Articles
- Friday Five – Compete for yourself, Strive to do your best, Live well, Work, Finish, Publish
Music of the Week Jungle is a British band comprised of producers Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland. JUNGLE – Volcano World Tour Live in Lisbon FULL Show 4K is a fantastic set list including some of my favorite songs like Candle Flame, Dominoes, The Heat, I’ve Been in Love, Back on 74, What D’You Know… Read more: Friday Five – Compete for yourself, Strive to do your best, Live well, Work, Finish, Publish - October Reading List: 4 Best Books I Read in October 2024
I read four incredible books covering the U.S. Civil War, philosophy/stoicism, entrepreneurship, and sports in my October reading list. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True… Read more: October Reading List: 4 Best Books I Read in October 2024 - Friday Five – Attention isn’t free, Figure out what game you’re playing, Get better at what you’re doing, Know what to ignore
Music of the Week Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist who fused New Orleans blues, jazz, R&B, soul, and funk into a pleasant melodic mix. New Orleanian Dr. John was active from the late ’50s until he died in the late 2010s. What’s… Read more: Friday Five – Attention isn’t free, Figure out what game you’re playing, Get better at what you’re doing, Know what to ignore - Friday Five – Happiness is hard work, Always room for improvement, Do the work, Less is more
Quotes of the Week Happiness is hard work. You have a considerable amount of agency when it comes to finding general happiness. But it’s very difficult to get there without moving your body, eating well, exercising your mind, and nourishing your soul in some form every day. – Guy Raz When dealing with a competitor who… Read more: Friday Five – Happiness is hard work, Always room for improvement, Do the work, Less is more - Friday Five – Predict the future, Experience deeper fulfillment, Impediment to action, Joy of the process
Quotes of the Week The best way to predict the future is to invent it. – Alan Kay What we truly need is a life we’re not trying to escape, a life where play and joy are woven into our everyday work, allowing us to experience deeper fulfillment and uncover the breakthroughs we’ve been searching… Read more: Friday Five – Predict the future, Experience deeper fulfillment, Impediment to action, Joy of the process - Friday Five – Everything has a beginning and an end, Taking things away, Shortness of life
Quotes of the Week A parent should do anything, but not everything. – Plutarch In this life, everything has a beginning and an end. – Rafael Nadal Music of the Week Jon Batiste is an “American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, and television personality.” Batiste has won multiple Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. He… Read more: Friday Five – Everything has a beginning and an end, Taking things away, Shortness of life - September Reading List: 4 Best Books I Read in September 2024
The U.S. Civil War, sports, parenting, and New Orleans were the four categories covered in my September reading list. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, Drive: The Story of My Life, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go… Read more: September Reading List: 4 Best Books I Read in September 2024 - Friday Five – Persist and resist, Pause and reflect, Art of living is resilience, Prepare for the storm
Quotes of the Week If anyone would take two words to heart and take pains to govern and watch over themselves by them, they will live an impeccable and immensely tranquil life. The two words are: persist and resist. – Epictetus Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause… Read more: Friday Five – Persist and resist, Pause and reflect, Art of living is resilience, Prepare for the storm - Friday Five – Choosing to let things bother you, Mastery is the ultimate status, Finding how far one can go
Quotes of the Week The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. – Epictetus You choose to let things bother you. You can just as… Read more: Friday Five – Choosing to let things bother you, Mastery is the ultimate status, Finding how far one can go - Friday Five – Change your mind, The art of living, Encouraging children, The Gift of Failure
Quotes of the Week When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir? — John Maynard Keynes The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing because an artful life requires being prepared to meet and withstand sudden and unexpected attacks. – Marcus Aurelius If my father had not been… Read more: Friday Five – Change your mind, The art of living, Encouraging children, The Gift of Failure - Friday Five – Wishing your child optimism, The pursuit of alpha, Do the work
Quote of the Week If you are allowed one wish for your child, seriously consider wishing him or her optimism. — Daniel Kahneman There is no formula for success—you just begin and then you continue. I’m often asked how to have a career in stand-up and the answer is confoundingly simple: Do the work. Over… Read more: Friday Five – Wishing your child optimism, The pursuit of alpha, Do the work - Friday Five – Only thing we have to fear is fear itself, “Chance of rain? Never!”
Quote of the Week Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. — Franklin Delano Roosevelt Music of the Week Barry Can’t Swim was mentioned recently in one of the newsletters I subscribe… Read more: Friday Five – Only thing we have to fear is fear itself, “Chance of rain? Never!” - August Reading List: 5 Best Books I Read in August 2024
While not as productive in terms of the number of books I read in July, my August reading list for 2024 featured several life-changing books. My August reading list includes The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without… Read more: August Reading List: 5 Best Books I Read in August 2024 - Friday Five – Quality is much better than quantity, Founder mode, Living a fulfilling life
Quote of the Week Quality is much better than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles. – Steve Jobs Music of the Week Scandinavian Jazz was put on my radar from Daniel Silva’s latest Gabriel Allons’ latest book A Death in Cornwall: A Novel (a fantastic book by the way). The playlist is a “compilation… Read more: Friday Five – Quality is much better than quantity, Founder mode, Living a fulfilling life - Friday Five – The Most Important Question of Your Life, Seek progress and not perfection
Quote of the Week “We seek progress, not perfection.” –– Richard and Christopher Chandler Music of the Week Big Desk Energy was shared by The Morning Brew recently. The playlist is perfect to have on in the background at work. Separately, Breathe in, Breathe out, Move on by Jimmy Buffett was featured in the Axios New Orleans newsletter. The… Read more: Friday Five – The Most Important Question of Your Life, Seek progress and not perfection - Friday Five – Whatever my gut tells me that’s what I do, Wind and solar overtaking coal
Quote of the Week Michael Jordan: What do you think about when you make decisions? What’s your thought process? Warren Buffett: Not much. Whatever my gut tells me, that’s what I do. Music of the Week Tord Gustavsen Trio, Marcin Wasilewski Trio, and Bobo Stenson were put on my radar from A Death in Cornwall: A Novel book.… Read more: Friday Five – Whatever my gut tells me that’s what I do, Wind and solar overtaking coal - Friday Five – You are the sum total of all the work you have put in, No one will remember you in 100 years, Get good at something
Quote of the Week You are the sum total of all the work you have put in, nothing more and nothing else. If you are confident you have done everything possible to prepare yourself, then there is nothing to fear. — Michael Jordan Music of the Week The Revivalists are an American rock band out of… Read more: Friday Five – You are the sum total of all the work you have put in, No one will remember you in 100 years, Get good at something - Friday Five – Manufacturing trombone oil, Blank sheet method, Innovate or die
Quote of the Week Avoid getting into the business of manufacturing trombone oil. You may become the greatest trombone oil manufacturer in the world, but in the end, the world only consumes a few quarts of trombone oil a year. — Dan Burke Music of the Week Handpan Chill Out has been fantastic to have in… Read more: Friday Five – Manufacturing trombone oil, Blank sheet method, Innovate or die - July Reading List: 6 Best Books I Read in July 2024
My July reading list in 2024 was my most productive reading month this year in terms of the number of books read at six. The books I read in this July reading list include South and West: From a Notebook, The Old Man and The Sea, Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness,… Read more: July Reading List: 6 Best Books I Read in July 2024 - Friday Five – Spend your life in your own way, The coming great conflict
Quote of the Week There is only one success—to be able to spend your life in your own way. — Christopher Morley Video of the Week After wrapping up our time in Prague (see Prague Day One, Prague Day Two, Prague Day Three), we headed to London to close our four-week European trip. London was where we started… Read more: Friday Five – Spend your life in your own way, The coming great conflict - Friday Five – Great relationships, Reshaping the art world, Personal freedom
Hi All, Below is your weekly dose of a list of things I’m reading, watching, listening to, or thinking about from my Friday Five No. 237 July 5 2024 newsletter. If this message was forwarded to you, sign up for this newsletter using this link. Quote of the Week A great relationship is not only finding… Read more: Friday Five – Great relationships, Reshaping the art world, Personal freedom - Friday Five – Going for long walks, Good ideas rarely come from meetings, Art of Living
Hi All, Below is your weekly dose of a list of things I’m reading, watching, listening to, or thinking about from my Friday Five No. 237 July 5 2024 newsletter. If this message was forwarded to you, sign up for this newsletter using this link. Quote of the Week I take time to go for long… Read more: Friday Five – Going for long walks, Good ideas rarely come from meetings, Art of Living - Friday Five – We have one shot, Do less, Limit your choices, and Do something uncomfortable
Hi All, Below is your weekly dose of a list of things I’m reading, watching, listening to, or thinking about from my Friday Five No. 237 July 5 2024 newsletter. If this message was forwarded to you, sign up for this newsletter using this link. Quote of the Week But, while I’m here, I want to… Read more: Friday Five – We have one shot, Do less, Limit your choices, and Do something uncomfortable - Friday Five – Ceasing to be an artist, A “Lifetime Pizza Card,” Always be honest
Hi All, Below is your weekly dose of a list of things I’m reading, watching, listening to, or thinking about from my Friday Five No. 237 July 5 2024 newsletter. If this message was forwarded to you, sign up for this newsletter using this link. Quote of the Week The moment that an artist takes notice… Read more: Friday Five – Ceasing to be an artist, A “Lifetime Pizza Card,” Always be honest - June Reading List: 4 Best Books I Read in June 2024
As I reflect back on the first six months of 2024, I have come across quite a few interesting books, some of which show up in my June reading list. I have read 24 books up to this point in the year. My goal is four books per month or 48 books in 2024. A… Read more: June Reading List: 4 Best Books I Read in June 2024 - Friday Five – Reducing life to simpler moments, Becoming a master at overcoming hard moments, Focus on what’s important and eliminate the rest
Hi All, Below is your weekly dose of a list of things I’m reading, watching, listening to, or thinking about from my Friday Five No. 236 June 28 2024 newsletter. If this message was forwarded to you, sign up for this newsletter using this link. Quote of the Week People are always trying to add more… Read more: Friday Five – Reducing life to simpler moments, Becoming a master at overcoming hard moments, Focus on what’s important and eliminate the rest - Friday Five – The biggest problem of success, How to Start a Business or Podcast From Scratch, Future of the web
Hi All, Below is your weekly dose of a list of things I’m reading, watching, listening to, or thinking about from my Friday Five No. 235 June 21 2024 newsletter. If this message was forwarded to you, sign up for this newsletter using this link. Quote of the Week “The biggest problem of success is that… Read more: Friday Five – The biggest problem of success, How to Start a Business or Podcast From Scratch, Future of the web - May Reading List: 4 Best Books I Read in May 2024
Espionage Thriller, Psychology, and Biography were the three book categories I tackled in my May reading list. Damn! These are all excellent books. My May reading list included On Target (Gray Man), Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be, The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the… Read more: May Reading List: 4 Best Books I Read in May 2024 - Friday Five – Only people who will remember that you worked late are your kids, Tom Brady on winning: There’s “got to be more than this”
Hi All, Below is your weekly dose of a list of things I’m reading, watching, listening to, or thinking about from my Friday Five No. 234 June 14 2024 newsletter. If this message was forwarded to you, sign up for this newsletter using this link. Quote I’m Re-Reading 20 years from now, the only people who… Read more: Friday Five – Only people who will remember that you worked late are your kids, Tom Brady on winning: There’s “got to be more than this” - Friday Five – We put more stock in the opinion of others, The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Hi All, Below is your weekly dose of a list of things I’m reading, watching, listening to, or thinking about from my No. 232 June 6, 2024 newsletter. If this message was forwarded to you, sign up for this newsletter using this link. Quote I’m Re-Reading I’m constantly amazed by how easily we love ourselves above… Read more: Friday Five – We put more stock in the opinion of others, The Hard Thing About Hard Things
