From Chad

A 16 year-old Michael Jordan asked a stranger for feedback on his basketball skills, demonstrating his willingness to receive criticism. This openness to feedback, or the “blind“ pain of the Johari Window, is a key trait of successful people. By seeking and accepting feedback from others, individuals can gain valuable insights and improve beyond their own self-awareness.

Peter Thiel‘s approach at PayPal was to assign each employee one responsibility, prioritizing the most important task. This eliminated competition and internal conflict, allowing the company to focus on the most critical issues. The key takeaway is to identify and prioritize, your most important task, avoiding the trap of productive avoidance.

Haruki Murakami quit smoking by replacing it with running, a habit that naturally fit his lifestyle. He didn’t try to quit smoking, but rather focused on maintaining his new running habit, which led to quitting smoking as a byproduct. The key used to replace bad habits with good ones, rather than trying to eliminate them.

Dale Sanders is the oldest person to through-hike, the Appalachian Trail and 91 years old. Despite falling 71 times, including a fall 200 yards from the summit, he persevered and finished the trail. His story emphasizes the importance of resilience and the mindset of getting back up after setbacks.

A massive ice and rock slide in the Himalayas caused a devastating flood, resulting in over 1000 deaths. While explanations for such disasters are common, they don’t provide the stability needed for rebuilding. Instead, focus on building a solid foundation, like the Pombaline cage used in Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake, to withstand future challenges.

Writer and farmer Wendell Berry died this week. Wendell Berry spent 60 years writing about one imagined county in Kentucky. Readers have been handing his books to one another because they found something worth sharing. That’s what a recommendation is. You don’t need to be an expert to tell somebody “I found something good for me and it may be good for you.”

Ethel Caterham is the oldest person on earth. She turned 117 last month. What she says is her secret may surprise you.

Facts don’t stick but stories do. A story makes people discover the truth themselves instead of just being told. The Bible story of Nathan tricking King David into condemning himself with a parable, ties back to the reason these daily messages are built on stories, not lectures.

A new technology developed by science Corp., a company, founded by a NeuroLink cofounder, offers hope to patience with geographic atrophy, an advanced form of macular degeneration. The technology, which involves a chip planted under the retina and glasses with a camera, has restored some vision to patients, allowing them to read again. While the restored vision is not perfect, it represents a sign...

Dolly Parton‘s commitment to always being “ambulance-ready” exemplified her dedication to her image and her fans. She believed that every encounter, no matter how small, deserved her best effort, as she understood the impact her presence could have on others. This mindset underscores the importance of living up to one’s promises and prioritizing service to others.

Dolly Parton‘s mother made a commitment to provide for her daughter, despite their poverty, sewing a coat from rags. Dolly made this commitment public by wearing the Koch to school, facing ridicule. Years later, she turned this experience into her favorite song, “Coat of Many Colors,“ transforming rags into a record.

The average person today has the equivalent of 200 servants, thanks to modern conveniences like appliances and smart phones. These machines perform tasks that would have required hundreds of people in the past, and they do so tirelessly and without needing things. Appreciate these modern inconveniences and recognize how much they serve us daily.

You think when something you build comes to an end, it’s gone for good. But upgraded thinking of some things you plant don’t die – they just wait.

Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves shared the harsh reality of hurricane Katrina‘s impact with his team, trusting them with the truth, this transparency, motivated his crew to reopen quickly, leading to the loyalty of the community.

It cost Steve Jobs $54 million to learn the power of a team. It paid off when that team made Toy Story and Pixar IPO’d. It was is experience with Pixar and lessons of loyalty that set him up for his second act at Apple.

Instead of focusing on discipline, focus on ordering your priorities. Decide once, while Strong, to prioritize your “carrot” (important tasks) before your “desserts” (rewards), eliminating the need for self negotiation.

Relying on willpower alone is ineffective; instead, design systems that make desired behaviors easy and undesired behaviors difficult. John Patterson’s success with the cash register registered exemplifies this principal, as it eliminated employee theft by making it harder and more visible. By focusing on system, design, individuals can achieve their goals without constant reliance on willpower.

Incentive-caused bias often feels like conviction, making it difficult to detect. To avoid being mislead, follow the money in question the motivations behind the advice, especially when it seems too good to be true. This applies to both others’ advice and your own strongly health convictions.

Paul Van Dorn, founder of vans, shoes, discovered that pain workers by the outcome rather than the hour improved both speed and quality. There’s principal, applied to FedEx’s Night Shift, also increased efficiency. Reward outcomes, not time spent, to achieve better results.

If you want to change your behavior, identify the rewards you’re giving yourself and adjust them to align with your goals. You get more of whatever you reward, so focus on rewarding the behaviors you want to see.

The most important story you hear is the one you tell yourself. Self talk is powerful and can be used to achieve success, as demonstrated by Andre Agassi‘s pre-match ritual. Take control of your inner dialogue and write the story you need to hear.

A story about a science fair project where a 14 year-old convinced students to ban dihydrogen monoxide, which is actually water. This highlights help people can be misled by facts presented in a frightening way. The messaging encourages skepticism, urging people to ask “why” twice before believing something, and to be diligent and seeking out the truth.

Michael Waters, 10 year-old organ donor, saved the life of a baby girl named Brooklyn with his liver. Brooklyn, now 24, is marrying Michael’s brother, Noah, and the man who received Michael’s heart will also attend the wedding.

The story of Chuck Feeney, a young hitchhiker in 1957, illustrates the power of shifting focus from personal desires to offering value to others by changing his sign to advertise the benefit of an English conversation, the differentiated himself from other hitchhikers and secured rides. This principle of offering value, rather than simply seeking personal gain, is the foundation of Feeney’s succes...

Bob Sheppard received a postcard from his deceased parents, sent 26 years ago from Denmark. The postcard, a treasure from his parents travels, arrived just when he needed it, reminding him that messages sent in love are never late.