Curiosity Chronicle

Every month, I receive hundreds of messages, emails, and questions from people all around the world. The single most common question that comes up: "I feel lost. What should I do?"Here's an open letter to my lost younger self—with the five things I'd like to tell that version of me that would have accelerated his path to the other side.(1) Reclaim your power; (2) Remember that the answer is found in the action; (3) Trust in the trend, not the position; (4) Create value for everyone you come across; and (5) Find your challenge-seekers.

Question: Do you want to be liked or loved?Framework: Amor Fati

One year ago, my family came together to mourn the loss of my grandmother. Reflecting on the experience later, I was struck by one thing: The card for the memorial had her date of birth and date of death, with a simple dash in between.That dash holds everything. Every ounce of a person's life captured in that single, small, insignificant line.The experience sparked one idea I can't stop thinking about: Make the dash count.This piece is derived from concepts explored in depth in my upcoming book, The 5 Types of Wealth. Preorder and unlock exclusive bonuses here.

One of the greatest joys of my life is that I often get to spend time in rooms surrounded by big thinkers. Rooms with an extraordinary idea density.There are certain times when, even long after leaving the room, the ideas linger in my mind. I wrestle with them to develop my only lens for each.This piece shares 24 short ideas I can't stop thinking about.

Question: Are you embracing your Pattern Interrupts?Framework: Zeigarnik Effect

Success isn't what you think. You're sold a glossy, filtered version of success. The reality looks different.In today's piece, I want to share the harsh truths about success—the reality that no one sells you (because it wouldn't sell very well).13 harsh truths about success nobody told you: (1) You will have to endure long seasons of loneliness; (2) Your anxiety will scale proportionally to your ambition; (3) To shine in the light you have to embrace boredom in the dark; (4) The climb is always better than the view from the summit; (5) You have to pay your rent daily; (6) Adaptability will always beat planning; (7) Your imposter syndrome and self-doubt never go away; (8) It will always take longer than you expect; (9) The good and the bad get amplified; (10) The money only solves money problems; (11) There's no such thing as later; (12) You never really figure it out; (13) You'll never feel successful unless you create your own definition of success.

Question: Does your situation need to change, or just your outlook on it?Framework: The Cobra Effect

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times, easy times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.” - G. Michael HopfWe live in an ease-obsessed world. To build the life you want, to earn the things you want, your resistance is the cost of entry.Remember: Nothing worth having in life should be easy. The things that matter in life are hard to build.

Question: Are you allowing self-protection to become self-rejection?Framework: Hedgehogs vs. Foxes

It's easy to allow your weeks to spiral out of control as you try to navigate your personal and professional responsibilities. Fortunately, I developed some tricks that helped me fight back.4 tiny habits that dramatically improved my weeks: (1) Defining what a "win" looks like, (2) Creating an awareness of my energy, (3) Executing a daily management sprint, and (4) Investing 30 minutes in a vision.Remember: Extraordinary change is simply the result of ordinary acts done well, over and over and over again. Always take the small things seriously, because small things become big things.

Question: How can you decide to be happy today?Framework: The Ludic Fallacy

More intensity is not the answer. To achieve the things you want in life, you must pursue them with balance. Unfortunately, in the modern era, to pursue things with balance is almost indistinguishable from laziness.The single greatest challenge for any ambitious person is reframing slowing down as an essential part of your performance, not a reward for your effort.When you're constantly moving fast, everything is a blur. When you slow down, you start to see the world more clearly.5 strategies you can use to slow down more regularly: (1) Take pride in unitasking, (2) Take more breaks, (3) Take a power walk, (4) Embrace the power of no, (5) Find your garden.

Question: What are the beliefs that no longer serve me?Framework: The Dartmouth Scar Experiment

In my 20s, I nearly drove myself mad adding more and more new things to my life. Today, I'm 33, happier, healthier, and more successful than I've ever been—but in today's piece, I want to share the secret that unlocked all of that: I quit.The truth is that the fastest way to improve your life is not adding new things to serve you, but quitting what no longer does.Here are 11 things I quit to transform my life: (1) Focusing on my potential, (2) Complaining, (3) Worrying about the opinions of others, (4) Allowing negative people to drain my energy, (5) Allowing overthinking to hold me back, (6) Hitting the snooze button, (7) Planning for perfection, (8) Treating my house like crap, (9) Seeking novelty, (10) Grazing on low-value tasks, (11) Relying on motivation.

Question: How can you change your outlook by changing your perspective?Framework: The Theory of Constraints

I've come to believe that there is one common theme that holds people back from living the life they want—and the life they are capable of living: Overthinking.In today's piece, I want to share what worked for me: Three simple mindset shifts—reminders and reframes you can reliably turn to—that helped me conquer overthinking for good.Three mindset shifts to conquer overthinking: (1) The decision is less important than the actions that follow it, (2) Trust in your adaptability, not your plan, and (3) Most decisions are far more reversible than you think.

Question: How will you respond when you find yourself in the valley?Framework: The Two Types of Happiness

"All the things which cause complaint or dread are like the taxes of life—things from which, my dear Lucilius, you should never hope for exemption or seek escape." - SenecaThis idea—that there are taxes of life that you should happily pay—resonates deeply. The reframe to view these negatives as a necessary part of my growth and progress has been tremendously helpful on my journey (and will be on yours).In today's piece, I'd like to highlight 7 taxes of life you need to pay to live the life you want.

Question: What sacrifices are you willing to make to get the things you want?Framework: Winston's Star

Last weekend, I ran my second marathon in 2:53:38. This was a 4-minute personal best.During the suffering of miles 20-26 and the journey home after the race, I found myself reflecting on the key lessons from the experience. Interestingly, none of them have anything to do with running.This piece shares 8 powerful lessons for life from running a marathon.

Question: What are the lesser goals keeping you from your real goals?Framework: The Riptide Mentality

For the last several years, I've kept a running list of my favorite life hacks. I add and subtract from the list whenever I come across new ideas that create value in my life.I'd like to make a tradition of sharing that list annually with all of you—in the hope that you take action on them and feel their impact on your life.Here are the most powerful life hacks I've found to date: 50 tips, tricks, ideas, and techniques for building a healthier, wealthier life.

Question: What are the barriers within you that need to be broken?Framework: The Beginner's Paradox

I have a few core Missions that define my life—everything is aligned around them.Missions are life journeys with no specific end. Missions are not goals. Missions are infinite games. The power of Missions is found in the clarity they provide: If an opportunity, person, or action does not positively contribute to one of your Missions, you can say no to it.I have clearly defined a Mission within each of three categories: Professional, Personal, and Health. Clearly defining (and embarking on) your missions is the key to unlocking new clarity, focus, and fulfillment in your life.

Question: Do you need to reframe retirement?Framework: The Cathedral Effect

I recently had a long conversation with a young man in his mid-20s who was unhappy with his standing in life—feeling behind, lost, without a clear vision for the future. We've all been there at different times.The conversation caused me to reflect on the honest advice I'd give to that younger, lost version of myself to help expedite his journey to the other side.This essay shares 11 pieces of brutally honest advice to my lost younger self.

Question: How wide is my Information-Action Gap?Framework: The Yet Mindset

At a young age, I decided I wasn't smart. That story stuck with me for the first 30 years of my life—it created ripples into my actions, thoughts, and behaviors.The Narrative Fallacy is the tendency to craft a story around data, events, and inputs. Basically, our brains like to "make sense" of the random chaos around us, so the stories provide that structure—they provide a sense of calm.The stories you tell yourself are important. They can either hold you back or push you forward. There is no in between.

Question: What can you do today that wasn't possible for you six months ago?Framework: Shinrin-yoku

The Chinese bamboo tree offers a powerful lesson on growth: It requires daily nurturing for several years before it ever breaks through the surface, but once it does, it can grow up to 100 feet in six weeks.Your growth can be hard to see. It often occurs silently, under the surface. You make the daily investments in yourself, but are often completely unaware of their impact.The challenge is that if you don't recognize your own growth in its most subtle, hidden forms, you may become discouraged on the journey, lose your motivation, and stop marching forward. This piece shares 9 hidden signs of personal growth.

Question: What are the boring, basic actions that you are avoiding right now?Framework: The Fosbury Flop

The Ship of Theseus is a thought experiment proposed by the Greek philosopher Plutarch in relation to a story about the Greek hero Theseus. If every single piece of Theseus' ship has been replaced gradually over time, is it still the original ship?You are your own Ship of Theseus, constantly replacing your parts over the years (metaphorically and literally). But concerning yourself with the question of "who you are" at any point in time is inviting an identity struggle that is unnecessary.The reality: There is no original version. You simply exist. You never become, you are in a constant state of becoming. This means that you simply need to embrace all change and not worry about clinging to some old version that may have existed.

Question: What is one tiny action that would create momentum?Framework: The 2 Types of Knowledge

John Wooden was the legendary UCLA men's basketball coach who led the team to 10 national championships over a 12 year period. He is most well known for his life wisdom that extended well beyond the court.Keeping the promises you make to yourself is the highest order purpose in life. Every single time you keep that promise, you are stacking evidence in favor of the type of person that you want to become.This piece explores John Wooden's 9 Promises for a Life Well-Lived.

Question: What if your path is a spiral?Framework: Shu Ha Ri: The 3 Stages of Mastery

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that my first book—The 5 Types of Wealth—is officially ​available for preorder​ everywhere books are sold!For the last three years, I've been working on this in the dark, so I'm excited to finally reveal it to all of you in my incredible community.Today, I'd like to share a bit more about the book—why I'm so excited for you to read it—and humbly ask that you consider preordering copies for yourself, family, and friends if you've found value in any of my writing in the past.

Question: What would you do if you had zero fear of judgment?Framework: Truth Tellers

A "mental model" is a way to think about the world. The world is infinitely complex, so the aim of any good model is to provide a lens through which you can simplify, evaluate, and make decisions as you walk through life.The Winner's Game vs. Loser's Game is a mental model with powerful applications for your career, business, investing, and life. A Winner's Game is won through incredible shots. A Loser's Game is won through avoiding unforced errors. Most games of life are Loser's Games.Two lessons to apply: (1) Avoid the Complexity Trap and (2) Embrace Self-Awareness.

Question: If you hired the best CEO in the world to be the CEO of your life, what actions would be on their 100-day plan?Framework: Return on Luck

Here's an interesting thought: Failure is a skill. But unfortunately, failure is not a skill that any of us learn to develop in school. In fact, people who are high achievers throughout their school years are often the worst at failure in early adulthood, because they've never had to contend with it.The system I developed to fail better—to handle, deconstruct, and use every single failure to set the conditions for future success: (1) Set a failure timer, (2) Become a scientist, (3) Time travel to the future, and (4) Take action.Your entire life will change the moment you stop fearing failure as a foe and start embracing failure as a friend.

Question: If you were writing the story of your life, what would the current chapter be called?Framework: The Einstellung Effect

Last week, I came across a beautiful story that impacted me so deeply that I found myself telling everyone about it. Each time I did, I saw their eyes light up as the lesson struck a chord deep within.The lesson of the story: You choose your own worth.You can choose to place yourself in environments where people will see you for your highest potential. You can choose how you treat yourself. You can choose your value.This is the most important choice of your life. Choose wisely.

Question: Cheap is expensive.Framework: The man, the boy, and the donkey.

Being a father has been my highest calling—my son has brought a joy and purpose into my life that I didn't think I'd ever find.With last Sunday being Father's Day, I spent time reflecting on the lessons, life principles, and values that I want to pass on to my son.I am as imperfect as they come, but in my eyes, he is perfect. So, consider these the lessons from an imperfect father to his perfect son...

Question: One decision to remove hundreds.Framework: The PO Creativity Method.

Albert Einstein devoted three years of his life to deep focus on the specific task of generalizing his theory of relativity. He didn't work on ten things during this period—he directed all of his precious attention to the one thing that really mattered.Attention Residue is the scientific concept that there is a cognitive switching cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. When your attention is shifted, there is a "residue" that remains with the prior task and impairs your cognitive performance on the new task.To fight back, here are 4 strategies you can implement today: (1) Create a boot-up sequence, (2) Schedule focus blocks, (3) Take a walk, and (4) Leverage Parkinson's Law.

Question: Is it time you start living outside the box?Framework: The Steel Man Technique

If you're a regular reader of my work, you know that I have a special affinity for drawing upon wisdom from the past and applying my own lens to create something more usable for our own present and future.Today's wisdom comes from a letter (full transcript here) written by a 20-year-old Hunter S. Thompson to a dear friend who had sought out Thompson's advice on finding his life purpose.5 brilliant lessons on finding purpose (that we can all apply on our journey): (1) Accept the perils of advice, (2) Seek perspective-altering experiences, (3) Goals should conform to you (not vice versa), (4) Define your way of life, and (5) Live by design, not default.

Question: What am I not achieving simply because I haven't asked?Idea: Hemingway's Lost Suitcase

Your time here is finite, so choosing the pursuits—personal and professional—that deliver the greatest returns on that time is essential.I use an exercise I call Pursuit Mapping to identify the pursuits that are most likely to bring joy and outsized rewards into my life.Three steps: (1) Create Your Pursuit Map, (2) Identify Your Zones, and (3) Align Your Time.