These last couple of months have flown by.

In a post at the end of April, I outlined what you can expect from the 2nd iteration of Growth Meditations. In that email, I committed to focusing on this newsletter consistently for 8 weeks straight.

Despite my energy pulling me in other directions—including a new project / potential business!?—it feels great to deliver on that promise, with this issue being the 9th week in a row sending these emails. ✅ 

At a Glance

• My reflections on the 2nd iteration of this newsletter (the last couple months).

• An update on my experiment to build a habit.

• Next steps: I’ll be back in September with more updates on the future of Growth Mediations.

• In the meantime, please subscribe to Slightly Smarter. I’d love your feedback and perspective to help shape this project!

Reflections on v2

A quick post-mortem on what I said you could expect:

🟢 Shorter articles. I was targeting to keep each issue under 500 words. → Not quite, but better. Despite 3 issues that ended up around the same length as my previous average (1,100 words), the average of the remaining 5 issues in this sprint was 618 words.

🟢 More focused. I attempted to only highlight 3-5 key ideas on a specific topic in each issue. → I did a better job staying on topic (which makes it easier for me to reference old issues on the blog), but I still struggled to stick to 3-5 points each week. In the future, I plan to experiment with constraints / guardrails, or use a consistent structure for the newsletter. I may also consider a multi-week series that connects topics from week-to-week.

🟢 Consistent delivery. I said you’d receive the emails every Wednesday by 7:00 am EDT. → All nine emails arrived on Wednesday mornings, but two of them came after 7am due to other priorities. In the future, I want to build a backlog instead of waiting until the last minute.

🟠 Expanded social presence. I intentionally avoided creating social content for Growth Mediations since I’m not ready to scale it yet. However, I did experiment with creating bite-size pieces of the content for Slightly Smarter (check us out and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X). Tons of learnings from this, so I expect these will improve SIGNIFICANTLY in the future. But here is my favorite post from this sprint:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/scott-johnson-nyc_slightly-smarter-strong-vision-loosely-activity-7202699569313300480-_Uak?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

🟠 A podcast: Similar to social, I intentionally didn’t publish a podcast for Growth Meditations, but I did leveled up in this area too. I now have the equipment, and I even practiced recording a few different types of episodes. I need a lot more practice / better production, but it felt good to take the first step. More to come here.

Habits

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post explaining how I’m trying to build a simple daily habit by experimenting with several of James Clear’s concepts from his book Atomic Habits.

Long story short—I failed.

I was doing great for a while, but fell off track while traveling for a weekend, and struggled to get back into a consistent routine.

Few of my learnings (and reminders to myself):

• One at a time. I picked 13 different concepts/tools from Atomic Habits to experiment with, and it was WAY too many for any one of them to stay top of mind. James Clear says to master one habit (rather than tracking multiple at a time), and I recommend you do the same with his tools/techniques (e.g., pick one implementation intention at a specific time of the day to start).

• It must be a priority. No matter how small or easy the habit is to do, if it’s not a habit you REALLY want to build, then you’re ‘swimming upstream’ and it’s going to be difficult when you face obstacles.

• It’s okay to change course. If you’re energy is pulling you towards another habit (or another priority!) that’s also beneficial, go with it. There’s no reason to be so rigid. Follow your energy and ride the wave. Progress is rarely a straight line.

• New environment, new plan. When you’re traveling or coming back from a trip, you probably need a different plan—or at the minimum, to recommit to the plan (e.g., double down until you have momentum).

• Never miss two days. If you’re going to follow any advice from the book, this is where I’d start. It’s a simple way to make sure you don’t lose momentum.

Moving Forward

I’m planning to take the rest of the summer off from Growth Meditations.

I have some upcoming travel, and I’m planning to put all my energy into my other project: Slightly Smarter. We have some momentum building, so I want to give it everything I have.

I’ll be back in the future with more updates on Growth Mediations. I have a few ideas on how this might evolve. More to come.

In the meantime, please subscribe to Slightly Smarter and send me any feedback you have. It’s very, very early days so I expect it will evolve quite a bit, and I’d LOVE your perspective to help shape it.

Thanks again and talk soon!

Scott

People love to talk about “innovation” and put it on a pedestal. It feels sexy, and makes us feel important.

We glorify tech founders, spout off about disruption, and dream about inventing the next big thing.

But the reality is that it’s usually not the idea, it’s how you execute on the details, that makes the difference.

Look Forward:

As a former “innovation” consultant, I’m working to shift my mindset from architecting big ideas to creating small works that stack.

But what we create matters, so I’ve narrowed in on a few principles I’m experimenting with to guide my efforts:

1. Consider the market

Steve Jobs was great at finding markets with second-rate products. There were often too many products, but they were low quality.

Conventional wisdom would say to avoid crowded markets, but this can be a sign that the market is stagnant and ripe for a differentiated approach.

A reminder that we don’t have to invent something new to succeed. Like Jobs, we can take a boring product and make it sexy, or we can differentiate on how we execute (innovate on the operations).

A word of caution: avoid trendy markets that are a race to the bottom.

2. Consider timing

It’s much easier to ride a wave than to swim against the current. But it’s hard to time the wave, and how do we know if we’re too late?

According to Bill Gates, “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next 2 years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10 years.”

3. Play positive-sum games.

Avoid zero-sum games. Stop and reevaluate before entering a winner-take-all market since your odds of winning are much lower.

It’s better to build in an industry where competitors support each other and all boats rise with the tide.

Most importantly, a reminder to myself that quantity matters.

Get as many at-bats as possible.

Create like Picasso.

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Today’s issue is all about focus, with a lesson inspired by Joe Simpson’s story in the book Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival.

Our Challenge

Have you ever felt like your attention span is just… short? Well, studies show the average person only stays with a single task for 3 minutes at a time.

And I get it! It’s tough to stay focused with so many distractions, right?

A Short Story

Today, we’re going take a cue from Joe Simpson, a mountaineer who survived a perilous situation while climbing a remote peak in the Peruvian Andes.

Joe climbed to the peak, but on the way down, he suffered a broken leg and was separated from his climbing partner.

Instead of giving up hope, Joe devised a simple strategy.

He focused his sight on one point on the horizon, and told himself he had 20 minutes to crawl there. When he got to that point, he picked another one to crawl to. And he did this time and time again… for 3 days… when he was finally able to make it back to safety.

The Lesson

In addition to being a miraculous story of human perseverance, it also serves as a simple reminder: where your eyes go, your mind follows.

So if you’re ever feeling scattered, here’s a simple trick: narrow your visual focus.

Another Example

This makes me think of Eminem in the movie Eight Mile, where he pulled up his hoodie, to zone in on his opponent in the rap battle. Well, that wasn’t just an intimidation tactic. It was also a way for him to focus his brain on the task at hand… and cut out any visual distractions.

Act on the Lesson

While I don’t plan to get stranded on a mountain, or compete in a rap battle anytime soon (well, at least not publicly)… I could benefit from more focus when I’m working and I suspect you might too.

If so, here’s 3 simple hacks you can steal:

1) Simplify or declutter your workspace. Remove anything that’s not essential. That includes pens, papers, sticky notes, your phone… any clutter that might be a distraction. Ask yourself, what’s the minimum I need to execute the task at hand.

2) Close those extra browser tabs. I’m the biggest culprit as my curiosity pulls me in so many different directions… but if they’re not needed for your task at hand, close them or at least move them to hidden desktop. 

3) Turn off notifications. Put your phone and computer into Focus mode. And ignore anything that might compete for your attention… you don’t need that text or social media notification if it’s not helping you complete your task at hand.

And here’s a bonus for when you’re really stuck:

4) Pick something in your space to focus on. It could be a plant, a picture, a book… anything. Let it anchor your attention. Really take it in. If your mind wanders, just bring it back. After doing this for a few seconds or minutes, your brain should eventually settle down and begin to focus on the task at hand.

Okay, that’s a wrap for today’s issue. If you want more:

• Check out the book Touching the Void to see how Joe Simpson survived to tell his tale, or you can also watch the documentary (of the same name).

• Download the Calm app. This post was inspired by one of Jay Shetty’s episodes of The Daily Jay.

And finally, if this struck a chord – if you found this helpful — please share it with a friend.

I’ll catch you back here next week for more Growth Meditations.

Scott

P.S. If this email was forwarded to you, consider subscribing to receive future issues in your inbox every Wednesday morning!

Hi friends,

Today I’m announcing a project I’ve been working on for a couple weeks with my friend Andrew Levine.

Slightly Smarter is a daily email and cross-platform content to help us all get slightly smarter every day.

You can see our most recent email below, which spotlights ideas from the book Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates.

But first, some context:

It’s still VERY early days, but we’re really excited about Slightly Smarter’s potential and hope to scale it into something meaningful.

We identified that there are many people who wish they had time to read more (Andrew and I included)… and the goal of the Slightly Smarter newsletter is to curate one book a day to help make readers (and aspirational audiences) smarter.

It’s not intended to be a book summary, nor is it a book review. It’s a book spotlight to help you discover and remember a few of the big ideas or learnings.

You can think of us like your personal book concierge, helping you decide which books (and subsequent ideas) you want to dive deeper into.

We will spotlight a variety of books to keep it interesting (not just self-help and business books, although I expect there will be quite a few of those too).

We will try to keep the writing light… we want this to be short and sweet… an easy read that is enjoyable and gives you a boost of energy to take on the day. Think Morning Brew or The Skimm, but for evergreen content instead of the news.

This is also an experiment on how to best use AI to scale a business that is “powered by people with machines.” We believe human curation will remain critical, but we’ve been really impressed with the power of AI so far, and we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible.

We believe this has the potential to be much more than just a newsletter (e.g., modern book clubs, learning challenges, personalized recommendations / content, podcasts, events, communities, commerce, publishing, workshops, B2B services, etc.).

But first, we want to start with a very targeted offer that we can scale. That’s why we’re laser focused on 1) dialing in the newsletter to get something valuable, 2) better understanding our target reader, and 3) growing subscribers.

I understand this won’t be for everyone, but if you’re intrigued by the concept at all, we’d love to have you along for the journey with us!

HUGE FAVORS TO ASK:

1. Share it with 3+ friends that you think would be most interested (you can forward this email or copy and paste the links at the bottom of this email)

2. Subscribe if it’s your jam!! Or even if you think it has the potential to evolve into something helpful / enjoyable to read. We’re open to suggestions!

3. Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter

4. HONEST FEEDBACK!!! Reply to this email to let me know what you think. We are still very early in the development and expect more iterations, so your honest feedback is crucial.

Below you can read the most recent issue of Slightly Smarter.

In addition, here are links to our last 3 spotlights to give you an idea of other books we’ve covered.

• How Innovation Works by Matt Ridley

• The Wager by David Grann

• Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Let us know if you have any recommendations for future books. We’re open to suggestions!

Regarding Growth Meditations… it’s not going anywhere. I’m still planning to keep it as my personal blog, but I may decide to adjust the frequency in the future. More to come.

Finally, here’s the latest issue of Slightly Smarter. Let me know what you think!

🤐 The High Cost of Silence
How Fear-Driven Quiet is Killing Your Company's Potential

Happy Wednesday! Today’s insights are from Courageous Cultures by Karin Hurt and David Dye, two leadership experts who’ve worked with top companies like Marriott and Verizon.

The book has been hailed as a game-changer by leaders in various industries and praised for its practical insights into fostering a culture of innovation.

📕 In this book, Hurt and Dye argue that many organizations are plagued by a "FOSU" problem—Fear of Speaking Up.

This silent epidemic stifles innovation, hampers problem-solving, and ultimately hurts the bottom line.

Have you noticed this in your workplace?

The authors provide practical strategies to transform your workplace into a "Courageous Culture," where every voice is heard and valued.

SMARTEST TAKEAWAY

A FEW LESSONS FROM THE BOOK

1. Identify Your “Smoke Signals”

Just as smoke signals warn of fire, certain behaviors hint at a fearful culture. Look for signs like hushed conversations that stop when a manager approaches, or the same few voices dominating meetings.

2. Master the “IDEA” Framework

Use this acronym to foster open communication:

• Interested: Show genuine curiosity in others' thoughts.

• Direct: Be clear about what you're asking.

• Empower: Give people the autonomy to act on their ideas.

• Ask: Follow up to see how their ideas are progressing.

3. Celebrate “Stumbles”

In a courageous culture, mistakes aren't failures—they're learning opportunities. Publicly acknowledge your own missteps and how you've grown from them. This sets a tone where taking risks is encouraged, not penalized.

GET STARTED TODAY

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SUBSCRIBE now for free and let us do the hard work for you.

WANT MORE?

If you want to go deeper and learn how to transform your workplace into a haven of open communication, check out the book Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates by Karin Hurt and David Dye.

Hurt and Dye’s work is a wake-up call for leaders who think silence means satisfaction. With real-world examples and actionable strategies, they show how fostering courage can unlock your organization’s full potential.

QUOTE TO REMEMBER

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Check out our full archive at slightlysmarter.com

In last week’s issue about anxiety, I outlined the 4-7-8 Breath Method which one doctor referred to as “the most powerful anti-anxiety measure I’ve ever come across.”

… and all it takes is 1-2 min of focus, 2x per day!

It got me thinking…

For all the time I’ve spent tracking and trying to optimize my life, why haven’t I focused on something as simple as a daily 4-7-8 habit?

I’ve tried various breathing techniques before, but I never stuck with any of them consistently for weeks on end.

• 🚫 It’s not because it’s difficult. It’s easy to understand and do.

• 🚫 It’s not because it’s time consuming. It’s literally < 3 min per day!

• 🚫 It’s not because I don’t see the value in it. I’ve tried all sorts of breathing techniques, and I’ve experienced firsthand how they can change my state.

• ❓ It might be because I wasn’t sure which breathing technique is best for me to use at different times… but isn’t any better than none?

• ❓ It might be because it’s the last thing I want to do when I’m heads down focused on something… but isn’t that when I most need to “sharpen my sword” so I can stay in the zone longer?

• ❓ It might be because it simply wasn’t a priority… but it only takes a few minutes per day. Surely I can spare that right?

This seemed like a perfect challenge to put my learnings on building sustainable habits to the test.

Refresher on Habits

A few months ago, in a previous issue of this newsletter, I dove deep on the strategies and tactics in James Clear’s book Atomic Habits.

I outlined Clear’s framework for creating a good habit:

1. CUE — Make it obvious 

2. CRAVING — Make it attractive 

3. RESPONSE — Make it easy 

4. REWARD — Make it satisfying 

I also outlined 26 concepts from Atomic Habits that you can leverage (think of these as tools in a menu of options we can pull from as needed).

For more details, here’s a link to that blog post:

Sustainable Habits

Key principles I'm implementing from James Clear's book Atomic Habits

growthmeditations.com/p/habits

FOCUS

How will I put my learnings to the test?

Over the coming weeks, I’m planning to use half of the 26 habit building concepts I summarized in that previous newsletter as part of an experiment to see which work best in helping me develop a sustainable daily habit of 4-7-8 breathing.

Below are the 13 concepts I selected to use as a starting point. Each is listed under one of the four elements of Clear’s framework (CUE, CRAVING, RESPONSE, REWARD), along with my initial plan of how I’m applying them to my environment and routine.

My goal is to help bring the concepts to life and make it easier for you to build your own habits… while holding myself accountable to document my learnings.

Here they are:

CUE - Make it “obvious”

1. Implementation Intention: “I will (practice 4-7-8 breathing) when (I wake up and go to sleep) in (my bed) so that I can become (a more patient and focused person).” Additional context: I will not look at my phone before doing 4-7-8 breathing in the morning, nor after doing it at night.

2. Habit Stacking: “Before or after (eating lunch), I will (practice 4-7-8 breathing).

3. Environment Design: I wrote “4-7-8” on a white board next to my desk and on a notecard on my nightstand to act as visible cues that serve as a reminder.

CRAVING — Make it “attractive”

4. Temptation Bundling: If I (crave something sweet after dinner), I will (practice 4-7-8 breathing) before I eat dessert.

5. Motivation Ritual: When I take a walk in my neighborhood park, I will sit on a bench and practice 4-7-8 breathing as a way to soak in the nice weather and enjoy being outside.

6. Positive Mindset Reframing: After practicing 4-7-8 breathing, I’ll give myself a positive affirmation, ideally out loud when I’m by myself, such as: “Nice work! That’s a vote for the type of person you want to become. You’re changing your identity.” I also wrote this on the notecard on my nightstand.

RESPONSE — Make it “easy”

7. Two-minute rule. By doing only 4-6 breath cycles at a time (of the 4-7-8 technique), it won’t take longer than 2 minutes.

8. Prime the environment. At the end of every day, I will clean off my desk and white board, which will remove distractions and make it easier to spot the “4-7-8” reminder on my white board.

REWARD — Make it “satisfying”

9. Habit tracker. I downloaded James Clear’s habit tracking app: Atoms. to see if it makes it easier to track the habit on a daily basis. But I’ll also periodically log the results in my spreadsheet I use to track my progress over time.

10. Never miss twice. Even if I forget to do the 4-7-8 breathing one day, my real goal is to never miss two days in a row.

11. Accountability partner. I recently reconnected with an old friend who is also working to constantly better himself. We have a weekly call to touch base, so I will ask him to hold me accountable each week.

12. Habit contract. By publicly stating my commitment here, I’m hoping the social pressure from you will also be a powerful motivator.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS (additional recommendations from Clear)

13. Master one thing. Rather than tracking multiple habits like I have in the past, I’m making this habit my #1 priority to increase focus and master one thing before moving to another. Side note: on average it takes 2+ months for new habits to become automatic behaviors.

LOOK BACK

How have I done so far?

I started tracking this habit last week, and here’s how I’ve done so far.

*Note: each # under the “Results” column indicates a set of 4+ breath cycles of 4-7-8 breathing in a single setting.

In a future issue, I’ll keep update you on my progress—and reflect on which of the 13 habit building concepts worked best for me, and how I’ll approach it different next time.

Want to share this issue?

It’s a breeze to send via text or email, or even to share on social media. Just copy and paste this link:

https://growthmeditations.com/p/habits2

Thanks for reading!

Until next week, keep growing in all directions « 🙂 »

Scott

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Welcome back to Growth Meditations!

This week’s issue is all about anxiety: some perspective across time, a potential reframe to get the most out of it, and a tool to help manage your anxiety in less than 3 minutes per day.

At a glance:

• How has anxiety been viewed throughout history?

• Is there a way to channel anxiety for good?

• The 4-7-8 Breath Method to manage anxiety.

ZOOM OUT

How has anxiety been viewed throughout history?

• Ancient Times: In ancient Greece and Rome, anxiety was often viewed through a philosophical and medical lens. Hippocrates and later Galen believed anxiety was linked to an imbalance of bodily fluids, or humors.

• The Dark Ages: During medieval times, religious and supernatural interpretations were more common, with anxiety sometimes seen as a test of faith or a manifestation of demonic possession.

• Renaissance: During the Renaissance, the rebirth of scientific inquiry and humanism shifted some focus back to naturalistic and physiological explanations.

• 18th Century: In the 18th century, anxiety began to be seen more as a medical issue and linked to the nervous system. The term ‘nervousness’ was used.

• 19th Century: The Industrial Revolution brought significant social change. The pace of life increased, and the stresses associated with urbanization and modernity led to new types of nervous disorders. The medical community used terms like ‘neurasthenia’ to describe them.

• Early to Mid 20th Century: New insights into anxiety. Psychoanalysis framed it as a consequence of repressed thoughts and unresolved psychological conflicts, and the rise of behavioral psychology focused on observable behavior and its modification.

• Late 20th Century to Present: Significant shift in understanding due to advances in neuroscience, genetics, and clinical psychology. Anxiety is recognized in various forms (such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder), and is understood as a multifaceted condition influenced by biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Treatments have also diversified to include medications like SSRIs, cognitive-behavior therapies, and mindfulness practices. Meanwhile, there is a growing recognition and destigmatization of anxiety in society.

BE CENTERED

Is there a way to channel anxiety for good?

While anxiety is a multifaceted condition and everyone is different, I found this perspective from Emma Stone thought-provoking and relatable.

A good reminder that things aren’t always “good” or “bad” — sometimes changing our perspective can unlock new advantages.

Question to consider: Is there something you struggle with that might benefit from a reframed perspective?

FOCUS

The 4-7-8 Breath Method

The basic technique (and how to use it):

• Breathe quietly in through the nose to a count of 4

• Hold the breath for a count of 7

• Forcibly blow air out through the mouth for a count of 8

• Repeat that for 4 breath cycles (when you’re first learning it)

• Eventually go up to 8 breath cycles (but no more than that)

• Do this religiously at least 2x per day

According the Dr. Andrew Weil, “the real effects come after doing this regularly for 4-6 weeks, and they’re really remarkable. This is the most powerful method I’ve found to access the relaxation response.”

Perhaps this is one of the techniques Scottie Scheffler used in his jail cell to keep his heart rate down as he prepared to golf in the PGA Championship last weekend 🤷‍♂️

@tmz

#ScottieScheffler says he used at least some of his time in jail on Friday to prep for the #PGA Championship 😱 Watch his full interview at... See more

Want to share this issue?

It’s a breeze to send via text or email, or even to share on social media. Just copy and paste this link:

https://growthmeditations.com/p/anxiety

Thanks for reading!

Until next week, keep growing in all directions « 🙂 »

Scott

P.S. If this email was forwarded to you, consider subscribing to receive future issues in your inbox every Wednesday morning!

This week’s issue highlights Something I Learned Today (SILT).

Let’s dive in.

SILT #1: The Science of Happiness

A friend recently asked me if I’ve come across any good insights about what makes people happy.

I recalled watching a TED talk several years ago about the longest-running study in the world on adult life, health and happiness… so I went back and rewatched it.

It’s been nearly 10 years since the video was published, so at this point the study has now tracked the lives of 700+ original participants and 1,300+ descendants over 85 years!

10 Takeaways

1. Studies like this (or any projects of this magnitude) are exceedingly rare. It required luck and persistence of several generations of researchers for the study to survive. Side note: It may be wishful thinking, but I’d love to see more long-term thinking and coordination across generations like this.

2. The clearest message from the study is this: ”Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.”

3. “People who are more socially connected to family, to friends, to community, are happier, they're physically healthier, and they live longer than people who are less well connected.”

4. “It’s not just the number of friends you have, and it’s not whether or not you’re in a committed relationship, but it’s the quality of your close relationships that matter.”

5. Emotional pain can magnify physical pain. “Our most happily partnered men and women reported, in their 80s, that on the days when they had more physical pain, their mood stayed just as happy. But the people who were in unhappy relationships, on the days when they reported more physical pain, it was magnified by more emotional pain.”

6. “Good relationships don’t just protect our bodies, they protect our brains. It turns out that being in a securely attached relationship to another person in your 80s is protective… that the people who are in relationships where they really feel they can count on the other person in times of need, those people’s memories stay sharper longer.”

7. “Good relationships don’t have to be smooth all the time. Some of our octogenarian couples could bicker with each other day in and day out, but as long as they felt that they could really count on the other when the going got tough, those arguments didn’t take a toll on their memories.”

8. It’s human nature to ignore wisdom from past generations, and instead look for a quick fix.

9. “The people in the study who were the happiest in retirement were the people who had actively worked to replace workmates with new playmates.”

10. “The good life is built with good relationships.”

Want more?

Sahil Bloom has written several great posts on this topic. Here are my two favorites:

The Science of Happiness. Learnings from a discussion with Dr. Arthur Brooks about his three “macronutrients” of happiness (all are needed in balance and abundance):

• Enjoyment: Enjoy your life.

• Satisfaction: The feeling of reward from a job well done.

• Purpose: Big picture meaning and significance.

5 lessons from a Conversation With a World-Renowned Happiness Expert (aka, Robert Waldinger, the current director of the 75-year-old study mentioned above).

• Lesson 1: Relationship Satisfaction Impacts Health

• Lesson 2: Loneliness Kills (& It’s More Prevalent Than Ever)

• Lesson 3: Make “Social Fitness” a Priority

• Lesson 4: Check Your Energy to Improve Your Life

• Lesson 5: Ambivalent Relationships are the Most Toxic

Why SILT?

Soil with silt in it promotes water retention and air circulation, so moisture-loving plants and crops tend to thrive in silty soil.

Just like silt provides the grounds for plant growth, learnings provide the grounds for our growth as humans.

Challenge: Learn something new every day.

​

This week’s issue is a Book Brief where I provide a glimpse into one of my favorite books and summarize the key strategies hidden within it.

Featured Book

The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday

Drawing inspiration from the ancient Stoics, Holiday serves up a series of lively anecdotes and insights that turn conventional wisdom on its head. Instead of dodging life's obstacles, we learn to embrace them.

Packed with stories about historical figures who turned adversity into triumph, this book is a great companion as you face life's challenges.

A Glimpse Into the Book

The book highlights many stories to illustrate how historical figures used Stoic principles to navigate life’s challenges.

Here’s an excerpt about John F. Kennedy:

In addition to JFK, here are some other personalities featured in the book:

• George Clooney - Renowned actor and director who faced numerous rejections early in his career but used each setback as a stepping stone to further his ambitions.

• James Stockdale - United States Navy vice admiral and aviator awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, who used Stoicism to survive being a prisoner of war.

• Eleanor Roosevelt - Former First Lady of the United States and a human rights advocate, who used her platform to address issues of racial injustice and the rights of women and workers despite facing personal and public challenges.

• Thomas Edison - Inventor whose response to the fire that destroyed his lab exemplifies the Stoic response to setbacks.

• Demosthenes - Ancient Greek statesman and orator, who overcame a speech impediment through persistent practice and determination to become one of Athens' greatest orators.

… and many others such as Julia Child, Amelia Earhart, Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, John D. Rockefeller, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Erwin Rommel, Margaret Thatcher, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Arthur Ashe, Jackie Robinson, Florence Nightingale, Samuel Zemurray, Malala Yousafzai, Josephine Bakhita, Marcus Aurelius and more.

(A Sidenote on Shortform)

I read the book several years ago, but this week I wanted to refresh my memory on the details so I downloaded Shortform to try it.

Shortform is more expensive than its competitors (Blinkist and Headway), but it is definitely the most robust summary app I’ve used. I also like how it references other books and provides counterarguments to provide a more well rounded understanding of the content.

Overall, I was really impressed with Shortform, and I thought it was worth the premium. But I still feel like it’s worth reading the entire book to pick up on the stories that bring the concepts to life.

If you decide to try Shortform, search for a discount code, and I believe you can get 14 days free this month.

Key Strategies in the Book

Here are the key points from the book that the Shortform summary expands on in more detail:

Part 1: Philosophy | Adopt an Empowering Worldview 

• Truth #1: No Event Is Necessarily Good or Bad

• Truth #2: You Can Choose To See Every Problem as an Opportunity

• Truth #3: The Purpose of Life Is to Act on Opportunities

• Exercise: Look for Hidden Opportunities

Part 2: The Internal Fight | Master Your Emotions

• Strategy #1: Use Logic to Defuse Your Unhelpful Emotions

• Strategy #2: Redirect Your Emotions Into Helpful Contexts

• Strategy #3: Prepare for Long-Term Hardship

• Strategy #4: Take Things Step-by-Step

• Strategy #5: Motivate Yourself by Helping Others

• Strategy #6: Accept Things for What They Are

• Exercise: Practice Acceptance

Part 3: The External Fight | Do What It Takes to Succeed

• Strategy #1: Act, Don’t Think

• Strategy #2: Learn Something From Every Failure

• Strategy #3: Set Unreasonable Goals

• Strategy #4: Predict What Will Go Wrong

• Strategy #5: Embrace Unconventional Paths to Success

• Exercise: Be a Practical Pessimist

• Exercise: Conquer Stubborn Obstacles

Each of these strategies may seem trite at surface level, but I’ve found it helpful to take the time to deeply reflect on each one.

Understanding the concepts is one thing… but remember that the real value comes from putting them into action (which is easier said than done).

I guess that’s why it’s an ongoing “practice.”

Don’t Take My Word For It

Check out this short clip where comedian Jerry Seinfeld talks about the impact Stoicism has had on his life.

Want to Learn More?

Read the book! Click here to buy The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday.

Then explore Ryan’s Stoic Reading List: 3 Must-Read Books to Get You Started

• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

• Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus

• Letters from a Stoic by Seneca

This week is a Founders Feature where we “look back” at history for lessons we can apply from leaders who came before us.

Here are 6 principles and the supporting highlights I took away from the autobiography of Sam Walton: Made In America.

1. Believe you have a right to win.

“It never occurred to me that I might lose; to me, it was almost as if I had a right to win. Thinking like that often seems to turn into sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“Commit to your business. Believe in it more than anybody else.”

2. Take advantage of not being taken seriously.

“They didn’t take me that seriously. They assumed we couldn’t be in it for the long haul. I think that misunderstanding worked to our advantage for a long time, and enabled Wal-Mart to fly under everybody’s radar until we were too far along to catch.”

3. Go the other way.

“Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everybody else is doing it one way, there’s a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction.”

4. Efficient operators have more room for error.

“I have always had the soul of an operator, somebody who wants to make things work well, then better, then the best they possibly can.”

“You can make a lot of different mistakes and still recover if you run an efficient operation. Or you can be brilliant and still go out of business if you’re too inefficient.”

5. Do it right the first time.

“A lot of this goes back to what Deming told the Japanese a long time ago: do it right the first time. The natural tendency when you’ve got a problem in a company is to come up with a solution to fix it. Too often, that solution is nothing more than adding another layer. What you should be doing is going to the source of the problem to fix it, and sometimes that requires shooting the culprit.”

6. Don’t be afraid to be wrong.

“Two things about Sam Walton distinguish him from almost everyone else I know. First, he gets up every day bound and determined to improve something. Second, he is less afraid of being wrong than anyone I’ve ever known. And once he sees he’s wrong, he just shakes it off and heads in another direction.”

“I didn’t dwell on my disappointment. The challenge at hand was simple enough to figure out: I had to pick myself up and get on with it, do it all over again, only even better this time.”

Why biographies?

What’s the best source for high quality insights from biographies?

… hands down David Senra’s Founders podcast.

Seriously, check it out. Start there, then buy the book if you want to go deeper.

David has read over 300 biographies at this point, so in addition to sharing his biggest insights from the book, he also connects the dots with similar learnings from other founders.

Listen to David’s latest episode on Sam Walton here:

#234 Sam Walton: Made In America

David Senra is the host of Founders, where he studies history's greatest entrepreneurs. This is what he learned from rereading Sam Walton: Made In America by Sam Walton.

www.founderspodcast.com/episodes/72831497/senra-sam-walton-made-in-america

Hey friends. It’s been a while. After taking the last couple months off, I’m back and more energized than ever!

There’s been a lot going on in my personal life, so I’ll give you a quick update on what I’ve been up to… as well as what you can expect from Growth Meditations moving forward.

Let’s dive in.

At a Glance

• Nicole and I got married and spent several weeks traveling

• A glimpse into Japanese culture

• Death of the middle (a framework to differentiate)

• How long should a newsletter be?

• The case for curation + synthesis

• What you can expect from Growth Meditations v2

Wedding and Honeymoon

The last couple months have been unreal, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the time Nicole and I were able to spend together.

It started with a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico where Nicole and I got married on March 3, 2024. Seeing so many of our close friends and family members come together for us and celebrate — many of whom were meeting for the first time but hit it off — far exceeded our expectations and was a magical experience we’ll remember forever!

As we get older and time seems to move faster, it’s moments like this that remind me of life’s beauty and the importance of living fully in the moment to experience it with those you love.

If you haven’t traveled to Oaxaca, I can’t recommend it enough. We loved exploring the city — including the amazing food, mezcal, and diversity of people that make it the cultural heart of Mexico.

The traditional Oaxacan Calenda was one of our favorite parts!

After a couple weeks at home to reset, Nicole and I flew to Japan where we spent a week in Tokyo and another week in Kyoto and Osaka.

Nicole was happy to see the sakura (cherry blossoms):

Sakura bloom in Kyoto

… and I nerded out on the design of the Japanese Gardens:

Higashiyama Jisho-ji

But the best part was just wandering around and exploring together:

We absolutely loved Japan and will definitely be back! (Anyone want to go skiing or snowboarding 🏂 there in the coming years?)

… but after a couple weeks of spring weather, Nicole and I were ready for some heat so we split our last week between Singapore and Bali.

I couldn’t be more grateful for the time and experiences we shared together. But I’m equally excited to get back into a routine at home.

As Nicole frequently reminds me, “it’s the little things that matter most.” And she couldn’t be more right.

A glimpse into Japanese culture

Here are a few of my favorite things about Japan (from the limited time we spent there):

• Cleanliness. Despite being significantly larger than NYC, Tokyo was insanely clean and safe. Some of this is definitely cultural, but I’d love to double click on the other interventions they’ve taken to see what we might be able to adopt in the States.

• Technology. It seemed like everywhere we went they were experimenting with new technology, or had already implemented new inventions at massive scale. Japan felt like a glimpse into the future.

• Respect. The people were so welcoming. Not only were they polite and respectful in personal interactions, it also extended to how they behaved on trains and in public places. To be honest, I’m not sure how they deal with all the tourists. I apologize in advance.

• Baseball. As a kid who played baseball growing up, it was refreshing to see parents playing catch with their kids in a park, little league fields in the cities, and stadiums full of people watching a ballgame on a Sunday afternoon. Shohei Ohtani has to be such an inspiration for Japanese kids, and I’m excited to see the impact he’ll have on the next generation.

• Attention to Detail. Kodawari (こだわり) is a Japanese word that means the pursuit of perfection. I’m not sure how often they use it in everyday language, but I saw how it permeated every aspect of their culture. Whether you went to a Michelin star restaurant or a mom ‘n’ pop shop, the quality was so freakin’ good. The comedian Andrew Schultz described it perfectly in this clip:

Death of the Middle

Death of the middle is a common pattern in technology and a useful framework for predicting how markets will evolve.

The idea is that you can analyze products in a market according to different spectrums (e.g., length, quality, cost, etc.)

… and the most opportunity is often at both ends of the spectrum (i.e., the extremes), while those in the middle fail to differentiate and get disrupted as the market evolves.

Chris Dixon describes the concept in this thread using an example about how the internet fueled the growth of Amazon and LVMH (the extremes), while disrupting department stores like Sears and Kmart (the middle). He also talks about it in more detail on this podcast (watch for 3 minutes starting at 1:12:13):

Death of the middle has been playing out in media over the last 10-20 years too. On one end, short-form social content has exploded and attention spans have decreased. But on the other extreme, books have stayed relevant and there’s been an increase in other types of long-form content like podcasts.

While newsletters/blogs fall in that messy middle, they are not all created equal. To break it down, I used the framework to compare the length of my newsletter to other content creators I’m inspired by.

Here’s what I learned from a quick retrospective.

My first 12 issues of Growth Meditations varied quite a bit as I experimented with different formats. The longest post was 4,100 words, and the two shortest posts were 216 words and 432 words. When I remove those outliers, my average post length was just over 1,100 words.

For additional context, today’s issue is just over 2,000 words.

How does that compare to others? It was square in the MIDDLE!

Let’s break it down…

Average length of newsletters

I did a quick analysis of 50+ newsletters/blogs, and the vast majority of them were between 750 and 2,000 words each.

Here are the exceptions at each end of the “length” spectrum (e.g., the ones that are most differentiated / defensible):

Long-form writing. Most of these posts were between 3,000 to 5,000 words, but quite a few were in the range of 10,000 to 15,000 words each. For context, the average non-fiction book has ~ 50,000 to 75,000 words.

• Paul Graham’s Essays.

• Tim Urban’s Wait But Why.

• Packy McCormick’s Not Boring.

• Lenny Rachitsky’s Lenny’s Newsletter.

• Ben Thompson’s Stratechery.

• Matt Levine’s Money Stuff.

… which leads me to the other end of the spectrum:

Short-form writing. There are quite a few newsletters that try to be short and sweet, but few are able to consistently provide value in under 500 words. Here are a few I like that inspire me:

• James Clear’s 3-2-1 Thursday

• David Senra’s Founders Notes

• Brian Johnson’s Heroic +1’s

• Chamath Palihapitiya’s What I Read This Week…

• Josh Spector’s 5 Ideas For The Interested This Week

• Startup Archive’s insights from the world's best founders

• Shaan Puri’s 5 Tweet Tuesday

• Jade Bonacolta’s The Quiet Rich

The case for CURATION + SYNTHESIS

1) The amount of content on the internet will continue to grow. We’re still in the early days of content creation, and more people will get off the sidelines and begin creating. While it’s easy to feel overwhelmed from “information overload” today… it will get worse.

2) AI is accelerating this trend by making it easier to generate content. Notice I didn’t say “good” content. In the near-term, it will become more difficult for individuals to cut through the noise. Note: while AI will lead to more content, it can also help to curate and synthesize it (more on that in a future post).

3) Social media is making it worse. The incentives are misaligned (they want to keep you on their apps as long as possible), and without control over the algorithm that drives your feed, it’s difficult for individuals to be intentional about what they consume.

While I’m optimistic we’ll create better solutions in the long-term, I anticipate the near-term result is that consumers will gravitate toward brands they trust to help curate their information diet.

This is not a new concept. For ages, we’ve relied on media brands to do this (e.g., magazines curated the best articles and essays). But as consumer preferences and business models evolved, we were left with a gap.

That gap is starting to be filled by new age media companies like Turpentine and Workweek. I love what they’re doing, but I believe this is just the beginning.

Prediction: As the world gets more complex, we’ll see more individuals and companies step up to help simplify and curate better information diets… and that gets me pumped!

In conclusion…

We don’t need more content… we need the best quality content.

Growth Meditations 2.0

This is a turning point for Growth Meditations, and you can expect it to be more dialed in and focused moving forward.

Reflections on starting Growth Meditations:

• The most important thing is that I got off the sideline and started creating content.

• It felt liberating to put myself out there.

• I was more focused on finding my voice than putting myself in the shoes of the reader. This will change.

• Despite that, I’m still proud of the first 13 blog posts I created, and I hope you found some of them helpful.

• The format, topics and length were different every week — which I’m sure made it hard to know what to expect (and if it was worth reading) when you received the email.

• Scope creep. Without guardrails on the newsletter structure, each issue ended up covering more topics (and going into more detail) than I anticipated. I’d get excited, go down rabbit holes, and keep adding to it without having the time to synthesize and trim the content.

• Synthesizing and editing writing takes time and multiple iterations. But it gets better with every pass.

• It took me longer to write each newsletter than I anticipated. Because of that, it was difficult to stick to a consistent delivery schedule (day of the week and time).

• Despite being time consuming, I experienced first-hand how writing can help me synthesize my thinking.

• My longest streak of writing consistently was 6 weeks in a row, and I did that twice.

• Since each newsletter issue covers multiple different topics, it has been difficult to navigate the blog as an ongoing reference guide.

What to expect for the next 8 weeks:

• Shorter articles. Targeting under 500 words for each issue.

• More focused. It will highlight 3-5 key ideas (from a single person or on a specific topic).

• Consistent delivery. Starting next week on May 1, you can expect an email in your inbox every Wednesday at 7:00 am EDT.

• Expanded social presence. I’ll experiment with repurposing bite-size pieces of the content on my different social accounts (LinkedIn, Instagram, and X) to expand distribution.

• A podcast. I’ll explore turning the content into a short podcast you can listen to, with the vision to expand it to longer-form audio and video content over time (potentially with guests or a cohost). I’m targeting to drop the first podcast episode sometime in June.

By focusing consistently for 8 weeks, my goal is to demonstrate what a simple “product” looks like.

At that point, I’ll be reaching back out to you to get more detailed feedback on your experience which will help me evaluate if and how I move forward with this project.

While I don’t envision I’ll ever focus on Growth Meditations full-time, I’m really enjoying the process of creating it. In addition to building new skills, it’s helping me develop my personal brand, expand my network, and holding me accountable to continuous learning — which I’ve found really energizing!

Said another way, I’m building my Binge Bank (click the link to listen to a 1-min clip describing what it is — I had never heard of it, but the concept perfectly described what I’m trying to do).

Thanks for reading!

Scott​

In this issue we’ll cover 3 concepts I stumbled upon this week.

While each resonated with me individually, I thought they were particularly powerful when combined.

Let’s dive in!

At a Glance

• Your environment affects your thinking.

• Authenticity matters, and your passion is a breeding ground for it.

• More effort doesn’t always lead to better results.

The Cathedral Effect

Your environment affects your thinking.

This is why cathedrals—with their towering ceilings, large open spaces, intricate designs, and the interplay of light and shadow—are designed to evoke a sense of something greater than oneself.

In addition, The concept also applies beyond religious spaces.

• High ceilings and open spaces promote abstract thinking and creativity.

• You’re more likely to find focus in minimalist environments without clutter.

This is true for your home and office, but it also applies to your digital life.

A question I’m currently exploring…

How can I simplify my digital systems to create mental space and achieve more clarity?

I’ve found Tiago Forte’s book Building a Second Brain to be helpful, and I’m currently experimenting with many of his ideas. More to come…

The Power of Passion

Authenticity matters, and your passion is a breeding ground for it.

Lean into topics that give you energy. Not only will they fuel you, you might just inspire others along the way. Passion is contagious.

Twitter tweet

The Backwards Law

More effort doesn’t always lead to better results.

The philosopher Alan Watts writes about this paradox in his book The Wisdom of Insecurity:

For more on the topic, read this blog from Mark Manson, the author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.

Why the Best Things in Life Are All Backwards

Trying too hard to get what you want in life—like love, respect, and happiness—often has the opposite effect: you end up lonely, dejected, and miserable. Here's why.

markmanson.net/the-backwards-law

Thanks for reading!

I took ‘The Backwards Law’ to heart and made this week significantly shorter than previous issues. Let me know what you think.

Until next week, keep growing »

Scott​

How often have you heard someone say:

• “You’re doing it wrong.”

• “That’s not how you’re supposed to do it.”

• “Just do what you’re told.”

While there may be certain methods that are widely accepted, there’s rarely one “right” approach.

Here’s a short story about an athlete who challenged common conventions and instead tried it his way.

It might just inspire you to change your approach.

Look Back:

The ‘Fosbury Flop’

To set the stage, Dick Fosbury was a high school student in southern Oregon in the mid-1960s. He loved sports, but failed to make the football and basketball teams, so he shifted his attention to track and field.

By his own account, he was the worst high jumper in his school, and likely the state of Oregon.

Rather than competing in the same way as everyone else, he followed his curiosity and began experimenting with his form.

Fosbury’s strange approach was faced with skepticism and criticism from his coaches who thought it was ridiculous and dangerous. At one point, he even compressed a couple of his vertebrae when competing at a high school that couldn’t afford the upgraded, foam landing surface.

Fosbury recovered from that injury, kept tinkering, and eventually landed on a method that worked. His new technique gained the name “Fosbury Flop” when the Medford Mail-Tribune ran a photo captioned “Fosbury Flops Over Bar.”

In his junior year, he broke his high-school’s record using this new method, and the next year he took second place in the state.

Despite his success, Fosbury still faced criticism. One reporter wrote that Fosbury looked like “a fish flopping in a boat,” and another newspaper captioned Fosbury’s photograph, “World’s Laziest High Jumper.”

Fosbury earned a scholarship to Oregon State University, but his college coaches were also skeptical of his unconventional method and believed he would get better results doing it their way. They convinced him to continue practicing the old techniques through his first year, although he was allowed to use the “flop” in freshman meets.

The debate over technique ended during Fosbury’s second year when he shattered the school record in his first meet. But he didn’t stop there.

As an engineering student, Fosbury studied his new method to improve it. After applying some calculations, he learned that by arching his back a jumper’s center of gravity can stay below the bar even as their body sails over it. If he could get into the perfect arch, he’d have a mechanical advantage when using the technique. This led him to move his takeoff further away from the bar to increase his flight time and follow the path of a parabola.

After making several adjustments to his jump, Fosbury won an NCAA championship in 1968, and then two weeks later, the U.S. Olympic trials.

Despite the win, his place on the Olympic team was not assured. The U.S. Olympic Committee was worried that the results at sea-level in Los Angeles might not be replicated at the high altitude in Mexico City where the Games were to be held, so they held another competition near Lake Tahoe.

During that competition, all participants had cleared the same height, but Fosbury was in fourth place because of misses. The bar was then raised to a height none of the four had ever cleared. Fosbury was one of three competitors who cleared it on the first attempt, and the Olympic team was set.

When the 21-year-old Fosbury debuted his method on the global stage at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, the crowd and commentators fluctuated between laughter and awe. That is until he won the gold medal in high jump.

After demonstrating the superiority of his unconventional method, the “Fosbury Flop” quickly became the dominant technique in high jump, still used by virtually all high jumpers today.

Look Forward:

Applying Lessons from Fosbury

Doing something new or different can be scary… it can be lonely… it can even be risky.

I’d say most of the time, it’s a really bad idea.

But if you want to be the best… if you want to push the limits of what’s possible… if you want to make REAL PROGRESS… you have to differentiate yourself from the competition.

I took away three characteristics that helped Fosbury achieve the unimaginable while doing it his way.

• He was Patient. Fosbury’s results didn’t come overnight. It took years and years of continuous improvement, and he continued to doubted even after achieving some success. Trying something new is difficult, and you must be patient to persevere.

• He was Intuitive + Analytical. In addition to trusting his instincts and having the courage to try something new, Fosbury also studied ways to improve on those instincts. He approached it like a scientist, analyzed different approaches, and experimented his way to success.

• He was Contrarian. Fosbury wasn’t afraid to be different; he embraced it. Despite being mocked and doubted, Fosbury knew their ignorance was his opportunity.

Focus:

Find Your Earned Secret

The concept of being contrarian also applies to business.

Peter Thiel says that challengers need to have an earned secret. In other words, what do you know about the world that isn’t obvious to others? What is counterintuitive? What’s the most misunderstood thing?

Here’s the rationale:

If your startup is trying to solve a problem that everyone knows is a problem, then the big companies will spend more money than you to solve it, so you’re at a disadvantage. That’s why you need an earned secret.

Your earned secret often comes from your life experience — the work you do, the information you consume, the people you spend time with. These are all things you can influence to increase your surface area of luck.

Write about your secret(s). What do you know about the world, and how do you view it differently than others? Are your views valid, or are you delusional? Are they really secrets, and if so, who else knows?

Roll around in your secrets until you find one that provides a solid foundation to build on.

Thanks for reading!

Until next week, keep growing »

Scott ​

Hi friends,

In last week’s issue, I mentioned that I’m experimenting with different ways to rapidly grasp the key concepts from different books.

This week, I channeled that effort towards the topic of Habits.

Below I share what I learned and how I plan to incorporate the principles into my life, practices and routines.

I hope it helps you on your journey.

Let’s dive in.

At a glance

💥 Lessons from the book Atomic Habits:

• Small habits make a big difference.

• Forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.

• Build identity-based habits.

• Prioritize consistency over intensity.

• Pursue slow growth for long-term success.

🙌 Framework to create a good habit (or break a bad habit):

1. Cue — Make it obvious (or invisible)

2. Craving — Make it attractive (or unattractive)

3. Response — Make it easy (or difficult)

4. Reward — Make it satisfying (or unsatisfying)

🤖 Concepts you can apply from this book:

• Habits scorecard (template)

• Implementation intentions (template)

• Habit stacking (template)

• Environment design

• Temptation bundling

• Motivation rituals

• Immediate rewards

• Join a culture

• Positive mindset reframing

• Replacement habits

• Friction and convenience

• Prime the environment

• Change the default option

• Master the decisive moment

• Two-minute rule

• Automate your habits / cues

• Commitment devices

• Reinforcement

• Make ‘doing nothing’ enjoyable

• Habit tracker (template)

• Never miss twice

• Accountability partners

• Habit contracts (template)

• Tailor it to you

• The Goldilocks Rule

• Master one thing

🧪 How I plan to test these principles on habits I’m building

📖 Books on ‘Habits’ recommended by AI

🤡 A glimpse into my macro experiment and what I learned so far

Key lessons from Atomic Habits

Let’s start with the foundational lessons from the book:

Lesson 1: Small habits make a big difference.

It’s easy to underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. Focus on getting 1% better every day. Small actions done regularly compound over time.

1% better every day is 37.78% better every year.

Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/small-habits

Lesson 2: Forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.

Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

The problem with goals:

• Winners and losers have the same goals 👉🏼 goals alone don’t differentiate you

• Achieving a goal is only a momentary change 👉🏼 it’s like treating the symptom without addressing the cause

• Goals delay and restrict your happiness 👉🏼 it makes no sense to restrict your satisfaction to one scenario when there are many paths to success

• Goals are at odds with long-term progress 👉🏼 over long time frames, simply staying in the game is impressive

Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/goals-systems

Lesson 3: Build identity-based habits.

The key to building lasting habits is focusing on creating a new identity first. Your current behaviors are simply a reflection of your current identity. To change your behavior for good, you need to start believing you’re the type of person who can achieve the things you want. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits

Lesson 4: Prioritize consistency over intensity. Pursue slow growth for long-term success.

Consistency of effort in the right direction is more important than the intensity of the effort. Small actions, performed consistently, are more important than large actions that are sporadic or unsustainable.

It is also inevitable that you will reach a plateau on your journey. Embrace it. The path to improvement is not linear and often involves periods where no visible progress is made. Embrace these periods as a natural part of the growth process, maintaining their efforts even when the results aren’t immediately apparent.

Remember that immediate results may be satisfying, but lasting change takes time. By accepting and preparing for a slow journey, you set yourself up for long-term success. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/slow-growth

Simple framework to create / break habits

By breaking down the process of building a habit to its fundamental parts, we can better understand what a habit is, how it works, and how to improve it.

The cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue. Together, these four steps form a neurological feedback loop — cue, craving, response, reward; cue, craving, response, reward — that ultimately allows you to create automatic habits. This cycle is known as the habit loop.

These steps provide the foundation for a practical framework, called the Four Laws of Behavior Change, which serves as a guide for how to create a good habit (or break a bad habit). Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/three-steps-habit-change

1. Cue — Make it obvious (or invisible)

2. Craving — Make it attractive (or unattractive)

3. Response — Make it easy (or difficult)

4. Reward — Make it satisfying (or unsatisfying)

Concepts you can apply from the book

Okay, now for the actionable ideas you can implement… you can think of these as tools in a menu of options that you can pull from as needed.

The 1st Law: Cue. Make it obvious (or invisible)

1.1. Habits scorecard. Behavior change starts with awareness. Write down your current habits to become aware of them. Identify good, bad, or neutral patterns. Observe them and learn from consequences before deciding what to do about them. One of the greatest challenges in changing habits is getting awareness of what we are actually doing. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/habits-scorecard

1.2. Implementation intentions. “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION] so that I can become [IDENTITY].” Make your habit real by describing when and where you’ll do it. It gives a clear plan and an obvious clue. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/implementation-intentions

1.3. Habit stacking. “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].” Pair your new habit with an existing one to form strong associations between activities, making it easier to remember and stick to the new habit. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/habit-stacking

1.4. Environment design. Change your environment to make the cues of good habits visible, obvious and unmissable (multiple cues are even more effective). This will help you naturally gravitate towards better choices. Example: If you want to read more, place a book on your pillow every morning so you remember to read before bed.

Alternatively, to break bad habits, reduce exposure to the cues that trigger your bad habits. If you don’t see a cue, you’re less likely to act on an impulse. Example: If you want to eat healthier, don't keep junk food in your home.

Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/power-of-environment
… and here: https://jamesclear.com/environment-design-organ-donation

.

The 2nd Law: Craving. Make it attractive (or unattractive)

2.1. Temptation bundling. Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do to make habits more appealing. The idea is to tie a habit that is beneficial but requires effort (and which you might be avoiding) to an activity that provides immediate pleasure. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/temptation-bundling

2.2. Motivation rituals. Regularly do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit. It’s not about the specific action, but about creating a mindful way to initiate a desired behavior. Example: a pre-game routine of stretching and throwing to help warm up physically and mentally, and prime you for the competition. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/motivation

2.3. Immediate rewards. Since humans are better at valuing immediate rewards over future benefits, making the outcomes of good habits feel immediate can significantly enhance their attractiveness. Our brain’s response to enticing opportunities is immediate, and the anticipation of an event gets dopamine flowing. Habits can become more irresistible if they are designed to trigger the release of dopamine.

2.4. Join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior. Seeing people around us engaging in a particular habit or behavior makes that behavior more attractive to us. We're inherently social creatures, and we're influenced by what we perceive to be the norm within our social group. Therefore, surrounding ourselves with a community or group where our desired habits are normal behavior can make those habits more irresistible.

2.5. Positive mindset reframing. Changing the way you think about your habits and yourself, focusing on positive and empowering beliefs that support your goals. Reflect on why you maintain your bad habits and address the underlying causes directly. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.

2.6. Replacement habits. Introduce positive habits that fulfill the same needs as the bad ones.

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The 3rd Law: Response. Make it easy (or difficult)

3.1. Friction and convenience. To build good habits, reduce the friction and decrease the number of steps between you and the habit. The easier it is to do something, the more likely it is that you’ll start and do it consistently so it can become a habit.

Alternatively, to break a bad habit, increase the friction and increase the number of steps between you and the habit. This will make it more difficult to start and perform.

3.2. Prime the environment. Prepare your environment to make future actions easier. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/reset-the-room

3.3. Change the default option. Make good habits the default option by setting up your life in such a way that the healthier, more productive choices are the easiest to make. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/design-default

3.4. Master the decisive moment. Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact.

3.5. Two-minute rule. Break down your habits into actions that can be done in two minutes or less. This approach helps overcome the initial resistance and inertia that often accompany the prospect of starting a new habit or task. Once in motion, it's easier to stay in motion, and you’ll have momentum to fuel you. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/how-to-stop-procrastinating

3.6. Automate your habits / cues. Invest in technology and onetime purchases that lock in future behavior. Example: set up automatic transfers to an investment account to ensure consistent saving without the need for manual intervention. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/how-to-automate-a-habit

3.7. Commitment devices. A choice you make in the present that controls your future actions or restricts your future choices to the ones that benefit you. This is a way to lock in future behavior. Example: purchasing a one-year gym membership, rather than paying monthly, helps commit yourself to a longer-term exercise routine. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/akrasia

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The 4th Law: Reward. Make it satisfying (or unsatisfying)

4.1. Reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit. The nature of the reward can vary widely, and it may be internal or external, but the key is that the reward must make the effort of performing the habit feel worthwhile (with a genuine feeling of success or pleasure). Example: reinforcing your identity can be an internal reward. When a habit aligns with your self-image or the person you wish to become, the intrinsic satisfaction of acting in accordance with your beliefs and values can be a powerful reward.

4.2. Make ‘doing nothing’ enjoyable. When avoiding a bad habit, design a way to see the benefits. Design your environment and habits in such a way that doing nothing — i.e., not engaging in a bad habit — is more appealing and satisfying than engaging in the habit you’re trying to avoid. Example: if you’re trying to reduce screen time before bed, make your bedroom a more enjoyable and relaxing environment without screens.

4.3. Habit tracker. Keep track of your habit streak and “don’t break the chain.” Visually measuring your habits provides evidence of your progress and reinforces the satisfaction of completing them. Visual cues like the paper clip strategy or marking progress on a calendar can help maintain motivation. The key is to make the process of tracking your habits simple, visible, and rewarding.

4.4. Never miss twice. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately. Never miss twice in a row when building a good habit, and never let two failures become three when breaking a bad one. The key is to not let setbacks reverse progress. Mistakes and failures are inevitable, but the response should be to learn from them and continue moving forward, rather than reverting to old, counterproductive habits.

4.5. Accountability partners. Ask someone to watch your behavior. This person can be a friend, family member, colleague, or coach — anyone who is genuinely interested in your success, committed to regularly checking in on your progress, and willing to hold you responsible for your actions. It can act as an external form of motivation, helping to keep you on track when internal motivation wanes. It's important to establish clear expectations with your accountability partner regarding how often you will check in, what goals you are working toward, and what form of accountability you find most motivating, whether it's encouragement, reminders, or constructive feedback.

Note: Accountability can also extend beyond one-on-one relationships. Online communities, apps, and platforms can serve as virtual accountability partners, offering tracking, reminders, and support from a broader community.

4.6. Habit contracts. Make the costs of your bad habits public and painful. A habit contract is a verbal or written agreement in which you state your commitment to a particular habit and the punishment that will occur if you don’t follow through. This can be done with an accountability partner or by publicly committing to a habit or goal. Either way, the social pressure to adhere to the commitment can serve as a powerful motivator. Reference: (template and example)

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Other considerations:

5.1. Tailor it to you. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, then tailor your habits to appeal to your natural inclinations and abilities. By aligning your habits with your natural talents, you increase your chances of success. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/deliberate-practice-theory

5.2. The Goldilocks Rule. Make habits challenging enough to be engaging, but not so difficult that they cause discouragement. The challenge is important since people tend to lose interest in boring and routine things. Choose challenges that are just beyond your current skill level to maintain growth. Satisfaction comes from surmounting some form of obstacle. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/goldilocks-rule

5.3. Master one thing. You should focus entirely on one thing at a time. Research has found that implementation intentions do not work if you try to improve multiple habits at the same time. Research has shown that any given habit becomes more automatic with more practice. On average, it takes at least two months for new habits to become automatic behaviors. Read more here: https://jamesclear.com/master-one-thing

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Summary: How to find and fix the causes of bad habits:

1. Identify the cue or trigger (e.g., emotional state, a time of day, a particular location, individual people, or specific activities)

2. Understand the reward you’re craving. Is there a healthier way to satisfy it? (e.g., stress relief, social acceptance, a sense of accomplishment)

3. Create a plan (e.g., strategies to avoid the cue, alternative actions to satisfy the craving)

4. Change the environment (e.g., make bad habits harder, and good habits easier)

5. Believe in change (e.g., believing that change is possible and seeing oneself as capable of change are crucial for long-term success)

Note: Bad habits often serve as coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and emotional pain. They are responses to deeper needs not being met or to issues within our environment that trigger these habits as a form of relief or escape. To effectively change a bad habit, one must first understand what need the habit is fulfilling. This understanding requires a deep dive into self-awareness and introspection to recognize the triggers and underlying desires that lead to the habit.

How I plan to test these principles

Reading is just the start… the real work comes from experimenting with the different techniques to see what works best for you.

I was reminded of this again this week.

For context, I recently got into the Founders Podcast. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend it. Before each episode, the host David Senra reads a biography of an entrepreneur from history, then shares on the pod what he learned and how you can apply the lessons and ideas in your work.

Anyway, that’s how I stumbled upon this clip of David talking to Sam Parr. Watch for about 1-minute.

In it the clip, David mentions Peter Bevelin’s book All I Want To Know Is Where I’m Going To Die So I’ll Never Go There: Buffet & Munger — A Study in Simplicity and Uncommon, Common Sense and a message that Buffet and Munger kept saying that clicked with him:

This led to an epiphany for David:

That message really resonated with me, and I’m determined to spend more time implementing these principles from Atomic Habits.

I already have a habit tracker that I’ve been using for the last 10 years, but I want to simplify it and be more intentional about incorporating different tactics and principles outlined above.

I will share more in a future issue, so this isn’t the last you will see on Atomic Habits.

Other books on “Habits”

Before I decided to focus on Atomic Habits, I turned to AI to find the best books on the topic.

I found it interesting how different the recommendations were from the different models I used:

• ChatGPT-4 (OpenAI’s $19.99/mo model)

• ChatGPT-3.5 (OpenAI’s free model)

• Gemini (Google’s free model, previously named Bard)

Here were the results:

Recommended by all models: (GPT-4, GPT-3.5, and Gemini)

Recommended by only GPT-4:

Recommended by only GPT-3.5:

Recommended by only Google Gemini:

Since Atomic Habits was the top recommendation from all three AI models and it had the highest Goodreads rating, I decided to start there. I’m glad I did.

I found James Clear’s writing really concise, and I loved the summary at the end of every chapter. He also has an Atomic Habits summary and cheatsheet available online that provides a great reference point to tie everything together, supported by a plethora of blog posts that provide additional context and examples.

A glimpse into my experiment

I mentioned that I’m experimenting with different ways to rapidly grasp the key concepts from multiple books, so I wanted to share how I approached it this week and what I learned.

1. I started by reading the book summaries on Blinkist and Headway. Both were surprisingly different. I felt that Headway’s summary covers slightly more of the concepts I outlined above (but still nowhere close to being exhaustive). In addition, the writing wasn’t nearly as good as Blinkist which seemed to flow better and does a better job incorporating stories for the few concepts it highlights. In the future I plan to start with Blinkist (or try out Shortform as an alternative).

2. Next I read the first couple chapters of the book. I found James Clear’s writing to be really concise and structured, and it was an easy read. I also appreciated how each chapter has a summary at the end of it. In retrospect, it probably would have been quicker for me to just read the entire book and take notes of the key points that resonated with me… but that’s why this was an experiment.

3. I spent the bulk of time experimenting with GenAI tools. They proved to be useful at providing a summary of the key points in the book, as well as the tools outlined. It could even summarize this in a table that made it easy to grasp the key concepts (compared to the narrative-first style in book summary apps). I also used it as a way to get summaries of each chapter which was helpful to go into more detail and probe on specific topics I wanted to learn more about. But I also found that the models were quick to confuse different topics, and the responses were very verbose. In the end, it required a lot of manual synthesis on my part. I think these AI tools definitely have a role to play, but I plan to use it more as a complement than a replacement for book summary apps.

Moving forward, my plan is to test out Shortform, then commit to using either it or Blinkist as my primary book summary app. My goal is to read as many summaries as possible to understand the key principles from non-fiction books. Then I will use AI as needed to go deeper and answer questions I have on any of those books.

I also plan to spend more time reading actual books, but with a different focus — autobiographies. My hypothesis is they will be more enjoyable to read than other non-fiction books, while still providing valuable insights. I’m curious to see how it goes.

Wow, this issue ended up substantially longer than I anticipated… but I’m glad I took the time to lay it out.

I definitely plan to come back to this as a reference document in the future… and I hope you find it helpful as well.

While many of you are reading this as an email, reminder that you can always refer back to the post on the blog: https://growthmeditations.beehiiv.com/

Thanks for reading!

Until next week, keep growing »

Scott​

I have a love / hate relationship with reading.

I love learning about topics I’m interested in, and reading non-fiction provides a great foundation.

But reading books can also be a pain in the a--.

In this issue, I’m going to cover:

• Why reading can be a waste of time… but I haven’t given up on books.

• My new mindset and approach to reading books.

• A few things I’m experimenting with to quickly grasp the key concepts of various books.

Let’s dive in.

The Perils of Reading Books

At its best, reading is time consuming. My eyes are often bigger than my stomach, and books are no exception. My reading list currently has 250+ books on it, which I estimate is more than I’ll have time to read in my entire life. But that’s mostly a prioritization problem… the right book, for the right person, at the right time can still have a tremendous impact.

At its worst, reading is a distraction. When I read a book that exposes me to new ideas or tactics, my brain gets a hit of dopamine, and I feel productive and energized. But how much of that information do I actually comprehend? What did I really learn? I’ve found that just reading (and not implementing the ideas) can give me a false sense of confidence that I’m learning something new… as well as lead to wasted time.

The reality is that ‘reading’ is only one piece of the puzzle when learning something new.

The Learning Pyramid developed in the 1950’s estimated that people only remember 10% of what they read, compared to 90% retention when they teach someone else or use it immediately.

Image source: Arlo.co

I’m no exception. To truly comprehend and benefit from a new understanding, I have to get out of my head and act… to steelman the arguments… to debate and pressure test the ideas with others… to experiment with which advice works best for me and how to modify it for my current situation. I learn best by doing and teaching (which is a big reason I’m writing this newsletter).

The Power of Books

Despite the rise of digital media and changing consumption habits — not to mention the poor economic incentives for authors — the book industry has remained relevant and hasn’t yet been disrupted.

With so much content available online, some would even make the case that books are more relevant today since they provide deep knowledge and are a source of more reliable information that has stood the test of time.

Chris Dixon, a VC that leads a16z crypto, talked about the power of books in a recent podcast where he was asked why he wrote his new book Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet.

Chris made the case that books have the ability to cross over into a different kind of realm. Books are more than just words on a page — the book becomes a container for a meme, and the ideas can spread really far. Books are a powerful way to introduce ideas to the broader world… in a way that is harder for blog posts and podcasts because there is so much noise in those arenas.

This is the case despite many books not getting as much distribution as some websites. I haven’t fact checked this, but Chris believed the best-selling non-fiction book last year sold ~400,000 copies, compared to some hobbyist websites that can get a million views.

Regardless of the actual number, the reality is that the ideas in books spread to significantly more people than the number of copies sold… and the books stay relevant for longer than other channels like social media (where the algorithms currently have a strong recency bias).

My New Perspective on Books

After some reflection, I’m trying to shift my perception of books and how I use them to expand my knowledge and learn more. Here are my working principles:

1. It’s OK to Quit Reading a Book. After reading a chapter or two, I should want to keep reading. If it feels like a chore, or if I’m not immersed in the content, I need to put the book down. If it’s not a F- yes, its an F- no.

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2. It’s OK to be a Slow Reader. I often pause to reflect on different sentences and paragraphs in a book to pressure test the ideas in my head and take notes. Rather than speed-read a plethora of books, I’d rather deeply understand a few books that have relevant ideas I can put into action.

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3. It’s OK to Re-Read Books. New and more isn’t always better. Sometimes we benefit more from re-reading a book that had a big impact on us. Every time I read re-read or re-watch a piece of content, I come away with new insights and a deeper understanding of the concepts.

4. It’s OK to Take Shortcuts. The outcome (comprehending and implementing the ideas) is more important than the process (reading the book). Book summaries and podcasts are great ways to understand the concepts at a high level before making the time commitment to read the full book. While the book will undoubtedly have more depth and include stories that make the concepts more memorable, it’s also perfectly acceptable to take one idea and jump straight to experimenting with it. Your time is valuable… invest it wisely. When in doubt, take the shortest route to comprehension… then act. If it doesn’t work out, you can always go back to the book for more context.

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5. It’s OK to Selectively Read Chapters. A book doesn’t have to be read from beginning to end. Start with the table of contents and pick the topics that are most interesting. You don’t have to read all chapters — focus on the ones that are most relevant to you.

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6. It’s OK to Skim a Book. Sometimes it is worthwhile to take your time, reflect, and take notes while you’re reading a book. Other times, it makes more sense to skim it — especially if the topic doesn’t seem as relevant or if you’re trying to decide if it’s worth going deeper. Trust your instincts.

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In conclusion, I’m going to try to trust my instincts more when it comes to reading books. I’m hoping this reframe will not only be more efficient and impactful, but also make reading more enjoyable.

What’s Next

In the coming weeks, I’m planning to experiment with different ways to quickly grasp the key concepts of various books.

The goal is to provide a foundational knowledge on key topics, and help me decide which books are worth further exploring.

Here are the tools I plan to test:

• Headway. A simple and affordable book summary app. I purchased a lifetime subscription for $59 here.

• Blinkist. A more established book summary website and app. On Black Friday, I bought a subscription for 75% off the annual rate of $99.99. Today I see it offered for 50% off here.

• Shortform. From looking at reviews, this seems to be the most comprehensive book summary website and app. It’s more expensive at $24/mo or ~$200/yr, but they offer a 5-day free trial.

• ChatGPT 3.5. Free version of OpenAI’s generative AI chatbot.

• ChatGPT 4. The latest version of OpenAI’s generative AI chatbot which costs $20/mo.

• Bard. Google’s generative AI chatbot which is free to use.

Quick Ask: Are there any other tools you’ve tried that work well? Or others on your radar that you haven’t had time to try?

Let me know! I’ll try it out, then add it to my list.

Thanks for reading!

Until next week, keep growing »

Scott​

I’m writing this issue from the plane, as my fiancee Nicole and I are flying across the country to attend the Memorial Service for her mother who recently passed away.

I’ve had a lot of thoughts and emotions, and I definitely don’t have all the answers. Loss is hard no matter how you experience it, and there’s something very special about the direct connection you have with your parents.

Rather than dwelling on death, I’m choosing to celebrate life.

This simple quote is helping me be grateful for the present, and it is inspiring me to take action to build the future I want to live in.

Every time I read it, I can almost feel an invisible force pushing me onto the playing field.

We all have dreams, but how many of us actually take them seriously?

Time and relationships are the most valuable commodities we have. Remember to make the most of them.

Thanks for reading!

Until next week, make sure to live your life »

Scott

Hey friends. I hope your 2024 is off to a great start.

It’s been a while since the last issue of Growth Meditations which I published on Christmas Eve of last year: Meditations on Wandering.

In that post, Jeff Bezos outlined his perspective that “for real invention, real lateral thinking… you have to give yourself permission to wander… (and) the reality is we may have to wander for a long time.”

I took his message to heart and spent some extra time wandering over the last few weeks, which is why this issue is coming out later than I intended.

I’m not going to lie… I FELT GUILTY for missing my weekly deadline (even if it was self-imposed).

My negative self-talk told me:

• “I knew you couldn’t stick to a weekly schedule.”

• “You’re a fake.”

• “How can you be successful if you can’t even consistently write a simple newsletter.”

I felt as if I was one of Logan Roy’s children…

Logan Roy speaking to his kids in Season 4 of Succession

But as I persevered, my negative self-talk began to fade, and I started to see this as an opportunity rather than a failure.

• An opportunity to practice self-forgiveness — the antidote to perfectionism.

• An opportunity to trust my intuition — something that, as a naturally analytical person, I’m trying to rely on more.

• An opportunity to gain perspective and vision — to take a step back, think big, and make sure I’m on the right path.

Reflections on writing this newsletter

During my time away, I took some time to check in with myself. I’m very proud that I took the leap and started publishing this newsletter, but it is a lot of work.

Why am I doing this? Is it still worth creating? And, if so, how can I sustain it for a very long time — even when I have less free time in the future.

I concluded it’s still a worthwhile pursuit (at least for now), and I’m going to experiment with a few tactics to make it more sustainable over time.

I landed on three priorities that are important to me, and moving forward, I will use these as my guideposts:

1. I want to create content I’m proud of.

2. I want it to be thought-provoking and helpful (for myself and others).

3. I want it to be fun to write / create, and not yet another chore.

The reality is I’m still trying to find my voice, and I spend too much time writing each newsletter. But despite that, I’ve found the process of writing / creating to be extremely rewarding. Humbling, but deeply rewarding.

• Writing is helping me synthesize my learnings and ideas to get more clarity of thought, while bringing to light gaps in my understanding.

• Building in public is helping me fight my perfectionist tendencies, ‘ship’ what I create, get feedback, and (re)connect with many of you.

• Most importantly, Growth Meditations has helped me get off the sidelines and put myself out there. While it is only the first step, it feels great to actually “step into the arena” of content creation.

Focus on intentions, not resolutions

Now for the the topic that I originally planned to write about in this issue 🤣 

A couple weeks ago, I listened to a meditation on the Calm app where Tamara Levitt examined the difference between resolutions and intentions.

She made the case that “when we make resolutions, we’re often looking at what’s wrong in our life and taking action to fix that problem. We place strong pressure on ourselves, and we feel guilt and shame if we fall off course. For many of us, there’s a sense that a resolution is all or nothing.”

She then offered an alternative that doesn’t tie us to an outcome — intentions. “They simply ask that we bring mindfulness to our actions and make efforts to change. The meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg uses the phrase ‘just start over’ — meaning that when we’re knocked off course, we can begin again without getting caught up in self judgment. We can simply move on, realizing that the next moment is a brand new moment and tomorrow is a brand new day.”

Tamara added that “with intentions, our focus is not on what we need to fix, but rather what we want to create.”

She then ended with a quote from The Way of the Peaceful Warrior where the character Socrates said, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions, but this subtle reframe from resolutions to intentions piqued my attention, and seems like it could have a big impact.

There’s also no reason they have to be set for the entire year too.

My plan is to pick 3-5 intentions I want to cultivate at a time, then swap them out for new intentions as soon as I make progress building the habit. Ideally within 4-12 weeks.

In future issues, I’ll share more on my process and how it will inevitably evolve. But in the meantime, I’d love to hear what’s working for you!

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote

TL;DR

I hope something in this issue resonated with you.

Maybe you’re currently struggling with your New Year’s Resolutions, or maybe you’re a proactive over-achiever obsessed with continuous improvement.

Regardless, I urge you to try being more intentional and compassionate (with yourself and others).

In case you’ve had similar thoughts and feelings to what I outlined above, here are a few reminders I have for myself. Not sure who needs to hear this…

• We are not our thoughts. We are not our past actions.

• Every moment is an opportunity to choose who we want to be.

• Life (and business) is a marathon, not a sprint.

• Listen to yourself, and be sure your effort is sustainable.

• Focus on actions that can compound over time.

What to expect

Moving forward, I’m going to experiment with sending the newsletter on different days during the week (instead of Sundays).

Over time, I’ll land on a cadence that works best for the majority.

Thanks for reading!

Until next week, keep growing »

Scott​

Happy holidays! I hope this email finds you well and you’re able to enjoy some time off with loved ones.

This week I’m trying out a new format. I’m including three quotes from a 2-hour interview that Lex Fridman had with Jeff Bezos.

The concept of “wandering” came up several times throughout the interview, and I thought it was a great reminder as we prepare for the new year.

Let’s get right to it…

Give Yourself Permission to Wander

At 21:57 in the conversation, Lex asked: “If you were to study your own brain… How do you think? What’s your thinking process like? … How do you, when you sit down, maybe alone, maybe with others, and thinking through this high dimensional space and looking for creative solutions, creative paths forward, is there something you could say about that process?”

Wander in the Morning

At 1:54:56 in the conversation, Lex acknowledged that Jeff is one of the most productive humans in the world.

He then asked: “What’s a perfectly productive day in the life of Jeff Bezos?”

Wander in Meetings

At 1:59:31 in the conversation, Lex asked: “How do you achieve time where you can focus and truly think through problems?”

If you liked those clips, here’s the full interview:

Thanks for reading! And let me know if you liked this different format.

I’m taking next week off for the holidays, so I will be back in your inbox on January 7.

Until then, keep growing give yourself permission to wander »

Scott​

This week’s issue highlights a few lessons I gleaned from an interview Jason Calacanis had with Rich Barton — the founder of Zillow, Glassdoor, and Expedia.

I listened to this podcast episode several months ago, but I keep coming back to many of the insights, so I figured it was worth documenting my takeaways — most of which come within the first 25-30 minutes of their conversation:

At a Glance:

The insights I’ve been reflecting on…

• Rich’s company creation philosophy

• The importance of tension

• Branding 101: how to create a memorable name

• The power of provocative questions

Look Back:

The commercial that inspired Rich’s company creation philosophy

The original Mac ad debuted during the Super Bowl in 1984 and only ran once.

Directed by Ridley Scott, the 60-second ad was inspired by George Orwell’s novel 1984 and used powerful imagery and metaphors to portray Apple as the liberator from a dystopian future (a disguised jab at IBM).

In the podcast, Rich describes how this ad played a big role in how he built his companies and continues to be a great playbook for startups to use today.

Rich goes on to describe his approach in more detail:

• Focus on a complicated industry where the data is really obscure.

• Then make transparent products that give power back to the people.

Look Forward:

Tension as an opportunity

While many avoid tension, Rich recommends leaning into it.

Tension is an indication of attention + importance.

I thought this was a simple, yet thought-provoking, way to frame it.

Rich agreed with Jason, and piled on that “if there’s no tension, there’s nothing interesting… just like when you’re telling a story, there has to be tension… that tension has to be released, and that’s what a story is.”

So how can businesses capitalize on tension?

Rich says you’re digging in the right spot when you can really get emotionally involved with your customer with the product, but also be super pragmatic at the same time.

It’s an “interesting intermingling of the kind of titillating and the pragmatic, which is a wonderful sweet spot to be if you’re building a consumer product.”

Focus:

Practical tips for branding

To create a memorable company name, Rich recommends:

• Keep it to two-syllables.

• Incorporate letters that would score high in scrabble since they’re more memorable (Z, Q, X, J, K).

• Make up your own word. While it’s harder in the beginning, you’ll have the opportunity to “own” the word as you grow.

Here’s a link to Rich’s blog post from 2009 that breaks down his advice in more detail: Syllables, Scrabble Letters, and Picking Brand Names.

Zoom Out:

Creating breakthrough new product ideas

Rich also talked about the power of using provocative questions to get to truly differentiated solutions.

In Zillow’s case, Bill Gurley asked Rich: “What would you build if you had a $0 marketing budget?”

That question led to the Zestimate which was a game-changer for the company.

Great reminder that no question is too provocative. Even if it doesn’t directly lead to the answer, it can reframe your perspective to help create differentiated solutions.

Be Centered:

A quote to ponder

As you build your personal brand and/or company brand, what are you most focused on?

What do you need most now?

Thanks for reading!

Until next week, keep growing »

Scott​

Welcome back to Growth Meditations!

This week I’m in Las Vegas with friends, so I thought it was only fitting to talk about the odds. Well, not gambling odds.

I’m talking about how we can…

• achieve the unthinkable

• exceed our own expectations (or the expectations others have)

• build a skill we thought we weren’t good at

• scale our business and have more impact than expected

• become a version of ourselves that we didn’t think was possible.

Do I have your attention?

Let’s dive in!

At a Glance:

• How Wayne Gretzky overcame the odds

• An “introjection check-in”

• How to study your role models

• Using an experiment plan to move forward

• A quote to ponder

Look Back:

A Lesson on Overcoming the Odds

One of my favorite new writers I follow is Billy Oppenheimer. I love his short posts that highlight compelling stories complemented by modern advice.

In this post he highlights how an undersized Wayne Gretzky overcame the odds as a hockey player. Here’s the essence of the method:

1. Identify role models who are great at what you’re trying to do despite being poorly built for it - e.g., people that found a way to excel even without the prototypical characteristics or advantages.

2. Study them incessantly. Read the list of role models over and over. In psychology, this is called introjection - the process of absorbing the qualities and behaviors of others.

Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman describes introjection as… “If you regularly listen to so-and-so’s podcast, the nervous system begins to ask questions like, what would so-and-so do? That’s a very real thing, and we’re not always consciously aware of it.”

To bring this to life, I highly recommend you read Billy’s short story about Wayne Gretzky:

Billy Oppenheimer on LinkedIn: When he was 14, Wayne Gretzky moved from his small hometown to play in a… | 68 comments

When he was 14, Wayne Gretzky moved from his small hometown to play in a more competitive hockey league in Toronto. He was undersized and during the first… | 68 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7095741890054017025?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7095741890054017025%29

Look Forward:

An Introjection Check-in

A quick check to make sure you’re not being pulled in the wrong direction: 💥 

• Who might you be unconsciously influenced by? (This could be a friend, coworker, or media personality you watch a lot.)

• Do you find yourself adopting their opinions, values, or behaviors? It’s great to be open minded and consider new viewpoints, but are you consciously changing you mind or unconsciously absorbing it?

• Is this person a positive influence on you? Are their values aligned with who you want to become?

• How might you create a more balanced information diet? It’s easy to consume too much garbage on social media. It’s also easy to fall into an echo chamber.

• What do you need more (or less) of now? Remember, we are what we consume!

A thought exercise to plot your next step: 🤔 

• What are you trying to learn, improve at, or accomplish? There may be multiple things. Pick one!

• Who do you view as a role model in that domain? This could be someone you look up to or admire, or someone who is a couple steps ahead of you on the journey that you can learn from. List out 10-20 people that come to mind. Then pick the top 2-4 names that you believe best fit your style and aspirations.

• Who else is ‘good at it’ despite being ‘poorly built’ for it? Now think outside the box. Some of your role models you listed may be naturally gifted, but add one more name to the list who is good at what they do DESPITE being poorly built for it (e.g., they found a way to excel even without the prototypical characteristics or advantages).

• Now you have 3-5 teachers. The next step is to flood your brain with as many thoughts about them and their work.

Focus:

Study Your Role Models and Take Action

Here are a few ideas I’m experimenting with… I’d love to hear your thoughts too.

1. Names. Set an alarm during the day. When it goes off, say their name out loud 10 times, then write their names 10 times. This will keep your role models (and what they would do) top of mind.

2. Results. Study their work products. In my example, I’m trying to become a better writer and content creator. So for each role model I identify, I will select 5-10 of their most successful essays or social posts to study the structure of the writing and content. What hooks do they use? What value do they deliver? What tone do they use? What emotions do they elicit? How long are the posts? Do they incorporate images or video to bring it to life? Study their work like your life depends on it.

3. Process. Study their process and how they do what they do. If you know them or can get access to them, ask the person directly. If they’re a public figure, look for podcasts where they’ve previously been interviewed. Seek to understand their thought process and actions they took to get where they’re at.

Photo by Marten Newhall on Unsplash

Finally, you’ll need to convert these learnings into action. Take notes and look for themes. Pick which characteristics you want to model. Create an experiment plan of steps you can take to practice modeling those characteristics.

Zoom Out:

Evaluate Progress and Course Correct

It won’t happen over night, but with time and focus, we can intentionally use introjection in a positive way to not only stay on course, but actively shape the person we want to become or the business we want to build.

Use your experiment plan to not only guide your actions, but also to evaluate progress. What worked well? What didn’t? Why? What do you want to continue? What do you want to stop doing and adapt?

There is no shame in pivoting. The path to progress is windy and you won’t always be on the paved road. Just keep moving forward, stay intentional and self aware, and enjoy the journey!

Photo by Karsten Würth on Unsplash

Be Centered:

A quote to ponder

What do you need more of now? Better intentions, effort, or execution?

Thanks for reading!

Until next week, keep growing »

Scott​

I don’t consider myself a writer, but I strongly believe writing is essential for effective communication. We all write, and we can all get better at writing.

That’s one of the main reasons I started this newsletter. I want to build an intentional practice of writing — and improving — every week.

David Perell (“The Writing Guy”) is a great authority on this topic. I know friends who have taken his course Write of Passage and speak very highly of it. However, he also has a ton of valuable content available online for free, including his new podcast show How I Write.

His show has been on my list for a while, but I finally got a chance to listen to a couple episodes this week. I’m hooked.

In today’s newsletter, I’m going to unpack a few of the learnings I took away from his interviews with Chamath Palihapitiya and Lenny Rachitsky.

• Why Chamath? I’ve long found his Social Capital annual letters insightful, and I listen to nearly every episode of The All-In Podcast he co-hosts. His approach to learning (see recent tweet) is also very similar to how I’m thinking about Growth Meditations.

• Why Lenny? I’m inspired by his journey from Product leader to content creator, and I love his newsletter and podcast. He delivers extremely thoughtful advice with a high signal-to-noise ratio that is actionable and succinct. But most of all, I appreciate his humility.

Both of their perspectives really resonated with me, in part, because neither guest identifies as a writer. Similar to me, they have engineering backgrounds — without any formal education in writing or the humanities — but both are committed to effective communication and continuing to improve their craft.

Here are my current thoughts and reflections…

Zoom Out:

1. Why do we write?

Most people use writing to process their own psychological moment in time. This can be a great mechanism to get feedback, but it also gives a snapshot into your psychology. It’s also why 99% of writing is garbage (much of it’s for the writer, not the audience).

• Takeaway: It’s great to use writing as a way to get clarity of thought, but that doesn’t mean you should post it online (especially in the moment). Real-time communication has both power and downside.

• Chamath’s advice: Write a first draft with exactly what you want to say. Let your emotions fuel it. Then, take time to recenter and ground yourself. As you re-read it, ask yourself if this is coming from a place of arrogance or insecurity? If so, delete the draft or modify it.

2. Why should we write?

The best writing explains an idea or concept. It’s used to put something into the world that can grow.

• Takeaway: While this is probably only 1% of writing, it can be an extremely effective way to breathe energy into good companies and good ideas that are trying to do important things in the world. It can also provide tremendous leverage for the writer.

• Chamath’s advice: Start writing your perspectives and publish them.

3. Verbal vs. written communication:

Chamath expressed that it’s much easier for him to get into a flow state during verbal communication, whereas writing feels like a much more permanent documentation so it’s easy to second guess himself.

This really resonated with me.

• David’s advice: Go on a walk and use voice transcription software (e.g., GPT-4, Otter.ai, etc.). This will get you to a first draft that isn’t coming from a place of fear, and you’ll have a transcript you can edit.

Focus:

Chamath’s Framework for Effective Communication:

When Chamath led user growth at Facebook, they used a simple 4-step framework to solve problems: Acquisition, Activation, Engagement, Virality.

Here’s what it looked like at Facebook:

• Acquisition — Get people to sign up.

• Activation — Help them quickly make their first friend.

• Engagement — Provide actual product value.

• Virality — Get them to share it with others.

Chamath argued the same framework applies to writing and communication:

• Acquisition — What’s the hook? Find a way to cut through the noise of what your audience is reading every day.

• Activation — TL;DR. Why it matters, and why they should pay attention. Be clear on what they can expect.

• Engagement — In your explanation, make it easy for your reader to separate facts from interpretations. Don’t confuse objectivity with subjectivity.

• Virality — End with a conclusive value add, and be clear why it was worth their time. Even if they don’t agree with the idea, it should be something conclusive they can react to.

Said more concisely…

• Be factual (unemotional and organized)

• Start in a punchy way (hook and TL;DR)

• End in a useful way (conclusive and additive)

Lenny’s Formula for High Signal-to-Noise Essays:

Similar to Chamath’s advice, Lenny recommends being direct: “Just tell the answer right away. Then say, if you want to learn more, here’s how I got here.”

In addition to that advice, Lenny also outlined the simple, yet thoughtful, process he uses to write his deeply researched essays every week.

1. Pick a question the audience wants answered. Sometimes it a question he’s been asked a lot, and other times it’s just a topic he’s curious about and wants to get to the bottom of.

2. Identify experts. Who would the audience most trust? It’s more about the company than the individual. Tip: Find an SVP or early employee that knows a lot, but is more accessible to talk to than the founder or CEO.

3. Interview them. Ask everyone the same questions, and get as much knowledge out of them as possible. Don’t underestimate people’s willingness to share and be helpful.

4. Synthesize your notes. Look for patterns, then create bullet points of key takeaways. Use this as a foundation to write the narrative.

5. Bring it to life. Make it memorable by finding a great quote or way to visualize / portray the main points. The example he shared was an essay he wrote using the plot of Oceans 11 as a way to describe how strategy, vision, mission, goals, and roadmap all work together. He said that pop references like this work the best, but it’s really hard for him. David’s advice: Use ChatGPT — let it know “here’s what I’m trying to say, and I need a good pop reference to bring it to life.” After going back and forth a few times, you’ll have a memorable example.

Be Centered:

What is most important?

As Lenny reflected on his successful writing process (that he stumbled upon over time), he realized it’s different than the advice David Perell gives to “find your personal monopoly.”

If I followed that advice, I’d be “Mr. Product Management Guy” — but I’d be SO BORED by that… so I decided to focus on a few topics I was interested in.

David responded that motivation and excitement to keep going are such a key part of writing, and only YOU have a sense of what will keep you going.

My final takeaway:

These frameworks can be a great starting point, but you have to make it your own and do what feels natural.

At the end of the day, I want to focus on topics I’m interested in that I think people will find valuable… and do it in a way that is unique to me.

Which leads me to a great quote from David Perell’s interview with Gary Tann:

I believe there is so much power that comes from authenticity and vulnerability. While I struggle with it, I’m inspired to keep creating and see what happens.

I’ll end with a reminder to myself and whoever else needs it…

Thanks for reading!

I’d love to hear what tips above resonate the most with you.

Until next week, keep growing »

Scott​