Embrace the family motto “how you do anything is how you do everything” to bring intentionality to every aspect of your life, making life fun and interesting.
Take deep responsibility for problems, proactively fixing them yourself and embracing the role of a “single-threaded owner” rather than deferring.
Actively reject the passive “it is what it is” mindset, believing you can change your own fate and everything around you through intentional action.
Consciously pick what you want to be world-class at, focusing your efforts and accepting that you must close doors to other pursuits.
Develop the courage to say no and close doors to things, even those that bring some joy, as intentionality and doing everything well require selectivity.
Be deliberate about who you spend your time with and where you spend your time, seeking out “energy catalysts” that uplift you and avoiding “energy vampires.”
Realign your professional role to match what you are naturally good at and passionate about, as this can dramatically re-energize you and lead to recommitment to your mission.
Accept that being world-class in one specific, deeply valuable area is “totally enough” and can have a profound impact, rather than trying to be good at many things.
Seek to align your professional role with your “Ikigai” – the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for – to reignite passion.
Seek work where your personal mission is deeply tied to the company’s mission or product, as this deep connection fosters passion, commitment, and greater success.
Differentiate between “forced entrepreneurship” and “passion-based entrepreneurship,” striving to pursue your life’s work in an area you are deeply passionate about for greater fulfillment.
Commit to being the very best in your area of responsibility, and annually “requalify” by continuously striving for improvement and pushing beyond last year’s achievements.
Strive to perform your job so exceptionally and differently that you could keynote an industry conference, demonstrating a “global maxima” approach rather than just being the best on the current path.
Find mentors or partners who consistently see a better version of you than you see for yourself, pushing you to find “another gear” and inspiring continuous improvement.
Seek out partners who hold themselves and you to extremely high standards, as this mutual commitment and drive can elevate performance and lead to remarkable achievements.
When starting a company, seek co-founders with diverse and complementary skill sets from different backgrounds to bring varied perspectives and capabilities to the table.
Overcome the fear of admitting when a role or responsibility is not a natural fit, even if it means stepping back from a “bigger” job, to pursue what truly aligns with your strengths.
Be very selective about what you take on and say no to many things, as this intentionality allows you to focus on what you truly want to be world-class at.
When a partner shares a problem, ask if they want you to solve it or just listen, as the default problem-solving reflex is often not what they need.
Hold your friendships and relationships to a very high caliber of quality because you hold them dearly, understanding this may sometimes lead to disappointment but ensures meaningful connections.
When someone shares a business idea, provide simple, tangible support (like making business cards) to physically manifest their idea and convey unequivocal belief in their capacity.
Share stories of your early struggles, grit, and willpower with your children to instill an understanding that success comes from hard work, not just fate or luck.
Understand that children emulate what they see; model respectful and hard-working behavior yourself, as this is more impactful than simply telling them what to do.
Actively foster gratitude, hard work, conviction, and resilience in children by encouraging projects, allowing them to experience failure, and celebrating their efforts.
To teach children responsibility, create direct experiences where they must complete tasks normally done by others, linking privileges to their completion.
Do not artificially impose a different lifestyle on your children than you are genuinely living, as this can create resentment and is not a real or sustainable way to teach values.
Inspire your children by visibly demonstrating your own passions and the joy you derive from them, rather than simply providing them with equipment or opportunities.
Calendar every aspect of your life, both professional and personal, to clearly visualize your priorities and ensure you allocate time to what truly matters.
Color-code all calendar entries to visually audit your time allocation, allowing you to quickly identify imbalances and adjust your schedule to preserve energy.
At the start of the year, populate your calendar with all major personal and professional priorities to visually confirm if your schedule aligns with your stated goals.
Reduce stress by aligning your calendar with your stated priorities; if an activity you claim to value isn’t reflected in your schedule, acknowledge that you might be lying to yourself.
Be honest with yourself about your preferred calendar management style and create guardrails that align with what genuinely brings you joy and reduces anxiety.
Schedule less enjoyable or lower-energy tasks for times of day when your energy is naturally lower, reserving your peak energy times for high-impact activities.
When facing a problem, challenge, or project, reflexively consider what AI tool can be used to do your job better, making it a default part of your problem-solving process.
Create dedicated AI projects for personal data like health records or speaking transcripts, using them to analyze information, check tone, or identify patterns.
Before hiring a new person, evaluate whether an AI tool can perform the task better or more efficiently, prioritizing AI solutions to maximize productivity and resource allocation.
Adopt a “techno-optimist” mindset, believing in the rapid improvement of AI and not letting initial “hallucinations” create scar tissue; continuously engage with evolving AI tools.
Actively cultivate friendships across different age groups to gain diverse perspectives, stay updated on new technologies, and continuously learn outside your immediate peer group.
Pay close attention to how people, especially younger generations, are actually using technology in unexpected ways, as this observation can reveal new insights and opportunities.
Define success as the harmonization of your “life’s work” (meaningful professional pursuits) and “joie de vivre” (joy of life), striving to maximize both without sacrifice.
To develop a skill, start small, practice extensively, and engage in rigorous self-critique (e.g., watching recordings of yourself) to identify and fix specific issues.
Instead of emulating others, focus on developing your own authentic style in your craft, embracing your unique traits and ensuring it’s genuinely “the version of you.”
Seek out and learn from great mentors in your specific area of desired improvement, observing their techniques and insights to accelerate your own development.
Understand that mastery comes from consistent repetition (“reps”); dedicate yourself to putting in the necessary hours and practice, similar to how top athletes train.
When telling a story, always start with your personal experience, as this approach ensures authenticity, cannot be factually wrong, and allows you to speak with genuine conviction.
Adopt a “go direct” approach to communication, transforming traditional corporate events into genuine storytelling opportunities to differentiate yourself and set new industry standards.
Instead of trying to emulate a mentor’s entire life, identify mentors who are exceptionally good (“spiky objects”) in specific, narrow categories where you want to improve.
Recognize that mentors and coaches have a “timeliness”; once you’ve learned their core lessons, it’s a good time to move on to a new one for fresh perspectives.
Before significant life events, proactively identify and observe couples or parents with relationships you admire, then subtly spend time with them to learn and emulate their successful dynamics.
When engaging in philanthropy, establish a clear rubric for giving, focusing on projects that wouldn’t start or end without your involvement, and where you can see the investment’s efficacy.
Adopt an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy by being highly precise: identify a specific problem, determine exact resources needed, and fundraise for that precise solution.
When learning a new skill or hobby, actively seek out experts in that field (even local ones) and ask them precise, technical questions about their methods and tools.
Develop a high tolerance for the “cringe factor” and rejection; proactively reach out to potential mentors without hesitation or fear of looking foolish.
Be willing to look foolish or “stupid” in the short term when learning new skills or pursuing ambitious goals, as this high tolerance for discomfort is essential for long-term growth.
Before embarking on any venture, assess the “cost of failure” and weigh it against the potential benefit of success; if the cost is low, be willing to try and iterate quickly.
Actively learn to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, as this cultivated resilience is a “magic” skill essential for success and personal growth.
Cultivate a “superpower” of simply “out-caring” other people in your endeavors, as this deep-rooted ambition and desire to succeed can supersede IQ, EQ, or raw talent.
When seeking career direction, identify what you genuinely do for fun, as deep care and passion for an activity often indicate where you will naturally develop skills and excel.
Adopt a mindset of continuous improvement, questioning what could be better even after achieving high success, to avoid complacency and strive for global maxima.