Curiosity Chronicle

In the early days of World War II, the U.S. military was losing too many of its planes in battle. To stem the tide, analysts started mapping the bullet holes on the returning planes. Their plan was to add armor to the specific areas of the planes identified by the exercise. Based on their analysis, they came to the conclusion that reinforcement to the tail, body, and wings would improve their odds...

The late investor Charlie Munger was known for his prolific wisdom. Perhaps his wisest insight of all came when he was asked to reflect on the source of his own happiness: “The first rule of a happy life is low expectations. If you have unrealistic expectations you’re going to be miserable your whole life.” His words echo an old aphorism, which says that low expectations are the key to life. My fr...

In an ancient poem written by the Roman poet Ovid, a sculptor named Pygmalion grows disillusioned with the women of his society. Rather than compromise on a relationship, he dedicates himself to his work. One day, he crafts a sculpture of a woman from ivory. His work is so vivid and lifelike that the sculpture surpasses the beauty of any woman he has ever known... ••• Andrew Huberman called my fir...

Two weeks ago, I went on a “Think Week” retreat. The plan for the retreat was simple: 3 days Limited connectivity Unstructured schedule, no meetings Question prompts as catalysts to zoom out Focus on deep conversations, journaling, thinking, and reflecting To say the experience was transformative would be an understatement. Here were my 9 most important reflections and learnings... ••• Apple CEO T...

In the 3rd century B.C., a man named Archimedes steadily built a reputation as one of the greatest scientific minds of the era. Archimedes, who lived in the powerful Greek city-state of Syracuse, on the island of Sicily, was known by all the region’s kings and generals for his pragmatic problem-solving that went far beyond mere theory. Today, Archimedes is often mentioned as one of the greatest sc...

In your life, there will always be someone standing on the side of the road waiting to tell you that you’re doing it wrong. Telling you to change. To be realistic. To scale back your ambitions. To blend in. But remember: You are not responsible for the narratives that other people have about you, your growth, or your journey... ••• Andrew Huberman called my first book "An important clarifying forc...

I have an embarrassing confession to make… I’ve developed an unhealthy addiction to my phone. Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing for me to admit. I’m someone who self-identifies as disciplined. I pride myself on my ability to consistently act in alignment with my core values and priorities. And yet, here I am. If I’m being honest, the signs of it have been pretty clear... ••• Apple CEO Tim Cook cal...

In 1978, an American futurist named Roy Amara offered a reflection on the progression of technology: “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.” The statement—which later became known as Amara’s Law —was, in many ways, a reaction to the unique period of change that the technological world was experiencing... ••• Apple CEO Tim...

In 2013, a group of Harvard researchers conducted a study with over 19,000 people. They asked two simple questions: How much have your values, preferences, personality, and priorities changed in the last 10 years? How much do you expect your values, preferences, personality, and priorities to change in the next 10 years? The results were fascinating... ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a power...

Most writing about AI falls into one of two broad conversations: Speed: How fast things are moving and changing. The transformative (and perhaps destructive) potential of new technologies across the economic landscape. Leverage: How you can use the latest tools in your life and business. The necessity of doing so if you want to gain an edge and remain relevant. Both conversations matter. It’s unde...

I read an ​interesting study​ a few years ago that fundamentally changed the way I think about relationships. Researchers wanted to examine how different types of social relationships affected long-term health outcomes. They categorized relationships into three buckets... ••• Andrew Huberman called my first book "An important clarifying force in anyone’s search to make the best possible choices fo...

When you hold on too long, something that served you can begin to own you. Every year, when the calendar turns, most people ask themselves a series of simple questions: What am I adding this year? What new habits will I build? What new resolutions can I create? I ask myself something very different: What am I leaving behind? What am I quitting? What boat am I dragging that no longer fits the terra...

I just turned 35 years old. I’m not a big birthday celebration guy, but every year, I use the day as a spark for reflection—to zoom out and consider what I've learned along the way. Here are 35 life lessons from my 35 years... ••• Apple CEO Tim Cook called my first book "a powerful call to action to think deeply about what lights you up." Join 400,000+ other readers and get it now on a big sale! O...

Today is my 35th birthday. I want to open up about something personal. Something that will resonate with a lot of you. It's about timelines. More specifically, the false timelines of life...

There’s a quote I return to whenever it feels like the world is against me: “If you absolutely can’t tolerate critics, then don’t do anything new or interesting.” - Jeff Bezos It’s a simple line with a deep reminder: No matter what you do, or how you choose to live, someone will tell you you’re doing it wrong ... ••• Mel Robbins called my first book "a powerful wake-up call that will push you to r...

Welcome to the final day of 2025. Happy New Year! As this very well may be the final newsletter you read (or listen to) in 2025, I want to use this opportunity to set the tone for the year ahead. You're all familiar with the idea of New Year's Resolutions: Specific actions or behaviors you commit to for the coming year. I've never been a fan. The notion that you can choose the perfect resolution o...

Steve Jobs once described the difference between good work and great work with a simple image: “When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthe...

In 2015, tennis legend Novak Djokovic was asked about the drivers of his exceptional on-court success. His response was simple: "I can carry on playing at this level because I like hitting the tennis ball." When the interviewer pressed him, asking whether there were players who don't, he continued: "There are people out there who don't have the right motivation. I can see it. But I don't judge." T...

When I started this newsletter in 2021, I had one simple goal: To share actionable ideas to help you build a high-performing, healthy, wealthy life. I had no idea that just a few years later, that simple focus would extend to reach nearly 1 million readers around the world. To say I'm humbled by this is something of an understatement. But I'm not surprised by it. Why? Well, I haven't missed a sing...

There’s an old fable I love about a villager trying to catch a monkey. He doesn’t use force. He doesn’t set a net. He doesn’t try to chase it. Instead, he hooks a single coconut to the side of his house, drills a small hole in it, and places a few morsels of food inside. That evening at dusk, the monkey quietly slips into the village. It sees the coconut, smells the food, and slips its open hand i...

My wife and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary this week. Two years ago, I started an annual tradition of asking couples who’ve been married 40, 50, or 60+ years for their best relationship advice. The advice they wish they could give to their younger selves. At this point, the advice captures over 1,000 years of earned wisdom from these beautiful relationships. Today, I’d like to share that...

2025 is officially coming to a close. At the end of every year, I do two things: Conduct a reflection on the current year Create a plan for the coming year I provided my reflection process in my ​​​Personal Annual Review​​ ​ last week. Note: To go deeper on that process, you can download a free template ​ here ​ ​ . Today, I'll share my ​Annual Planning Guide​, which will arm you with the structur...

In 2021, as I was leaving a traditional career path to create my own, I asked a mentor for advice on the entrepreneurial journey ahead. His response was simple: Create things that you’d want to consume. To be completely transparent, while that always made sense to me when it came to my writing, I never knew what it meant when it came to business. That is, until 18 months ago, when something clicke...

Last week, I read a ​research paper​ from a group of Harvard and UCLA psychologists that I can't stop thinking about. Its title grabbed me immediately: The peculiar longevity of things not so bad . In this piece, I share my learnings from the paper and what they mean for your life... ••• Andrew Huberman called my first book "An important clarifying force in anyone’s search to make the best possibl...

I started conducting a Personal Annual Review over a decade ago. It's been a life-changing exercise—one with an outsized impact on my personal and professional growth and transformation. Today's piece shares the structure for my Personal Annual Review... ••• Note: I recommend downloading my free ​ Annual Review PDF ​ to walk through each of the questions and create space for the reflection. For th...