Giving Presence
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Welcome to Rewire | Reboot, a weekly newsletter where I share reflections from my ongoing personal growth journey and provide tested ideas, frameworks, tools and practices to help you create the life you want.
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Mindset - Idea I'm Exploring
Do What You Are Doing
The holidays have a way of reminding us what actually matters - if we let them.
More than gifts and more than schedules, activities and perfectly executed plans, what the people around us want most is us. Not a distracted version, not half-present, but fully there.
There’s a Latin phrase I have set as a daily 9:00am reminder on my phone: Age Quod Agis - which means “do what you are doing”. There’s a similar saying: "Be where your feet are". It's about giving your full attention to the person in front of you or the task at hand.
How often are you in a meeting or on a video call where you can clearly see people on their phones, typing emails or doing something - anything - other than listening and engaging? Admittedly, I have been guilty of doing this on occasion. But I make a conscious effort not to, because it annoys me when I see others doing it.
It’s an even worse feeling when you’re sitting across the table from someone trying to have a one-to-one conversation while that person is half buried in their phone, nodding occasionally, but not really there and clearly distracted.
Technology has normalized these behaviours. But we’d all be better off not engaging in them.
You can’t do two things at once and do either of them well. Multitasking is a bullshit concept. At best, you’re rapidly context-switching. At worst, you’re signaling - consciously or not - that whatever else is happening matters more than the person(s) in front of you.
Presence is a form of respect.
If you have kids, this matters more than you will often realize in the moment. Give them all the time and energy you can - even on days when you feel like you have none left. One day, sooner than you expect, that opportunity will be gone. The house will get quieter. The questions will stop coming. The invitations to do things together will disappear. You’ll want them to remember you giving them your full attention.
It’s not just the big moments or planned experiences we’ll miss. Cherish the “garbage time”. The unplanned moments. Even the most mundane ones. Reading just one more bedtime story. Sitting on the floor playing the same game for hours. Driving them endless places. Watching the same show you’ve already seen multiple times. Helping them with homework. Standing around the kitchen while seemingly nothing important is happening - but it is. You’re connecting. They want you there with them.
Those moments don’t always feel meaningful while you’re in them. But they’re the ones you’ll reach for later when they're gone.
Because the little things are the big things.
This holiday season, give fewer divided moments. Put the phone down, let the emails, text messages and social feeds wait. Be fully present in conversations, meals, games and quiet moments together.
"Give presence, not just presents this year. Give the gift of your full attention and focus."
As Philosopher Simone Weil wrote:
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”
When you slow down enough to truly pay attention, you don’t just give something meaningful, you receive it too. A break from thinking about your worries or your to-do list.
Who in your life deserves more of your full, undivided attention?
When will you give it to them?
Body - Health & Longevity
Health Budget
What is the price you’re willing to put on your health? Is there anything more valuable?
If you don’t know the answer to these questions, consider creating a health budget or performing a health spend audit.
If you already have a health budget, perhaps now is a time to revisit it to ensure it accurately reflects your priorities.
Many people treat health spending as a low priority and an area to cut corners. Buying cheaper, lower quality food or supplements, refusing to spend on health, but buying things like lottery tickets. Don’t play the lottery with your life. Without your health, you have nothing.
A health budget doesn’t have to be about spending more money. It’s about reassessing where your money goes, making trade-offs and spending intentionally on things that help you become healthier.
Look at your current spending habits and ask:
Where are dollars going that actively work against my health?
Where could those same dollars be redirected to support it?
Some of the easiest places to start are also the most impactful. If you are spending money on cigarettes or vapes, excessive alcohol, ultra-processed convenience foods, or habits that provide short-term pleasure, but have a long-term cost. Cutting these creates a double benefit.
You immediately remove something detrimental to your health and free up funds to spend on things that improve it.
That money could go toward fitness activities you enjoy, higher-quality food and supplements, paramedical treatments, books, personal development courses, mental health, etc.
These items often get labeled as “expenses”, but a better way to think of them is as investments.
Never think twice about investments in yourself.
There are very few categories with a higher return on investment than health. The payoff isn’t abstract or theoretical - it shows up every day. More energy, better sleep, improved mood, greater confidence, sharper thinking. You show up better for your family, your friends and your work when you take care of yourself.
When your spending reflects what you say matters, decisions get easier. When you decide that your health is non-negotiable, you stop second-guessing about spending on it.
Supplement Spotlight
Collagen - Deeper Dive
Collagen is one of the few foundational supplements I recommend broadly. I touched on it briefly in the December 11th issue, but it deserves a deeper look - both because it’s widely misunderstood and because emerging research suggests its benefits may extend well beyond skin and joints.
The main types of collagen
Most collagen supplements contain a mix of the three most abundant forms found in the human body:
- Type I – The most abundant; found in skin, tendons, ligaments, bones and connective tissue. This is the primary driver behind collagen’s effects on skin firmness and structural integrity.
- Type II – Found mainly in cartilage and joints; most relevant for joint health and osteoarthritis symptoms.
- Type III – Commonly found alongside Type I; supports skin elasticity, blood vessels and organ tissue.
Why source matters
High-quality collagen is typically bovine-sourced, derived from animal hides rather than mixed byproducts or marine sources. This source tends to provide a more consistent amino acid profile and avoids some of the contamination issues seen in marine source or lower-quality products.
The brand I’m currently using is Organika bovine-source enhanced collagen protein. It’s manufactured in Canada, third-party tested, flavourless and well-priced.
Collagen is not for muscle building
Collagen is not a complete protein, meaning it does not provide all 8 essential amino acids, which is why it didn’t appear on my list of top protein sources in the December 11th issue.
In fact, roughly 50% of collagen is made up of just three amino acids:
- Glycine (~33%)
- Proline (~12%)
- Hydroxyproline (~10%)
It’s notably deficient in key amino acids like leucine, lysine, and methionine meaning it does not meaningfully stimulate muscle protein synthesis. If your goal is hypertrophy or strength, collagen complements protein intake; it doesn’t replace it.
Where collagen does shine
Collagen makes up roughly 70% of your skin’s dry weight and is a foundational component of tendons, ligaments, cartilage and joints. We lose about 1% of our collagen each year with aging, contributing to wrinkles, joint stiffness, brittle nails and slower connective-tissue recovery.
Human studies show that oral collagen supplementation can improve:
- Skin elasticity, hydration and appearance
- Wrinkle depth and texture
- Nail strength and hair thickness
- Joint pain and function
These effects are enhanced when collagen is paired with vitamin C, which plays a direct role in collagen synthesis. Especially when combined with resistance training.
Several studies like this recent one demonstrate that collagen supplementation increases tendon size, stiffness and strength when combined with resistance training - important for protecting against patellar tendon and Achilles tendon injury susceptibility that accompanies aging .
It may also assist post-injury during recovery of knee, hip or other other tendon and ligament injuries.
The longevity angle - new and compelling
Recent research summarized by Dr. Rhonda Patrick suggests collagen’s benefits may extend beyond structural repair.
Researchers identified that a precise 3:1:1 ratio of glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, similar to the makeup of collagen, as a valuable biological signal. In studies involving worms, mice and humans, this amino acid combination improved lifespan and healthspan and preserved physical function with age. Most notably, one human study found that this amino acid combination reduced biological age by 1.4 years on average.
This reframes collagen not just as a building material, but as a potential longevity-supporting signal.
How I take it
I take 20g in the morning along with 1,000mg of vitamin C pre-exercise. I add the collagen to my coffee after taking vitamin C with my hydration cocktail first thing in the morning so the building blocks are in my system before I train. I’ll often add another scoop to my post-workout smoothie for a total of 30g of collagen.
Final Word
Collagen isn’t the protein you should focus on to help you build more muscle, but it does support skin, joints and connective tissue, which is the reason I take it daily and recommend it broadly as a foundational supplement. If recent research holds up, taking it may also contribute to longevity and healthspan.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.
Recommended
New Year, New You
If you want to try something new this year instead of making New Year’s resolutions, I highly recommend this New Year, New You 21-day challenge created by authour, Ryan Holiday.
I'm doing it for the third year in a row. It will challenge you with things I’ve written about - something to start, something to stop, changes you want to make to become the best version of yourself.
If it fits within your health budget I recommend giving it a try.
Inspiration - Quote
"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things."
- Author Kurt Vonnegut"
Weekly Challenge
Consider Your Health Budget
Consider what you're willing to invest in your health. Identify areas where you can shift spending from something less healthy or important towards your health and longevity.
Let me know how it goes - just reply to this email.
Reader's Corner
Ask Me Anything
Have a question about something in this issue? An experience you'd like to share? A topic you'd like me to cover or dive deeper into in a future newsletter or article? Reply to this email and let me know.
Referral Offer
One of my goals for 2026 is to reach as many people as I can through this newsletter - I have set a target. People sharing it is one of the best ways to grow it.
If you want to join me in taking the New Year, New You challenge, but you haven’t yet decided that it fits within your health budget, I will gift the course (US$99 value) to the person referring the most subscribers over the next week (cut off December 31 as the course begins January 1).
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Happy Holidays,
Kevin
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