Curiosity Chronicle

This has become the most common question I receive: Big project, very intimidating Don't know where to start Feeling stuck, paralyzed, anxious My response is always the same: What's the simplest action you can take today that would create forward progress? ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that will push you to rethink everything about how you’re spending your time."  J...

On June 11, 1997, Michael Jordan stepped onto the court for Game 5 of the NBA Finals between his Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz. Jordan was reportedly very sick, but chose to play given the critical importance of the game to the series, which was tied 2-2 at the time. Throughout the game, he looked visibly unwell, with a fever over 100 degrees, he experienced extreme fatigue, dehydration, and bod...

Last week, I had a pinch me experience: I spent five days co-hosting a retreat with Richard Branson, Adam Grant, and a group of incredible entrepreneurs and thinkers on Necker Island, Richard’s private island in the Caribbean. The opportunity came about in the most unlikely way... ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that will push you to rethink everything about how you’r...

Last week, I posted a short thought: The worst mistakes in life are made when you try to do fast what’s meant to be done slow. Real, durable things take a long time to build. Careers. Businesses. Relationships. Health. There are no hacks or shortcuts. The long way is the right way. The idea clearly struck a chord, reaching millions of impressions in a few days. It reminded me of one of my favorite...

If you read (or listen) to this newsletter, you know that I’m obsessed with interesting ideas. Here are 5 ideas I can’t stop thinking about this month… (P.S. This may become a regular monthly segment if people are interested!) ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that will push you to rethink everything about how you’re spending your time."  Join 300,000+ other readers and...

In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , there’s a scene in which Alice reaches a fork in the road and has a simple exchange with the Cheshire Cat: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where—” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat. It’s a clever exchange, b...

There’s a story I come back to when I’m feeling stressed or frustrated... A monk is meditating alone on a lake when another boat crashes into his. Anger rises—until he opens his eyes and realizes the boat is empty, drifting freely after coming untied. In that moment, the anger vanishes... ••• Andrew Huberman called my first book "An important clarifying force in anyone’s search to make the best po...

Last week, the world's top-ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, went viral for something completely unrelated to golf. During his pre-tournament interview at The Open Championship, one of four annual major golf championships, a reporter asked Scheffler a simple question about his incredible streak of success... ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that will push you to rethin...

Last week, a reader sent me a poem that stopped me in my tracks. To live content with small means. To seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion. To be worthy not respectable, and wealthy not rich. To study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars, birds, babes, and sages with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hu...

Here's an old Buddhist story I think about often: Imagine someone is struck by a poisoned arrow. A doctor is called to remove the arrow, but the man stops him. 'Not so fast! Before you remove it, I want to know who shot me. What town or village does he come from? What kind of wood was his bow made from? Was it a crossbow or a longbow?' While he asks the questions, the poison takes hold and he dies...

I get a lot of messages asking for career advice. The following is my attempt to synthesize my responses from the last few years into a series of short, valuable lessons. Behind each of these is a much longer story—probably a painful one—but I'll spare you that detail (for now!). No matter where you are on your career journey, my hope is that this list has something of value for you. ••• Mel Robbi...

Last week, I was speaking to a group of entrepreneurs when one of them admitted he'd been struggling. He's dealing with a challenging family health situation and feeling like he isn't doing enough to grow his business. A few hours later, I got a text from a friend, who said she was trying to slow down, but struggling with negative self talk that she wasn't doing enough. The two nearly identical in...

In the 4th century B.C., the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, wrote in his Aphorisms (translated into Latin here): Vita brevis, ars longa, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile. Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experiment dangerous, judgment difficult. The phrase has been further tightened and adapted, including by the Roman statesman and Stoic philosophe...

On a windy pier in the ancient city of Joppa, a young man buys a one-way ticket to sail in the opposite direction of his destiny... The young man, Jonah, had been called upon by God to travel to the city of Nineveh to preach his word. But, in the heat of the moment, he runs from this calling, boarding a ship and sailing off in the opposite direction. When a divine storm threatens the ship during i...

We've all been there... That familiar sensation of feeling behind . And it's no wonder it's so familiar. From the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to sleep at night, you're being hit by a constant drip highlight reel from everyone around you. Their promotions. Their bonuses. Their new homes. Their fancy cars. Their beautiful lives. Every single piece of information a snapshot...

There’s an old fable about Christopher Columbus that I like… In 1493, upon return from his first voyage to the Americas (which he mistakenly identified as the East Indies), a group of Spanish nobles gathered for a celebratory dinner with Christopher Columbus. The nobles diminished his accomplishment, saying, “Anyone could have sailed west and found land. You just happened to get there first.” Colu...

Robert Caro is widely considered to be one of the greatest biographers of our time. His list of accolades is long and includes two Pulitzer Prizes for Biography, two National Book Awards (one for Lifetime Achievement), and many more. But the critical acclaim is no accident. His work is revered for its meticulous research and intense dedication to its subjects. Robert Caro didn't set out to write "...

In 1789, philosopher Jeremy Bentham mused on the two forces that control our lives: "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure." His argument, in simple terms, is that human behavior is driven by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. This general idea is the basis for the most useful productivity framework you've probably never heard of...

I have a close friend—we'll call him Ben. Ben is very successful . He's in his 30s, sold a company for $100 million, and earns over $10 million per year in his current role. I was recently out on a walk with Ben when he admitted something interesting: He hates his current job. He finds no fulfillment in the work and dreams of leaving to start something new. Something that would bring him alive aga...

I recently came across a quote that hit me hard: "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." — Henry Ford Every meaningful path in life is lined with obstacles. If you've ever pursued something grand or ambitious... Building a business Raising a family Changing careers Reaching an athletic milestone or anything in between ...you know the path is never smoo...

Want the key to success? As crazy as it sounds, I might actually be able to give it to you in the next 3 minutes... You see, I spend a lot of time thinking about common threads across the lives of the people I admire. These are all people who are winning in their chosen worlds, whether that be a CEO in the boardroom, an artist in the symphony hall, an athlete on the field, a mom or dad in the home...

In honor of Father’s Day, I asked over 1 million readers a simple question: What was the single best piece of advice you ever received from your father? I got thousands of replies, which ranged from playful and witty to thought-provoking and emotional. Here were my favorites… ••• Mel Robbins said my book will “push you to rethink everything about how you’re spending your time.” You can get it now...

When life gets hard, most people retreat to one of two worlds: Naive Optimism: This is the world of pure positivity. It is marked by an unwillingness to confront the harsh facts, but also by a steadfast belief in the ability to navigate through to the other side. Hopeless Realism: This is the world of pure negativity. It is marked by a desire to face the facts, but also by a loss of hope for the a...

It’s commencement speech season. I recently shared ​a series of powerful lessons​ from David Foster Wallace’s This Is Water commencement speech on its 20th anniversary. Well, as it turns out, 2005 was a legendary year for wisdom from the commencement stage. Just a few weeks after Foster Wallace’s brilliance, on June 12, 2005, Steve Jobs stepped to the podium to deliver the annual commencement addr...

According to a famous legend, the ancient land of Phrygia (in what is now modern-day Turkey) was without a king. An oracle proclaimed that the next man to enter the city in an oxcart would become its king. Soon after, a man named Gordius rolled into Phrygia on an oxcart with his wife and son and was swiftly proclaimed king of the land... ••• My first book has its biggest sale ever: 50% off! Now's...