Sorry for being M.I.A. the last couple of weeks. Between Thanksgiving and a vacation to Florida, I wasn’t able to set aside my usual time to write (I did, actually. I’m just lazy). Glad to be back! Let’s dive in…

I once heard a quote from legendary bodybuilder Dorian Yates:

He was probably talking about bicep curls, but I took it as a metaphor for life.

Anything I’m genuinely proud of: any real growth, accomplishment, or hard-earned confidence, came after doing something I was pretty certain I couldn’t do (i.e. run a marathon). The pattern is always the same:

This is going to suck—> I might not be able to do this —> I somehow do it anyway —> That thing becomes proof I can handle harder things.

Growth doesn’t come from affirmations or positive thinking. It comes from resistance. From pressure. From being uncomfortable long enough to adapt. We need challenge to change.

Which is a pain in the ass, I know. It would be way nicer if we could just decide to grow without having to suffer first. But, unfortunately, that’s not how the game works. We need to face the big scary monster in order to advance to the next level.

Easy keeps you where you are. Hard makes you different.

Strength is born in those moments when quitting whispers loudest. And you keep going anyway.

I’ve read every self-help or “ten principles of success” book under the sun. So when a coworker gifted Lauren a copy of Quantum Success a few years ago, I rolled my eyes. Look at that freaking cover!

And whether he meant to or not, my dad raised me on optimism, gratitude, and manifestation well before they were trendy terms. If I had a goal in mind, the formula was always the same: picture it, feel it, believe it, and somehow things tended to work out.

But I’ve also noticed a trend in myself. Every 4-5 years or so, I fall off track. I stop steering and start sleepwalking through life, like a guy who has all the tools but forgot where he put the toolbox.

So, I always keep a rotation of classics like Think and Grow Rich, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, and The Power within reach like emotional jumper cables. But this time felt different. Becoming a dad scrambled all my internal wiring. I didn’t just lose track of my goals, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted anymore.

Lauren had been urging me to read this book for years, but I assumed t it was one of those fluffy “love is the answer” type of books. But finally, feeling like I needed something, anything, to get me through this rut I was stuck in, I caved.

And shocker… it helped.

And while I wouldn’t say this book knocked my socks off, it was a palate cleanser. It hit me in an oh right, I forgot how to be myself type of way. It reminded me of all of the principles that I had so easily lost sight of. Things like pursuing my goals because they enhance an already good life, not because I’m miserable without them. Re-centering on joy, presence, gratitude, and enthusiasm. Remembering that the energy you broadcast boomerangs back.

Sometimes, the corny books end up working. They remind us what life is all about. Sure, you may roll your eyes and yell out, “Oh, come ON” to certain sections, but the message is really, rather than try surviving another Tuesday, maybe put your focus on radiating love, joy, and optimism for once? (Listen to how corny I sound now).

This was one of the best articles I’ve come across about screen addiction — mainly because rather than harp on the obvious clichés of doomscrolling or comparison, Dixon writes about the moral decay it causes in us as individuals to be chronically addicted to a material thing that we convince ourselves is helping us. The article is aptly preceded by the famous David Foster Wallace premonition of technology inevitably hijacking our attention.

The author points out how screens are no longer helpful accessories like the TomTom GPS systems or camcorders we used to carry. Rather, screens have become an escape from “boredom, from anxiety, from an abating loneliness… Maybe, an escape from ourselves.”

As much as we may deny it, screens are our worst addiction. After all, the definition of an addiction is something that makes you feel terrible, but the only way to feel better, it seems, is to do it again. I don’t know if there’s a better characterization of the simmering ailment we all face.

Here is Roger Ebert’s first paragraph of his review for “The Mummy” and it’s why he was the greatest film critic to ever live:

In the last few decades, we’ve seen plenty of joyless hack movies. That said, there are plenty of “bad” movies that are nonetheless crammed with joy, fun (and hot people).

h/t @politicalmath

I’ve long been a proponent of psychedelic therapy. While I should disclaim 1) psychedelic drugs are not for everyone and 2) they should be done with the aid of a licensed clinician, I can’t say I always follow point 2. That said, their medicinal benefits are undeniable and have been proven time and again in clinical trials across the globe. I’m talking specifically about drugs like psilocybin, MDMA, and ibogaine.

In Waves of War is a documentary detailing the struggle of veterans returning from deployments with the unspeakable mental afflictions ranging from PTSD, depression, suicidal thoughts, anger, and complete loss of purpose. It traces the journey of three Navy SEALs, tormented by trauma, to Mexico, where they embark on a mission to rescue one another with powerful psychedelics whose effects shake them to the core and open a path toward healing.

The part I loved most about this film was how the first half is entirely dedicated to explaining the effects of war on these individuals. Navy SEALs are the most badass humans on the planet, but it’s incredibly humanizing to see how much war impacts their family life, relationships, and view of the world. After watching this, I’m hopeful that eventually, this ibogaine therapy will be approved in the United States for medicinal use.

Jon Bellion is a hugely successful singer-songwriter and a Long Island native. I didn’t know much about him, so I wanted to tune in for a rare interview appearance on one of my favorite podcasts.

In short, he was phenomenal. He’s extremely down-to-earth and honest about what it’s like to rise to stardom, deal with fame, money, and the less glamorous sides of fame. Where most people would succumb to the allure of success, Jon did the unheard-of. At his peak, he took a hiatus. He left his record label, stopped making his own music, and moved back home to New York.

After some time off, he realized how much he was being ripped off by “big industry” and decided to take ownership of his path. He broke up with his record label, stopped touring at arenas, and set out to go solo. In June, he released FATHER FIGURE, his first solo project in seven years and a return to artistic control, featuring guests like Pharrell and Luke Combs. Then, in August, Bellion had a major two-night residency at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY, making more money in two nights than he had in all of his stadium tours combined.

Keith and Kyle sit down to discuss the life of Frantz Schmidt, a sixteenth-century executioner in ⁠Nuremberg, Germany⁠. Based on Schmidt's unique journal, the book explores his public role in executing and punishing people, his private struggles with his profession and religious faith, and his attempt to gain honor and avoid the social stigma of being an executioner.  A rare, detailed look into the era's criminal justice, social customs, and even medical practices, challenging the common perception of executioners as monsters. 

📚 Books discussed in this episode:

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Thanks for reading!