“When you’re feeling down put yourself in the way of beauty” from Peak Performance, by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness
Written March 2026:
I got the wrong book (and now I have two on peak performance) and much of what it talks about is similar, the 2 big ideas come around rest and beauty. I have been considering this topic of beauty.
There’s nothing more beautiful than a long lunch with friends, sparked with curiosity and joy from the day so far- basking in the perfect weather and shaded setting of an outdoor patio surrounded by beautiful plants. When I close my eyes, I can so immediately feel that sense of completion. To accomplish the convergence of people and place- it is actually a small miracle.
I’m returning to the remainder of this Brazil set, and with this post, knowing that an elite routine is defined by what you can sustain on your worst day. I definitely haven’t seen my worst day since March 2026 but I’ve decided to embrace the challenge of change. Everything is always changing- how do we listen to that and flow with the energy of that change? Resistance in the end is futile- but to know what direction the flow is heading is what puts us into a consistent state of need to be learning.
While we didn’t get to inside the small exhibition space, I don’t think the purpose here is to inside- the purpose is to be outside. To be exposed.
2 notes I can remember to keep in mind (besides stopping for lunch):
Notes from Gemini:
- A monumental 197-foot (60-meter) long, 39-foot wide prestressed concrete beam hovers over the site, providing shade and framing views without heavy interior pillars.
- In the early 1980s, the municipal government planned to allow a commercial shopping mall on a vacant 75,000-square-foot triangular lot in Jardim Europa. Local residents—organized under the Sociedade Amigos dos Jardins (SAJEP)—protested against the commercial development. To protect the residential character of the neighborhood, they successfully lobbied to dedicate the land to a public cultural space instead.
The Brazilians are a strong people- based on community and MUBE is a excellent demonstration of their protest. How do we want to live- let us pursue that to the highest degree- otherwise, what are we but slaves to the wrong ideas.
Address: R. Alemanha, 221 – Jardim Europa, São Paulo – SP, 01448-010, Brazil
Website: ArchDaily write up
