Definitions matter. Currently, the words we use are identified more through how we use them and the surrounding words than the word itself, like love. I LOVE the Green Bay Packers. I also love my wife. Same word, very different meanings. That’s why definitions matter; the more we understand the words we use, the clearer we are (in spee...

You’re not the exception. Sure, you could be. But betting on being the 1 in 1,000,000 is silly. Creating expectations based on being an anomaly is a recipe for defeat. Instead, do your research and understand where most values land (one standard deviation from the mean). This can give you more clarity on where you’re likely to land. Le...

Imagine you have two friends: Ted and Dale. While they both are lovely humans, Ted and Dale have some differences. For one, Ted hates cats. This makes visiting Ted for Fantasy Football challenging, as he struggles to refrain from making derogatory comments toward your cat while the game is on. But you love football, so in the end, it's...

Hiya 👋 Feeling like summer yet? This week I've spent more time working outside in the sun than I ever have. It felt great. The heat of the sun and the sweat sliding down my armpit brought me back to my lifeguarding days. Much simpler times... Does it feel like summer for you? 5 things I did this week: 1. Failed to release a new episode...

What’s one of the quickest ways to ruin a relationship? Paranoia. Think about it. How healthy would your relationship be if your partner had constant suspicions that you were cheating on them? Pretty unhealthy. They would lose trust in you regularly and subconsciously force you to prove yourself repeatedly. That would get exhausting qu...

“Know butter. Do butter.” After reading the above on my body lotion container, my marketer/writer mind proceeded to geek out. Why? It contains two timeless writing tips. The first: good things come in twos. The second: humor is vital for your message to stick (or land). Look at some of the best taglines or headlines, and you will see t...

"Thank you! Over 500k views on YouTube. 🏆" That was the subject line from a local software development company. And I instantly knew I needed to make a lesson out of this mistake I see occurring too much in marketing. What is the mistake? Over focusing on yourself. This isn't just a company issue. We all struggle with selfishness. We a...

Hey there 👋 My week was surprisingly busy and thankfully productive. I got a lot done, stayed on top of my physical and emotional health, and am hitting the weekend full sprint. How about you? 5 things I did this week: 1. Began to figure out how to consistently release podcasts without spending 5 hours editing a week (outsource) 2. Ran...

It was my first time back. Each month, my wife Katie gets an infusion for Multiple Sclerosis. Aside from the first one, I’ve been absent (with Katie’s permission). That’s why coming back shook me up. Emotions that I haven’t seen in awhile came out to play. The same emotions I had almost a year ago when she was diagnosed: • Anger (at Go...

I recently read a book called The Power Of Ignorance by Dave Trott. It's a lot like the book Alchemy by Rory Sutherland in that it conveys wisdom through stories. It's like the Bible (i.e., teaching through stories and parables). This made me realize there are two types of books: • Practical (Improve your action) • Theoretical (Improve...

If you know me, you know I’m long-winded. I could talk for days. That directly correlates to my writing. Put simply; I struggle with brevity. I’m a verbose guy. If I can say something with five words, I’ll use fifteen. I’ve always been that way. But over time, I’ve realized that it’s a significant weakness. It’s a weakness in a couple ...

I've never had surgery before (aside from getting my wisdom teeth out). But I bet you have. And, even if you haven't, this analogy should still make sense. Imagine you go in for a complicated surgery. You're nervous and a little weary. However, that changes as a professional-looking woman greets you. She is genuine and seems to "care."...

Hiya 👋 Something I can't stop thinking about this week is how lucky we are. Sure, life could be better. We could have no war, inflation, or sickness. But still, life is incredible. When I want, I can start playing a symphony on my phone. I can learn almost any fact I want. And I have water every single morning. Maybe you are great at s...

Have you ever thought back to a time in your past and thought: Those were the good ole times. I have—far too many times. I frequently believe that I can only experience the good days once they’ve passed—I can only enjoy the moments in retrospect. But that’s changed. I now believe we all can experience that feeling during the current mo...

"Your tax refund might be enough to cover the cost of new windows." This was the premise of a video ad from a local window company. It then went on to talk about why buying windows would be a good purchase. Seriously? Do you think I want to spend my refund on some new windows? How about a new Apple Watch? Or those shoes I've been eyein...

Let's talk about editing. It's something I read little about. Yet it's easily one of the more critical elements of writing. I understand that getting content on the page is challenging. But once you master the blank page, your next level is to master editing. Editing is where you take semi-good writing and turn it into excellent writin...

The first component of an effective marketing plan is usually the most overlooked. Most plans or strategies include the tactical aspects (i.e., the content we will post or the platforms we will use). In addition, most have some level of goals or metrics. But few include what your plan should be based on: A diagnosis. The first thing yo...

This weather has me feeling amazing ☀ It's crazy how I let externalities affect my internal state (happiness). It's essentially handing over control to things out of my control. That doesn't sound the smartest. That has me focusing on cultivating happiness regardless of the outside world. No matter if there is a war, a stock crash, or ...

Take two steps back. Every time you face a problem or opportunity, take two steps back and breathe. Don’t jump right into solving it. Please. This is especially for you if: - You’re someone who prides themselves on getting shit done, or - You’re someone who needs to be busy to feel productive The first thing I will do every time I get ...

Numbers are just numbers. You know that. But then why do we get so hung up on reaching X subscribers or X views? We forget a core truth about data or numbers: 1 ≠ 1. A view from Sally, who is your grandmother, is not as important as a view from Sharon, who is in your target audience. Sorry, grandma. Having 55 subscribers with 25 being ...

Growing up with two older brothers was wonderful. I wore their shoes, learned from their mistakes, and had an easier time with my parents as they were worn out. But it wasn't all roses and sunshine. I've struggled with insecurity as the youngest child (I know, we all do to some extent). But specifically around intelligence. As the youn...

Last week I met the 43rd-best player in the world. Player of what? Why does that matter? Would it be any different if he was the 43rd-best basketball player rather than the 43rd-best dart thrower? Other than making far more and being 1000x more recognizable. There is a big difference between the two. But, they are still ranked the same...

Moments of low clarity suck. It's challenging when you don't know what to do or how to move forward. You feel stuck. All week I experienced this. I am struggling to figure out how to move forward with my content (podcast + newsletter). I want to continue writing daily to improve my writing, but I'm unsure if this is the best way. That'...

What are your thoughts on hashtags? I remember they were the craze in high school. Everyone was using them. Now, I don't find them to be of much tangible value. This resulted in me challenging a man on why he believes they are important. I asked a simple question: “Have you seen any tangible value from using hashtags?” His answer: “I s...

““The company story is the company strategy.” – Ben Horowitz, Partner and Co-founder, Andreessen Horowitz.” Imagine you built the best designed and coded software. It kicks butt. You release it, and your target audience eats it up. You continue to add users steadily as you update and improve the product. Until one day… Microsoft become...

Most people write too many words (myself included). We fail to get to the point and incessantly drone on. This is something I’ve struggled a lot with. Brevity is not natural for me. But, I use a simple trick when writing to be less verbose. The trick is to write whatever I’m writing without thinking–vomit it onto the page. Then imagine...

You've heard of the marketing funnel, right? 1. Awareness 2. Interest 3. Consideration 4. Intent 5. Evaluation 6. Decision While I think it's an okay framework, it falls short. It does not map to reality. It's a mirage. Like seeing water in a dessert, you pray it's real, but the last five times you had a similar experience, it was in y...

That was a crazy week. Sunday feels like yesterday with the software launching, my mom's birthday, and my shin exploding. How about you? How was your week? What did I do this week? • I failed to release episode 5 of my podcast (🤦🏼♂) • We launched MyTalentPlanner software and V2 of the website (See V2 of the website: https://www.mytalen...

"Strong beliefs held lightly." That's a new motto I've adapted. Why? Life is too short to do the opposite, "Weak beliefs held strongly." We should have strong beliefs backed by research and experience. But we should hold them lightly, willing to update and refine them with better data and experiences. To live a better life for ourselve...

I believe most humans should write daily. I mean, we all do, whether through emails, a report, or a social media update. But I'm speaking about a dedicated chunk of time to write. 15-30 minutes where all you do is write. What does that look like? • Structured writing about your feelings in a journal • Brain dumping whatever is on your ...