A nice soundtrack for a Sunday morning stroll.
True freedom is listening to yourself.
It’s your home, do whatever the hell you want with it.
Turn your garage into a neighborhood pub.
It always feels like a red flag to me when people talk about how to “win” at business.
Tough to “win” a game when everyone uses a different scorecard, plays by different rules, and the game has no end.
Self-imposed deadlines exist to pressure yourself into doing things you don’t want to do.
But maybe you shouldn’t be doing those things in the first place?
Listen to this album.
AI can only show you what you know you’re looking for.
It can only teach you what you know you want to learn.
It can only answer questions you know to ask.
The opportunity in an AI world is to give people what they don’t know to look for.
"No one quite knows why it was started"
Harvey Firestone, the tire tycoon, once said this about rich men building big houses: “Why is it that a man, just as soon as he gets enough money, builds a house much bigger than he needs? I do not know why I do it - the houses are only a burden. But I have done it, and all my friends who have acquired wealth have big houses. But in most cases, and especially with men who have earned their own money, the house is just built, and when it’s done, no one quite knows why it was started.
The only 3 things you need to bring something to life
You need effort. Creating something from nothing will never be easy. You need courage. Creation is a scary process with an unknown outcome so it takes guts to pursue. You need commitment. You will fail, struggle, and want to quit often, so the only way to bring something to life is to ride out the waves. None of these qualities are easy, but you have them in you.
“I only scribble the essentials, that’s why erasers have pencils.”
Brother Ali
“The worst thing in the world is to have to convince somebody of something - that’s a lack of freedom. It’s the worst.”
Jimmy Iovine
Side note: This is why I always say when it comes to selling my job isn’t to convince anyone of anything.
It’s to make them aware of what I have to offer.
What an “in the moment” business might look like
I’ve been thinking about what it might look like to operate completely in the moment and how far that approach to my work could be pushed. Some ideas: Nothing scheduled more than a week in advance. Every email is only opened once - it’s replied to, deleted or archived in the moment. All social posts are written and published in the moment - no drafts, no scheduling in advance. No set schedule for podcast or videos - you make it when you make it and publish it when it’s done.
My newsletter is awesome.
Want proof?
Check out all 63 resources I shared in it last month, conveniently linked on one page.
When Jimmy Iovine retired from running a record label, Bruce Springsteen asked him why he’d retire.
He said:
“When you’re on stage, millions of people are yelling Bruce. No one’s yelling Jimmy. I talk to scumbags all day.”
“I have a vision for what it shouldn’t be and then I fall into what it should be.”
Jimmy Iovine
Make something cool. Give it to someone cool. Watch what happens.
LeBron James’ business partner Maverick Carter was in music executive Jimmy Iovine’s office. On his way out the door, Jimmy gave him a pair of the new Beats headphones he had just developed with Dr. Dre to give to LeBron. A few days later, LeBron asked for 15 more headphones - he wanted to give them as a gift to his teammates at the upcoming Olympics. Jimmy gave them to him and said, “Do me a favor - have the guys wear them when they get off the team bus.
This is NOT your last chance to read this
“Enrollment closes tonight” “Deadline” “Last chance” “Last call” “Last call (don’t miss out)” “Final call” “Last day” Those are the subject lines of 7 different emails I got from 7 different email lists I’m on TODAY. I know urgency works, but at a certain point they all sound the same and I tune them all out accordingly.
“A performer on stage doesn’t seek out new listeners during the show, they must focus on the people right there in front of them. If they do a good job, perhaps they’ll talk to a few people afterwards, and get them to join their email list.”
It's that time of year
“Parties are a public service, you’re doing people a favor by throwing them. Someone might meet their new best friend or future lover at your gathering. In the short term, lovely people may feel less lonely, and that’s thanks to you. In the long term, whole new children may ultimately exist in the world because you bothered to throw a party. Throwing parties is stressful for most people, but a great kindness to the community, so genuinely pat yourself on the back for doing this.