1% Better Every Day: Seeking Growth and Presence
This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.
Meet Samuel Goodwin (@samuelbgoodwin), based in Hamilton, New Zealand, where he works in the operations team for one of the country’s leading dairy companies. He cultivates a deep passion for the outdoors and cherishes moments spent with loved ones over coffee and aperitivo. He is driven by a pursuit of constant improvement, focusing on getting “1% better each day”, while honouring his late grandmother’s advice to slow down and not overcomplicate life.
What are your main passions and how do you cultivate them?
I have a passion for being outside—just getting out there, taking in some scenery and fresh air, even after a long day. Usually, that involves running. One thing I love about running is that I’m still not very good at it, so it presents a challenge of growth and something to keep striving towards. It’s that passion for getting better, putting one foot in front of the other, and continuing to grow. It’s hard to stay on top of it all the time, but it’s about getting 1% better each day.
I also enjoy spending time with my loved ones over coffee or wine, maybe sharing a little aperitivo, stories, laughs, tears, and all the parts in between.
How did you first develop an appreciation for style?
I first gained an appreciation for style when I started traveling. Dressing in New Zealand, where I’m from, doesn’t involve a lot of thought; most people are farmers or tradesmen, so it’s just a rough shirt and some shorts. But I remember going to New York when I was 22 and just being blown away by the street style there. I brought home a couple of books about it. Walking through the streets of Brooklyn and seeing all the different characters got my mind starting to think that you can dress how you like and you can be who you want to be, and no one is going to stop you.
However, it wasn’t until I moved to London that I started exploring my own taste. I lived in East London in Shoreditch for a year, and that really turned the page for me on how to dress and being comfortable in what I want to wear. My style isn’t exactly flawless still, but I like to try and experiment.
What does being well-dressed mean to you?
My grandfather used to always wear his best clothes just to go to the supermarket—beautiful, pressed pants and a freshly ironed shirt, even if he was only going out for 15 minutes. From a young age, I learned from him that when you step outside the house, that is the representation of who you are and whether you care. So, to me, being well-dressed means a sense of self-responsibility, respect for yourself, and mannerism.
Where do you primarily draw your style inspiration from?
I find my style is relatively soft; I don’t particularly enjoy wearing heavily branded items or big-brand clothing. You’ll usually find me in a blank shirt and some lightweight long pants. Lately, I’ve been wearing a pair of Ray-Bans, a white t-shirt, some loose-style, Japanese-inspired trousers, and a pair of Birkenstocks. It’s a kind of minimalist style, and there’s a simplicity to it that I really like.
The inspiration comes from when I went to Japan and saw the common folk of Tokyo and Osaka. The style was just really pleasing and minimal, particularly from the people I was seeing in the areas I frequented, like at the coffee bars or wine shops. Of course, you can turn the corner and Japan has something completely different around every single corner, but I think that’s where I drew a lot of style from: just that minimal approach. I still look through photos of Japanese people and books to draw from that simple style, focusing on how you can put pieces together without overcomplicating it. I do like to experiment, but I always end up going back to the basics. If I can dress myself in a simple manner, it gives me a clear, simple mind and one less thing to worry about.
How do you find time to unwind and slow down?
My wife and I always make sure we find time to unwind and slow down together. Usually, she will be the one to help me wind down, for example by taking a walk on the weekend, which always leads to a coffee at the local roastery. Other things include writing. I like to sit back, reflect, think, get creative, and take a walk down memory lane, especially if I’m writing about travel, which is another passion. We also recently bought a house with a great garden, so it’s nice to sit out there and think after a long day, slowing down with a drink or two, looking at the weeds, and thinking I should probably pull them out.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received and who gave it to you?
This is easy to answer. My late grandmother, in her later years when I moved back to New Zealand from a decade abroad, would always tell me to just slow down and enjoy life. I visited her often, and she became one of my best friends before she passed away. She would say to just enjoy, be present, and be happy. Taking advice from someone who was 90 years old and had been through it all felt pretty wise. I take those words with me every day to not overcomplicate things, because life shouldn’t feel more complex than it already is. If you can’t get there right away, it’s about the small steps and the work you do, which usually means removing the problems and taking the good things further.
What’s a place that holds significant meaning for you, and why?
London. It’s the place where I grew the most and learned the most about myself, and I managed to see a lot of Europe while living there. Specifically, Battersea Park is a place right on the River Thames—we lived just around the corner, and that park holds many emotions for me. It’s seen me at my best and it’s seen me at my worst. Right across the river from there is Chelsea, a neighbourhood that holds a lot of family history for me, so it’s special to run those streets whenever we’re in town. That part of the world, even though it’s a busy place for your mind, is also one of the most relaxing places I can be.
Locally, we also have a beach town in New Zealand called Raglan, about a 30-minute drive from here, where a lot of my friends come from. We go out there often. That’s where I first tried to surf—I was horrible and still am. There’s a beautiful mountain there to climb called Mount Karioi, which is like the mother mountain of our area. It’s the place where I got engaged, and we also got married there, so it’s another special spot I can get to when London isn’t achievable.
Finally, we will always come back to Europe. It’s expensive, of course, but I could never not return. When we leave, it’s always in your mind that we’ll be back. I love the community I left behind in London: I knew the guy working at the coffee shop or the bar, and you’d recognize the same people when running around the park. The guy working at the off-license—they’ve all been there for years, and they’ll all still be there. Little things like that draw us back, that sense of being and welcoming.
Is there an object or piece of craftsmanship in your life that holds deep meaning?
There sure is. My wedding ring holds significant meaning. I got to craft and create it myself—and wrote about the experience—under the guidance of a professional jeweller. It’s a day that I’ll never forget. It holds gold from my mother-in-law’s jewellery; after she passed away, my wife received some of her pieces, and we decided to melt them down and craft our own rings out of it. It has great meaning because of what it’s made of, and my wife’s wedding band is crafted from the exact same material. The meaning of that is quite deep and heavily significant to us and how we treat our lives.
It actually only took one day to make—about five hours, if anything. It wasn’t that long because the jeweller really knew what he was doing. It was in the garage of his house, and he had everything there, ready to go. I just brought him a coffee and said, “Right, where do we start?” and he said, “Sit there, put this on, and let’s get to work.”
What are your three favourite books and why?
The first one is Living Dangerously by Osho. It’s full of spiritual teachings and philosophies, and it touches a lot on personal responsibility and freedom, which I feel is something that a lot of us strive for. It’s a simple read; you can pretty much open it up at any page and try to find something valuable within the different essays.
The second book is a very common one in the Hare Krishna world called The Science of Self-Realization. I am not Hare Krishna, nor am I Buddhist, but I do love their practices of a simple life, freedom, and respecting yourself. I bought this book when I was about 17 or 18 years old from a guy selling it on a street corner, and it has travelled with me all around the world. It’s an old book full of lectures, essays, and interviews. It can be a bit of a hard read, but it’s all about gaining liberation from within yourself and adopting small daily practices.
The third book is Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. He was a man of many opinions in his time. The book is about a guy working in kitchens in London, living a rough life, who then goes across to Paris to try and find himself and gets caught up in all sorts of situations. It’s a phenomenal piece of writing, and it reminds me a little bit of my younger years.
What are your three favourite restaurants or cocktail bars and why?
I am proud to support local businesses, and in my completely unbiased opinion, Hamilton—where I am from—has what I think is the best bar in the world. It’s a bar called Wonder Horse, and I’ve spent many, many nights there with my best friends. The staff make you feel incredibly welcome and the music is always great; they have a guy spinning vinyl, playing lots of hip-hop and jazz, which provides a nice background sound for having a drink and talking with friends. The cocktails are world-class. You can walk in and just tell them you’d like a gin-based cocktail that is a little bit sour, and they will create something for you. Or you can just go in and get a classic Negroni every time, no problem—they know me on a first-name basis there.
Not too far down the road from Wonder Horse, still in Hamilton, is a restaurant and bar called Mr. Pickles. You can find the latest catch of the day on the menu, and they use locally sourced produce from farmers to create beautifully handcrafted dishes. You can also sit at the bar and scale through an ever-impressive wine list featuring vintages from all across the globe.
The third is one in London that holds great memories for me: a gastropub called The Lighthouse in Battersea. It was a stone’s throw from our apartment, so naturally, we went there a lot. It is a great spot for a few pints of beer in the garden bar, live sports, and social gatherings. There is another really good pub not far from there, and then another one, so if I’m in town with everyone, we can easily go on a bit of a pub crawl from Battersea to Chelsea.
