Curiosity Chronicle

I just completed 100 straight days of doing a cold plunge every morning. I pride myself on my consistency and discipline, but this 100-day streak pushed me to a new level. The journey included several frozen rivers, awkward interactions with hotel housekeeping departments, and one hotel requiring a lifeguard to monitor me during the plunge. I learned a lot of important lessons on the journey that...

Question: Are you listening to understand or just waiting to speak? Framework: The Law of Reversed Effort

One of the great joys of my life is that I get to spend time with some of the world's foremost experts and builders and call it work. I've recently decided that I'd like to try to record and share the insights from some of these natural conversations so that everyone can benefit from them in the way that I have. Dr. Robert Waldinger is the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which...

Question: How can I bring the after into the before? Framework: The Gold Medal Fallacy

Compounding is a magical force for growth in your life—one Albert Einstein is rumored to have referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World"—but it can also be your worst enemy. The stacking of negatives has the potential to knock you out of the game if you aren't careful. 3 steps to avoid the dark side of compounding: (1) Create space, (2) Evaluate the new situation, and (3) Execute.

Question: What would you attempt if you knew you couldn’t fail? Framework: The Red Team

The 2 pillars of strong relationships: High expectations and high support. High expectations are the belief that the other person is capable of excellence, that their potential is only limited by their own views. High support is the ability and willingness to provide the love, support, and engagement to help the person meet those high expectations. Both are necessary to achieve a strong relationsh...

Question: What are three examples of times you've accomplished something you didn't think was possible? Framework: Circles of Success

Last week, I went on a whirlwind event tour of India. 2,000+ attendees at 6 events in 6 days across 3 different cities. I met and spent time with hundreds of people, doing my best to provide perspectives and guidance on the questions they asked. I believe that the questions are universal, so in today’s piece, I’d like to share the insights and perspectives that I offered in response to them. 6 ins...

Question: If someone observed your actions for a week, what would they say your priorities are? Framework: The Power Down Ritual

I'm not a morning person (at least not naturally). For most of my childhood, I'd hit snooze a million times and my mom would have to drag me out of bed to make it to school on time. In my college years, the morning hours were forced upon me by pre-class baseball practices and lifts. At first, I struggled mightily with the adjustment. I knew that if I wanted to perform, I had to figure out a system...

Question: How can I build my recovery into my days? Framework: The Sinatra Test

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet up for a drink with Gary Vaynerchuk, the entrepreneur, creator, and investor perhaps best known as Gary V. We were chatting about what enables this longevity, when he casually dropped a single, incredibly powerful line: "You've gotta love the dirt." The dirt is where you start. It's where you're built. It's where you find your initial success. We all start...

Question: What is the tiny first step that will move you closer to your big, scary goal? Framework: Kintsugi is a Japanese art form that involves the repair of broken pottery with a special lacquer mixed with powdered precious metals (like gold, silver, or platinum).

I just co-hosted a retreat for a small group of very successful entrepreneurs in Cabo, Mexico. The explicit goal of the retreat was to help work through a big challenge facing each attendee. My goal is to “bring you into the room” so that you can feel the impact of the experience in your own careers and lives. With that in mind, this piece shares my 9 non-obvious learnings from the retreat.

Question: How am I creating the situation that I don’t want? Framework: The Bricklayer Mentality

Because of the gigantic shift in my life over the last three years, I'm often asked about how to take the metaphorical leap of faith. To answer that question for anyone who has asked, and anyone who might be thinking about it, here's my definitive player's guide to the leap of faith. The leap of faith you want to take in life is so scary because of the size of the change. It is a 100 foot gap from...

Question: If you knew you would die in 10 years, what would you do today? Framework: Use the Difficulty

If you've been reading my work for a while, you know that I'm a big proponent of the simple, boring basics. I don't have any e-books to sell you. I just want to see you make progress. This piece shares my favorite—very simple, very boring, and very effective—strategy for making dramatic progress in any arena: The 30-for-30 Approach. With whatever you're trying to improve at, do it for 30 minutes p...

Question: When was the last time you allowed yourself to celebrate good enough? Framework: The Click Test

"There's a guy in my head, and all he wants to do is lay in bed all day long, smoke pot, and watch old movies and cartoons. My life is a series of stratagems, to avoid, and outwit that guy ." - Anthony Bourdain We all have "that guy" somewhere in our head. It may look a bit different from person to person, but the general archetype is universal. You can never silence the voice, you simply learn to...

Question: What are you going to be celebrating one year from today? Framework: The Pygmalion Effect

Last Friday in London, my friend Ali Abdaal and I hosted a live event at the London School of Economics in front of a sold out crowd of 500 people. We covered 10 ideas that changed our lives, on areas ranging from careers to relationships and more. The 10 ideas we shared: (1) There's no such thing as a loser who wakes up at 5am and works out, (2) Energy is not finite, (3) No one has it all figured...

Question: How would the best version of myself show up in this situation? Framework: Winner's Game vs. Loser's Game

Humans are notoriously good at delivering sound, rational perspectives to others, but notoriously bad at delivering those same sound, rational perspectives to themselves. This psychological phenomenon is known as Solomon's Paradox. Solomon's Paradox is named after King Solomon, the King of Israel who was known for his divine wisdom and also for his complete inability to live by it. To escape Solom...