No. 344 | August 7, 2026
Welcome to Friday Five, a short collection of ideas to take into your weekend.
This week’s theme: the relentless mechanics of moving forward, blocking out mediocre minds, and staying in the game long enough to win.
If this resonates, forward it to a friend. Most readers discover Friday Five because someone they trust shared it with them.
Music of the Week
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do.” — Ella Fitzgerald
They called Ella Fitzgerald the ‘Queen of Jazz,’ but that title undersells the sheer, relentless power behind her voice.
She utilized a multi-octave range, blending jazz, swing, pop, and blues into a genre entirely of her own making.
Start with “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Cheek to Cheek,” and “Summertime” to get a feel for her music.
Quotes of the Week
“Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” — Napoleon Hill
”Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
”Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” — Teddy Roosevelt
”Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.” — Winston Churchill
Article of the Week
“If you don’t go, you don’t get.” — Ronen Harary
A quantitative investor, a serial corporate acquirer, a Hollywood power broker, and a toy entrepreneur walk into a room. On the surface, they share nothing. Look closer, and you see the same obsession: they simply refused to leave the table until they won.
Jim Simons conquered Wall Street by hiring codebreakers, not traders. Brad Jacobs leveraged chaos, turning industry problems into personal assets. Hamilton Helmer mapped out the moats no competitor could cross. Michael Ovitz pulled the strings of Hollywood from the shadows, while Ronen Harary created massive value out of thin air.
To dive into thinking long term, timeless lessons, and how to apply their principles, read:
📝 July Reading List: 5 Best Books I Read in July 2026
Podcast of the Week
“For me, life is about experience and being a good person.” — Chris Hemsworth
Before he was swinging Thor’s hammer in multi-billion dollar Marvel films, Chris Hemsworth was just another actor spending years on an Australian soap opera learning his craft.
He joined the Smartless podcast to unpack that trajectory, shifting from the isolation of cattle stations in the Australian outback to the center of global celebrity.
What emerges under the banter about back tattoos and Hollywood noise is a blueprint for fatherhood, career longevity, and the art of focusing on what you can control.
For more on Hemsworth, how he found his career, and his perspective on life, listen:
Book of the Week
“Mediocre people don’t like high achievers and high achievers don’t like mediocre people.” — Nick Saban
Nick Saban’s career looked dead on arrival in the NFL. His stint with the Miami Dolphins wasn’t just a failure; it was a catastrophe. So he escaped to Tuscaloosa. What followed wasn’t just a comeback. It was a systematic, decade-long demolition of college football that cemented him as the GOAT.
In The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban, the curtain is pulled back on the relentless, unglamorous machine that kept him at the top of Mount Rushmore.
Key principles that I can’t stop thinking about:
- Focus on the daily execution of small tasks rather than worrying about the outcome.
- Block out the external noise from success that can trick you into becoming complacent.
- Plan for every possible scenario so the pressure doesn’t catch you off guard when the stakes are high.
- A great leader empowers others by building a strong framework where assistants and team members lead from within.
- Constantly evaluate what is and isn’t working and be willing to change your approach when old habits stop working.
- Use staff changes and natural turnover as an opportunity to bring in fresh perspectives and upgrades to your overall system.
📚 The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama’s Coach Became the Greatest Ever
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