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No. 311 | December 12, 2025
Welcome to this week’s Friday Five—a short dose of insights, inspiration, and favorites to start your weekend with clarity and focus.
Music of the Week
James Andrews is from New Orleans, the older brother of Troy Andrews, better known as Trombone Shorty, and carries one of the great New Orleans nicknames: “Satchmo of the Ghetto.”
He’s played in the Treme Brass Band, Junior Olympia Brass Band, and New Birth Brass Band before launching his own group, the Crescent City Allstars.
He also appeared as himself in several episodes of HBO’s Treme.
If you’re new to his music, start with Zulu King, Bourbon Street Parade, and Li’l Liza Jane from the album James Andrews and Trombone Shorty Brothers.
Quotes of the Week
Keep the rhythm. To me, it means consistency, discipline, and effort. Showing up day after day matters more than speed. These quotes capture the spirit of keeping the rhythm.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
“Sticking with something long enough is what makes the difference.” – Jeff Bezos
“Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.” – Elon Musk
“I’m able to keep going because I don’t look too far ahead.” – Haruki Murakami
“Just write a page a day. Once a year, that’s a book.” – Ray Bradbury
“Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity.” – Bruce Lee
“Focus on the process, not the outcome.” – Nick Saban
“Productivity is often about saying no in order to protect your rhythm.” – Kevin Kelly
Article of the Week
“Somebody may beat me, but they’re going to have to bleed to do it.” – Steve Prefontaine
Nike’s Phil Knight has a simple philosophy: just keep going. Don’t let adversity stop you. Push through doubt, push through noise.
At times, Knight wondered whether his best moments were behind him. Should he settle or keep moving forward? He chose forward.
For Knight, moving forward meant building, one small stone at a time. In his case, those stones became a shoe company.
And moving a mountain means hitting roadblocks. Growth had to stay constant, or he’d stall out. For Knight, whether in business or life, the rule was simple: grow or die.
Growth puts you in the crosshairs of failure. If you’re building something meaningful, failure is inevitable. The key is letting it make you stronger.
Knight adapted a Prefontaine line to his business: “You’re going to have to bleed to beat me.”
That mindset, making competitors bleed to beat you, means refusing to fold. For Knight, winning wasn’t a moment; it was the ongoing process of becoming better.
For more on Phil Knight, Nike, and his book Shoe Dog, read my article below:
📝 Just Don’t Stop: What Nike’s Phil Knight Learned About Winning
Book of the Week
Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations is by Ron Shaich, builder of three notable restaurant brands: Au Bon Pain, Panera Bread, and Cava.
Shaich is considered the founder of the “fast casual” category. His book is a straightforward, unvarnished look at what he learned building these brands, and what they taught him about entrepreneurship and life.
Tell the truth. Know what matters. Get it done. That’s the heart of the book, and Shaich’s formula for success.
For more on Ron Shaich, the restaurant brands he built, and life lessons, read:
📚 Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations
Podcast of the Week
Jim Clayton went bankrupt in his late 20s. The banks took everything.
He used that failure as an opportunity for growth: refusing bad loans, vertically integrating his business, and playing offense during recessions.
That strategy paid off during the brutal housing recessions of the 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s. Clayton stayed disciplined.
That discipline built a company strong enough that Warren Buffett read Clayton’s autobiography, called him a few days later, and bought his business for $1.7 billion in cash.
For more on Jim Clayton, his array of businesses, and lessons on discipline, vertical integration, and buying opportunities, listen to the episode below:
🎧 Jim Clayton: Turning Competitor’s Mistakes into $1.7B
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