you’re slow
do the Olympics ever make you feel… underwhelmed? maybe it’s just track and field. the fastest man ever, Usain Bolt, ran a top speed of 27.78 mph. fast? I guess… it’s slower than an average mid-sized dog. the highest high jump ever recorded is just over 8ft. impressive? could be… a 2 ft. tall bobcat…
Hansel and Gretel sucked
don’t be like Hansel and Gretel. they sucked at leaving clues. abandoned in the forest, Hansel thought breadcrumbs would get them home. breadcrumbs? c’mon, Hansel… big surprise, birds eat their breadcrumbs. no more path. no way home. now a witch wants to eat you. try to be more like Lewis & Clark. meticulous. detailed journals.…
focusing question
are you focused? if so, are you focused on the RIGHT thing? a lot of symptom chasers. very few find the root cause. to be sure you are focused on the right thing… try the "focusing question." here it is: what’s the one thing I can do, such that by doing it everything else is…
unkink your business
just imagine… you’re trying to water your plants. you’ve got the hose. you turn the valve. no water… chances are the spigot’s fine. you’ve just got a kink. no fear. I’ll teach you how to handle kinks. step #1 – find the kink. step #2 – straighten out as much of the hose as you…
short work
short work or long work? what I’m about to tell you, I read in a children’s book in 2018… and it’s been a stupid-effective productivity tip. if i need to accomplish something, i do it. if its going to take 6 hours, no problem. 6 hours straight. done. that’s, ‘long work.’ i suck at ‘short…
hotel gyms
I’ve traveled a lot. stayed in all kinds of hotels. Motel 6. La Quinta. Hilton. Ritz-Carlton. past the Motel 6 level, you can expect a gym. and here’s what I’ve always noticed. the higher the nightly rate, the more people in the gym. which leaves me with a chicken-or-egg question: does money make you fitter?…
universal language
do you know the universal language for aviation? it’s English. since we won WWII, we got to pick. Chinese pilots to America, American pilots to China. all English. do you know the universal language for humans? it’s effort. sports field. boardroom. we recognize effort. the sistine chapel. the great wall. the pyramids. we marvel at…
how to have awesome kids
I’ve got awesome kids. and I mean it. subjectively. objectively. slice it however you want… I’ve got awesome kids. and I am damn proud of that. talented. thoughtful. kind hearts. good work ethic. athletic. how? someone called my wife and I, ‘lucky,’ and no doubt, luck plays a role. but with three kids, that seems…
a simple ask
a message to everyone I care about. I need your help. what I need is simple, but it is not easy. I hate to have to ask, but I need you to be ok. and no one can make sure that is true, more than you. do your best to take care of you—your very…
reputation
people remember. do you follow through? or do you flake? do you forget? your past achievements don’t matter. no one cares about your schedule. your current followthrough says everything for you. when you commit to things, you do them. if you’re overcommitted. change it. if you think people forget about your failed commitments, they don’t.…
sharpen the spear
Most people fail because they don’t know when to sharpen the spear—or when to grab an axe. don’t make this business mistake when you’re stuck… have you ever sharpened a stick into a spear? as a boy who spent a lot of time in the woods, I have. If you’ve never done this, it’s easy.…
leashes and leadership
I’ve been training a dog for the last 6 months. and she has two leashes. the first, is a short slip leash. she stays right by my side, sits when I stop and walks when I say, ‘with me.’ the second is a 20-ft-long check cord. she’s does what she wants on this leash unless…
resolve
Within you is a sleeping giant with a terrible resolve. The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941. After the attack, it is believed that Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto remarked, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." And he was right.…
daily over decades
the challenge you are about to read is simple. so simple. however, it is the hardest fitness challenge ever created. and I hate that that is true. when I first launched this challenge, 1,000’s joined. less than 1% ever finished. At any level. am I not motivating you? I am not trying to. You can’t…
effort and entrepreneurs
there are two types of entrepreneurs. the first, and highest-paid entrepreneur, eliminates effort. the refrigerator, the car, and artificial intelligence. we’ll pay for easier. we’ll pay for effortless. who wouldn’t? we love easy. the second type of entrepreneur makes your life harder. they challenge. they give work. they make you uncomfortable, so you can be…