Surprised by Green Lights
and a polite honk
While Daring Greatly
A contrarian view on marketing, AI, personal growth, nonprofits, and life. (and more)
Subscribe:.rss.atom.json.md.m3u.pls
Live Last read · last published · next check
Latest episodes
We're live on Product Hunt
Quick one.
First time I've asked you for anything
5 minutes today, pretty please
Normal is a myth
Don't be fooled
When Being Misunderstood Is a Feature, Not a Bug
“You’re making a fool of yourself.” That’s what he said about my fedora.
Best Practices Are Just Average Practices
Embrace the Contrarian Way
I read for 1 hour per day for 1000 days. Here's what I want you to know.
Recently, I hit the number I’ve been waiting to see for a while now, 1,000 consecutive days of reading for one hour per day.
Project 900 starts this week
There is still time to join
Project 900 – It’s time for something a little crazy to help a lot of nonprofits
And you can help (if you want)
The Magic of a Plastic Sword
I can remember the wonder of childhood and the vastness of unlimited potential
700 Days of Reading: Lessons, Challenges, and Advice
Today marks 700 days in a row of reading for at least one hour.
What I want from 2025
I know, I'm asking a lot
What I have learned from 676 hours of reading (plus book recommendations)
Two years ago, a friend texted me. He wanted to read more and challenged me to read for a set amount of time daily. At the time, I was working two jobs, my wife was in school, so I was also managing kids, a household, groceries, and often cooking. I was slammed. So, I responded, “Sure, I can probably commit to reading 15 minutes a day,” which seemed like a lot to me. He was looking for something…
The one question that will help achieve your dreams
“Achieving your dreams comes down to one question: How many times are you willing to get back up after falling down? Entrepreneurship is nothing more than the ability to come up with ideas and the courage to try them out.” Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan, 204
Every Task Has an Overhead Tax
In knowledge work, when you agree to a new commitment, be it a minor task or a large project, it brings with it a certain amount of ongoing administrative overhead: back-and-forth email threads needed to gather information, for example, or meetings scheduled to synchronize with your collaborators. This overhead tax activates as soon as you take on a new responsibility. As your to- do list grows,…
What do you believe about your capacity?
I'm a big fan of David Goggins. He is a powerhouse. David does things that I imagine no human should be able to do. He is the only person ever to complete Navy Seal, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller training. He also held the Guinness World Record, doing 4,030 pull-ups in 17 hours. Goggins talks about how when you feel you are finished and physically worn out, your brain is…
Why I'm Done with "Experts," and Hope You Are Too
Yesterday, I saw a TikTok video of an "expert" claiming that blending up a banana changes its glycemic index. Blending and chewing a banana are the same thing; his claim was nonsense. What bugs me is that I've seen this guy before, often on stage teaching. He is a self-proclaimed "expert." I've also recently been following a TikTok account of a woman who used to work for Ted, you know, the talks…
What things would guarantee success if you were to do them for long enough?
Knowing the right things to do, doing the right things, and doing the right things for long enough to see success are different. I often know what to do, but bringing myself to do it consistently until I see success is a different story. Alex Hermozi has an interesting way of thinking about this. He said:
Process is the scaffolding to support growth
You will not get your company to the next level by keeping your processes in your head and winging it as you go. Gino Wickman - Traction Too many leaders only lead. Read that again; it's pretty good. Leaders often lead their teams instead of creating processes that allow their teams to grow and thrive on their own.
Leadership is about hacking, but not the kind you think
"It is not daily increase but daily decrease, hack away the unessential. The closer to the source, the less wastage there is." - Bruce Lee We often think about leadership as growing, adding, and expanding. But, to get there, we have first to cut out what isn't necessary for us and our teams.