in 2007 when fitness trackers first came out. These little gadgets that counted steps? I thought: what if we gave them to kids and had classrooms compete against each other? Childhood obesity is a big problem in Houston underserved communities. This could actually help.
So I waited for someone else to do it. A school, a nonprofit, whatever. Year after year, nothing happened. Finally, I got so annoyed I said screw it, I’ll do it myself. Which is insane, because I had no background in education, fitness, or working with kids. I was a marketing director at a public company. My job was to stress out about budgets, not get third graders to run around a playground.
Still, I cold-emailed fifty principals. Three of them said they wanted the program in their schools.
Lunch Breaks in Shorts
Now picture this: my lunch breaks were spent running around elementary schools in shorts and a t-shirt, showing kids how to use fitness trackers. Then after work and on the weekends, I’d spend hours recruiting volunteers, writing grant requests, creating a website, analyzing the fitness tracker data and brainstorming ways to take the program to the next level.
But the program worked. The kids loved it. Teachers loved it. The data showed physical activity jumped 30% during the challenge. And you know what? It gave me a new identity. I wasn’t just “the marketing guy” anymore. I was the dude helping kids move more. I even helped organized Houston’s first kids’ fun run.
And here’s the thing: it was the proudest thing I’ve ever done. More fulfilling than any promotion or any watch. And it all started from a crazy idea I wasn’t even “qualified” to do.
The New Itch
Which brings me to today. Lately I’ve been feeling that same itch again, only this time it’s about loneliness. I’m not a therapist. I’m not some monk on a mountain. I’m a divorced dad living in a foreign country where I barely speak the language, trying to not be the sad guy eating hummus alone in his apartment. But I know loneliness is a massive problem, and I think I can do something about it.
That’s why I’ve been throwing cocktail parties, game nights, and trying out stuff like Timeleft dinners. I’m experimenting. Testing. Failing sometimes. But sharing what I learn along the way.
Chase the Crazy Ideas
So if you’ve ever had that intuitive nudge, like, “this could be something” but you’re scared you’re not qualified, go chase it. You’ll figure it out. And honestly? It might end up being the thing you’re most proud of in your entire life.
Conclusion
The expensive watch, the car, the promotion, they all lose their shine within weeks. But the crazy ideas you chase without being “qualified”? Those stick. Those give you purpose.
Back in 2007, I had zero background in education or fitness, but I cold-emailed fifty principals with an idea about fitness trackers for kids. Three said yes. And suddenly my lunch breaks were spent in elementary schools showing third graders how to move more. It became the thing I was most proud of, more than any career achievement.
Now I’m feeling that same itch about loneliness. I’m not a therapist or an expert, just a divorced dad in a foreign country experimenting with cocktail parties and Timeleft dinners, sharing what works and what doesn’t.
The lesson? Don’t wait until you’re “qualified” to chase the idea that won’t leave you alone. You’ll figure it out. And it might become the most meaningful thing you ever do.
But here’s the thing about chasing ideas and building connections: sometimes the tools we use to do it end up hijacking our lives. In episode 13, I share how I went from Twitter to LinkedIn to Bumble, each time thinking it would help, and each time realizing I was just a lab rat pushing the dopamine button. Episode 13 drops next Wednesday!
For more episodes and stories like this, check out my complete episode guide. And fyi, if you didn’t know, I’m rebuilding my social life after separation through cocktail parties, game nights, and even Timeleft. Want the playbook? Get it by clicking here.