At a young age, I decided I wasn't smart. That story stuck with me for the first 30 years of my life—it created ripples into my actions, thoughts, and behaviors. The Narrative Fallacy is the tendency to craft a story around data, events, and inputs. Basically, our brains like to "make sense" of the random chaos around us, so the stories provide that structure—they provide a sense of calm. The stories you tell yourself are important. They can either hold you back or push you forward. There is...

Question: What can you do today that wasn't possible for you six months ago? Framework: Shinrin-yoku

The Chinese bamboo tree offers a powerful lesson on growth: It requires daily nurturing for several years before it ever breaks through the surface, but once it does, it can grow up to 100 feet in six weeks. Your growth can be hard to see. It often occurs silently, under the surface. You make the daily investments in yourself, but are often completely unaware of their impact. The challenge is that if you don't recognize your own growth in its most subtle, hidden forms, you may become...

Question: What are the boring, basic actions that you are avoiding right now? Framework: The Fosbury Flop

The Ship of Theseus is a thought experiment proposed by the Greek philosopher Plutarch in relation to a story about the Greek hero Theseus. If every single piece of Theseus' ship has been replaced gradually over time, is it still the original ship? You are your own Ship of Theseus, constantly replacing your parts over the years (metaphorically and literally). But concerning yourself with the question of "who you are" at any point in time is inviting an identity struggle that is...

Question: What is one tiny action that would create momentum? Framework: The 2 Types of Knowledge

John Wooden was the legendary UCLA men's basketball coach who led the team to 10 national championships over a 12 year period. He is most well known for his life wisdom that extended well beyond the court. Keeping the promises you make to yourself is the highest order purpose in life. Every single time you keep that promise, you are stacking evidence in favor of the type of person that you want to become. This piece explores John Wooden's 9 Promises for a Life Well-Lived.

Question: What if your path is a spiral? Framework: Shu Ha Ri: The 3 Stages of Mastery

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that my first book—The 5 Types of Wealth—is officially ​available for preorder​ everywhere books are sold! For the last three years, I've been working on this in the dark, so I'm excited to finally reveal it to all of you in my incredible community. Today, I'd like to share a bit more about the book—why I'm so excited for you to read it—and humbly ask that you consider preordering copies for yourself, family, and friends if you've found value in any of my...

Question: What would you do if you had zero fear of judgment? Framework: Truth Tellers

A "mental model" is a way to think about the world. The world is infinitely complex, so the aim of any good model is to provide a lens through which you can simplify, evaluate, and make decisions as you walk through life. The Winner's Game vs. Loser's Game is a mental model with powerful applications for your career, business, investing, and life. A Winner's Game is won through incredible shots. A Loser's Game is won through avoiding unforced errors. Most games of life are Loser's Games. Two...

Question: If you hired the best CEO in the world to be the CEO of your life, what actions would be on their 100-day plan? Framework: Return on Luck

Here's an interesting thought: Failure is a skill. But unfortunately, failure is not a skill that any of us learn to develop in school. In fact, people who are high achievers throughout their school years are often the worst at failure in early adulthood, because they've never had to contend with it. The system I developed to fail better—to handle, deconstruct, and use every single failure to set the conditions for future success: (1) Set a failure timer, (2) Become a scientist, (3) Time...

Question: If you were writing the story of your life, what would the current chapter be called? Framework: The Einstellung Effect

Last week, I came across a beautiful story that impacted me so deeply that I found myself telling everyone about it. Each time I did, I saw their eyes light up as the lesson struck a chord deep within. The lesson of the story: You choose your own worth. You can choose to place yourself in environments where people will see you for your highest potential. You can choose how you treat yourself. You can choose your value. This is the most important choice of your life. Choose wisely.

Question: Cheap is expensive. Framework: The man, the boy, and the donkey.

Being a father has been my highest calling—my son has brought a joy and purpose into my life that I didn't think I'd ever find. With last Sunday being Father's Day, I spent time reflecting on the lessons, life principles, and values that I want to pass on to my son. I am as imperfect as they come, but in my eyes, he is perfect. So, consider these the lessons from an imperfect father to his perfect son...

Question: One decision to remove hundreds. Framework: The PO Creativity Method.

Albert Einstein devoted three years of his life to deep focus on the specific task of generalizing his theory of relativity. He didn't work on ten things during this period—he directed all of his precious attention to the one thing that really mattered. Attention Residue is the scientific concept that there is a cognitive switching cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. When your attention is shifted, there is a "residue" that remains with the prior task and impairs your...

Question: Is it time you start living outside the box? Framework: The Steel Man Technique

If you're a regular reader of my work, you know that I have a special affinity for drawing upon wisdom from the past and applying my own lens to create something more usable for our own present and future. Today's wisdom comes from a letter (full transcript here) written by a 20-year-old Hunter S. Thompson to a dear friend who had sought out Thompson's advice on finding his life purpose. 5 brilliant lessons on finding purpose (that we can all apply on our journey): (1) Accept the perils of...

Question: What am I not achieving simply because I haven't asked? Idea: Hemingway's Lost Suitcase

Your time here is finite, so choosing the pursuits—personal and professional—that deliver the greatest returns on that time is essential. I use an exercise I call Pursuit Mapping to identify the pursuits that are most likely to bring joy and outsized rewards into my life. Three steps: (1) Create Your Pursuit Map, (2) Identify Your Zones, and (3) Align Your Time.

Question: Do you need to empty your cup before you can grow? Framework: Persian Messenger Syndrome

My weekly emphasis on action is intended to serve as a reminder of the power you always hold, no matter how powerless you may feel. I recently came across a beautiful true story, written by a woman named Pam Kearney, on the impact of even the most tiny, inconsequential actions. Lesson: Action doesn't have to be perfect for it to be right.