- Think deeply. Think often.
- Keep exploring; always be curious.
- Look to the past to build a better tomorrow.
- Use your passion for learning to add value to your own and others’ lives.
- Share your visions of a better future.
- Appreciate and refine your gift for understanding others’ thoughts and feelings.
- Always have at least three options in mind so you can adapt if circumstances change.
- Bring intensity and effort to the most important areas of your life.
- Create fair systems to establish and build trust.
- Stop, listen, and assess before taking action.
“Don’t do it because it’s your job…”
Write the blog post.
Film the YouTube video.
Send the newsletter.
Write the eBook.
Post a video of your song.
Tell someone about your new idea.
Don’t do it because it’ll go viral (it probably won’t). Don’t do it because you’ll become rich and famous.
Do it because you need to put something good into the world.
Make Your Voice Heard in Congress (and Get AI to Help)
Most people care about issues that affect their lives, but too few actually take the next step—contacting their elected representatives. Why? The biggest hurdles tend to be:
- Not knowing how to reach them
- Not believing it makes a difference
- Not knowing what to say
The good news? These are all solvable problems, and AI can help with every single one.
1. Finding Your Representatives
Many people don’t even know where to start. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to look up your representatives:
- House of Representatives: Find your rep
- Senate: Find your senators
2. Does It Actually Matter?
Yes. Congressional offices track calls, emails, and letters. When an issue gets a high volume of outreach, it gets attention. Many policies have been shaped—or stopped—because enough people spoke up.
But the real power comes from multiplying your impact. Getting your friends and family involved can turn one letter into dozens. A single person might not change the world, but a network of voices can.
3. Not Sure What to Say? AI Can Help
One of the biggest obstacles people face is writing the message itself. That’s where AI comes in. If you care about an issue but don’t know how to word it, try this:
👉 “Write a letter to my senator about [issue] and why it matters.”
AI can structure your thoughts, keep things professional, and help you make a strong case. A well-written letter increases the chances of being taken seriously.
Start a Letter-Writing Campaign
Want to take it further? Organize a small group—friends, family, coworkers—and encourage them to write letters together. Offer to help them draft messages using AI. Even if only a few people participate, it makes a difference.
Take Action Today
Pick an issue you care about. Find your representatives. Write a letter (or get AI to help you). Then, ask two or three people you know to do the same.
Small actions lead to big changes. The key is getting started.
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If I had a battery over my head
The average human lifespan is about 80 years these days. That’s 4,160 weeks.
I got curious as to the percentage of my life I had left. So I did the math.
At 33 years old, I’ve lived about 1,716 weeks. If I’m lucky enough to make it to 80, I’ve already lived through 41% of my life.
That realization brought to mind an image of the battery icon at the top of my iPhone.
If I had that same icon floating over my head, I’d only have a 59% charge remaining before I died. And I can’t recharge…
Memento mori. Remember, you will die.
Use that as fuel to live well. Work and act accordingly.
Fashionably late
It makes no sense to show up at an event a half hour late.
Why do it? Seemingly, you want to avoid being “first” and miss out on the awkwardness that comes from breaking the ice.
So what happens? Dinner is set for 7:00, but everyone shows up at 7:30—ironically, at the same time.
Why wait? If you all show up at the same time, why be late?
Why not show up together… on time?
“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
It’s a stupid interview question. The only true answer is: “I have no idea.” Because I don’t know what this job will look like until I start doing it.
Will I want to keep doing it? Will I want a promotion (if one’s available)? Will the job be obsolete by that time? (That one is more and more likely.)
But it’s a great question to ask yourself. Not because you know the answer—it will most likely change as time passes. It’s because the outcome you envision for yourself can help dictate the behaviors you take now.
If, in 5 years, you see yourself retiring early and spending your weeks on the beach, you know there are some things you need to do. Pay off debt. Invest aggressively. Save, save, save!
If, in 5 years, you want to compete at a high recreational level in tennis, you need to work on conditioning drills, mobility, tennis skills…and hire a coach.
If, in 5 years, you want to send your first child off to kindergarten, you know now that you should work on your finances, improve your health, and have a conversation with your partner about starting a family.
It’s a stupid interview question. But it’s a great life question.
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Answer the phone
Or return the call if you want to have them on voicemail.
We forget that one of those missed calls will be the last one we ever get from them.
If you recognize the number, it’s a good idea to pick up.
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Make an exercise out of the hard parts
Something I learned to do as a musician was the idea of “deliberate practice.”
What this meant for me—like when I was learning a concert snare drum solo—was to take individual measures or a small group of measures, and turn them into exercises.
Examples:
- A difficult passage that had a hard dynamic transition or sudden change
- A complicated rhythm I needed to drill before I could play it
I would take these passages, slow them down, get them perfect, and work my way up to “normal” playing speed. Then I would add back in the music that surrounded these difficult sections.
This is how I was able to learn difficult music.
There’s a lesson to be learned here for every aspect of life.
Doing the things you can already do easily won’t make you any better at anything.
You’d got to practice the hard parts until you can get them right.
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It’s not about discipline
Having all the discipline in the world won’t help you eat better if the candy is the first thing you see on the counter.
Being disciplined with your time is useless if your phone is set up to make social media easy to access.
Discipline, like motivation, is fleeting and finite. Better to rely on systems and environments that support you instead.
Take social media off your phone. Make it hard to access on your computer by not saving your password and manually typing it in each time.
Keep candy hidden in the back of the cupboard (or if you’re like me, out of the house completely). And keep fresh fruits and easy protein at the front of the fridge.
It’s much easier to build things that support what you want to do rather than trying to muscle your way through.
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Sometimes you miss a day
Even the best streaks get broken most of the time.
The only good response is to wipe the slate clean and start over.
The wrong, and much more common response, is to quit the whole thing because of one bad day.
Don’t do that.
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