Vol. 10: If This Isn't the Time of My Life, Then When Is? This made me pause. This was the ending screen at EDEN's concert, and it's been a motto around his recent album DARK. It relates to one of my biggest struggles: constantly focusing on what's next and often forgetting to appreciate the present. If this isn't the time of my life, then when is? It's so easy to get caught up in the pursuit: Living for the weekend Attaining the next promotion or award Chasing that next PR I struggle with...
10 days ago • 1 min read
Vol 9: The Myth of Youthful Energy My actual calendar from last week Last week was a whole month. Literally the busiest week of my year. A productive, fun, meaningful busy - but busy nonetheless. It made me think about how people say they appreciate someone's "youthful energy" when the other person is doing a lot, and that's always stuck with me, but not in the way those people intend. "Youthful energy" is a myth. Putting myself in these shoes: I know people older than me who are working...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Volume 8: Two Important Things About Leadership As I type this, I just got back from my Leadership Lafayette graduation (shoutout Mary-Katherine for the mention during your speech), and I've been thinking about leadership a lot recently. A lot can be said about leadership, and I will never be able to say it all. But two aspects of leadership have been ringing in my mind recently: Leadership looks different Leadership is not about you Leadership Lafayette Class XXXVIII - the Great 38 (not...
24 days ago • 1 min read
Volume 7: You vs You There will always be someone better than you. This is something I've been reminded of more and more as I've gotten into running. I'm proud of myself for being able to run a 5k nonstop now! (I was never a runner before two months ago) Then I have friends who run 8-10 miles on a Saturday morning long run at a two minute faster pace than me and a dramatically easier time overall. Then I have other friends training for a Hyrox competition in Houston or an Ironman, biking 99...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Volume 6: A Simple Formula for Growth I identify as a lifelong learner and someone with a growth mindset. I find a lot of joy and pride in it! I've paid a lot of attention to what helps people grow in their careers, relationships, personal passions, etc., and I've distilled it into a simple formula: Growth Velocity = Value x Visibility x Volume Value = how much your action matters to yourself, the other party, or the goal at hand Visibility = how much your action is seen Volume = how many...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Volume 5: From Consumer to Creator In modern life, it's extremely easy to consume. Food, clothes, technology, online content - the list is endless. We consume all day, every day. Our systems are intentionally designed to increase how much we consume (consumerism isn't a term for no reason). But think of this: how often do you create? I saw this girl on TikTok who made an agreement with herself that every time she opened the app, she'd create a video and post it before she'd go on to scroll....
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Volume 4: Bias to Action My good friend Tim Miquez (love you, Tim) made a great LinkedIn post recently about initiative, and it reminded me about a concept I'm heavily invested in: Bias to action. It's simple: once you've had an idea, lean toward acting. It's very easy to continually brainstorm ideas, push back a task or project, or think about a decision for many reasons: You want all the information You want the "perfect" idea You're waiting for the "right" time You're nervous about making...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Volume 3: Fail Fast & Often "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" -Thomas Jefferson on inventing the light bulb This is one of my favorite quotes - ever. It's not defeatist. It's just a guy who knows he's on the path to accomplishment, and these "failures" are just necessary steps on that path. A lot of us have heard people say "You don't fail unless you quit. Until then, you learn." It's been said countless times over millennia in different ways: "Failure is...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Volume 2: Systems > Goals Don't focus on goals. Focus on systems. Goals are exciting and wonderful and motivational and everything good!!! Until you need to achieve them.. Then comes the frustration, disillusionment, and burnout. Goals are nothing without the systems in place to achieve them. Goals are ideas. Systems are repeatable frameworks of actions. Goals are a destination. Systems are how you get there. And life isn't a destination - it's a journey. An infinite game. You don't "win"...
2 months ago • 1 min read