Solving big problems often comes down to behavior change. How do I get someone to eat better, stop stressing, get more sleep, get in better shape? “Goal setting!” is a common refrain. I disagree. The times in my life that have lead to lasting change are the times I built habits that then became a part of my identity. That’s it. In my humble opinion,…
I Launched A Thing
For the last year, I’ve written pretty much nothing. With the exception of a piece I wrote on using psychology to improve conversion rate, and another about Kettle & Fire on SumoMe (link), I’ve pretty much let my writing skills atrophy in 2016. Though not ideal, it’s largely because I’ve been super busy! Founding, growing and running Kettle & Fire has taken up more than…
How We Captured 3000+ Emails in 24 Hours (without advertising)
Just last week, in preparation for our re-launch of Traction, we launchedTraction Course, a free 14-day email course that shows you how to double your Facebook ad ROI, get more Twitter followers, and improve your email open rates by 30%+. And, in just a week, we’ve grown our email list by nearly 50%, adding 3,000+ subscribers that we can now tell about the re-launch of…
6 Ideas to Solve the California Drought
This post is a thought experiment. Clearly, I’m missing some of the nuance around this issue. However, thinking about how to solve this was fun, and I think some of the below ideas could be useful. Lately, there has been a loooot of fighting, politicizing and hand-wringing about the drought in California (see CA website). You know it’s been going on for a while when…
Why Virtual Reality Will Change Your Life
There’s a lot of hype in the Valley around virtual reality. Microsoft, Phillips, Samsung and Google are all entering the game currently dominated by Facebook and their $2 billion purchase of Oculus Rift — the VR system with the most hype, despite the fact that it hasn’t shipped yet. I’ve tried the Oculus, and can testify that it’s a really cool experience. It wasn’t quite enough to…
The New Unemployment
I live in a bubble. Most people I know are gainfully employed, or running a company they started. Statistically, most people my age (25) aren’t doing as well. Youth unemployment is about 13%. Further, most of the unemployed aren’t employable — nearly a million lack even a high school diploma, and another 1.8 million are out of work with only a diploma or its equivalent. Some would…
8 Questions to Create an Interesting Conversation
I love questions that make conversations, life more interesting. After reading this article last week, I’ve been thinking a lot about questions I like that make for fascinating conversation. Here’s a short list: What do you believe is true that almost nobody agrees with? (The Peter Thiel question) What’s the last thing that made you laugh out loud? If you could call yourself five years…
How I (almost) Made $400k in College
When I was 20, I learned a hard lesson about believing in yourself and doubling down. It was 2011 and I had just moved to SF to integrate myself into the tech world. As such, when I saw an opportunity to win a lunch with Robert Scoble for answering a question on Quora about technology trends, I jumped at the chance. And, in that answer…
How to Build Confidence in 5 Minutes a Day
This summer I developed a morning routine. I’ve read several books about how great men and women worked, and a common thread in almost each individual’s story was a routine they followed each and every morning. Maya Angelou rented a hotel room where she’d start writing every morning at 6:30. Ben Franklin used to sit naked in his chamber for 30 minutes reading and writing,…
We are all (almost) millionaires
Never before have expectations been so high about what human beings can achieve with their lifespan. We’re told, from many sources, that anyone can achieve anything. We’ve done away with the caste system. We are now in a system where anyone can rise to any position they please. And it’s a beautiful idea. Along with that is a kind of spirit of equality. We’re all…