No. 293 | August 8, 2025
Welcome to this week’s Friday Five — a quick dose of insights, inspiration, and personal favorites to kick off your weekend with clarity and intention.
Music of the Week
Aaron Velasquez – better known as Flamingosis – is a music producer, DJ, and beatboxer from New Jersey. Velasquez blends funk, soul, and what he calls “do-it-yourself elements.”
Turns out, Flamingosis is a freestyle frisbee move – yes, that’s a thing – created by Velasquez’s dad, who was a five-time world champion.
If you’re new to Flamingosis, start with Believe In Me, Down for the Fifth Time, and Flight of the Flamingo. 🎧 Listen on Spotify
Quotes of the Week
I’ve been turning to motivational quotes lately while working through some challenges with my business.
Quotes about caring less about what others think, embracing obstacles, knowing when to rest, staying present, and facing things head-on have helped.
Here are a few that stuck with me this week:
Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner. — Lao Tzu
Obstacles are not the enemy. They are the path. — Ryan Holiday
Rest is not idleness. It’s preparation for what matters most. — Unknown
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. — Corrie ten Boom
You must do the thing you think you cannot do. — Eleanor Roosevelt
Articles of the Week
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison.
Edison’s list of inventions includes the light bulb, phonograph, and motion picture projector.
Edison tried to keep a low profile, but his fame made it impossible to stay under the radar. His entrepreneurial journey was driven by a willingness to take risks. If investors passed on an idea, Edison built it anyway, funding be damned.
What fascinated me most was how often he failed–and kept going. To Edison, every failure was a lesson.
I wrote more about Edison’s entrepreneurial mindset in this blog post: Entrepreneurship Lessons from Thomas Edison. I also recommend the book The Wizard of Menlo Park if you want the full story.
Book of the Week
Tao Te Ching: A New English Version, translated by Stephen Mitchell, is a short, powerful book attributed to Lao Tzu. This ancient text, written around 400 BC, is all about living with balance, perspective, and intention.
It’s all about knowing when to act and when to let go. It nudges you to zoom out and see things more clearly.
What shines in the book is its simplicity. It cuts through the noise and reminds you what matters most: where to focus your time, how to live, and how short life is.
I love short books like this, ones packed with a punch in just a few pages.
It’s one I keep coming back to. You can check it out here: Tao Te Ching: A New English Version.
Podcast of the Week
At age 29, Steve Jobs called the personal computer “the greatest tool humans have ever created.” In the Founders podcast episode Rare Steve Jobs Interview, he shares why the future excited him, why hiring “troublemakers” sparks innovation, and why he looked up to pioneers like Edwin Land.
It’s full of sharp insights on leadership, creativity, and thinking ahead of the curve. If you’re trying to build something bold, it’s worth your time.
🎧 Listen to the episode on Spotify
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