Previous Newsletters
2024
- July 8 - Technique, volume, intensity; how to get better at doing hard things, building new skills can make things temporarily harder, all knowledge is local knowledge
- July 1 - Attention as currency, proverbs come in paradoxes, make hard things easy, the map and the territory, being ok with the present moment
- June 24 - The regret of inaction, boredom is a choice, movement fidelity, what you fear losing controls you, get out of the crab bucket
- June 17 - "If we run more, I'll die," acceptance isn't passivity, how perspective changes performance, how action changes the brain, and there are no shortcuts
- June 10 - Your opinion is optional, how emotions affect performance, passive coping is a path to anxiety, balancing patience and urgency, it's easier to keep up than catch up
- June 3 - Overcoming second-guessing, there are no shortcuts, recategorizing emotional reactions, becoming a 'natural', and the importance of nuance and context, and a new podcast with Eric Ross and Ben Allen
- May 28 - Pluralistic ignorance, gradualness, how to prep for the SFET like a professional, reactive anger, being consistently less stupid
- May 20 - Modern temptations vs. ancient willpower, why empathy without action is rarely useful, values and blind spots, managing expectations, and earning training specificity
- May 13 - The backwards law, why we win or lose in the little moments, how biases amplify stress, earning your opinions, and how interoception affects stress
- May 6 - How emotions affect learning, delegating authority, the cost of distraction, feedback - the compass of progress, and interconnectedness
- April 29 - The only choices that matter, being honest with yourself, taking accountability, directives vs. excuses, and how to keep going
- April 22 - The most important question, flow vs. deliberate practice, building systems, the light at the end of the tunnel, and exercise vs your diet
- April 15 - The power of rules, why you need to find your people, how context drives application of mental skills, why quantity should only extend quality, & more
- April 8 - Price vs. worth, attention is a skill, duration vs. distance training, accepting the truth, and the pace of change
- April 1 - The second fear, aspects of attention, how progress changes as you do, why starting points don't matter, and why physical metrics are a starting point
- MARCH 25 - Overcoming insecurities, the relationship between motivation and ambiguity, why tough needs smart & more.
- MARCH 18 - Why progress is linear but awareness isn't, different types of worrying, the choice you make every day, the fights you'll face, & more
- MARCH 11 - New podcast on how to run & ruck without getting injured, playing infinite games, learning & social pressure, why you can't believe your brain, & more
- MARCH 4 - Why you shouldn't coach yourself, why worrying is a choice, ignoring your calling, why resilient people don't wait, and the count of Heraclitus
- FEBRUARY 26 - New podcast on regulating your nervous system, the levels of happiness, humility & openness, cultivating productive emotions, and more
- FEBRUARY 19 - Why less is more, the components of stress, principles > methods, impacts of processed food, new podcast with a former Marine Raider, & more
- FEBRUARY 12 - Maintaining quality, continuous thinking, how thoughts shape feelings, why you must consider all effects, and how we all pay for our food
- FEBRUARY 5 - What people regret, actions vs. outcomes, doing things the hard way, addressing the root of problems, and finding your limits
- JANUARY 29 - Podcast with Admiral Robert Harward, taking help, choosing mentors, why taking care of your needs isn't selfish, & more
- JANUARY 22 - When virtues hold weight, consistent commitment, why pain lights the path, how to develop instincts, and why knowing the words isn't enough
- JANUARY 15 - New podcast with former SARC and PJ, why actions speak louder than words, why you're never alone, how contrast drives meaning, & more
- JANUARY 8 - Maturity & happiness, creating space to process thoughts & emotions, how to be in pain without suffering, and more
- JANUARY 1 - Trust the blood, fostering commitment, cardiac output factors, confidence and expertise, maintaining motivation
2023
- DECEMBER 25 - Better not more, mapping your stress response, fight this fight, path to mediocrity, stressors build strength
- DECEMBER 18 - Personal projects, PT test strategy, humans vs. hardware, two types of adaptations, pain and emotions
- DECEMBER 11 - The difference between 'can't' and 'want,' effects of judgments, rucking progressions, training around injuries, & liking vs. doing
- DECEMBER 4 - New podcast on planning for failure, how we shape our minds, the relationship between self-compassion & accountability, and more
- NOVEMBER 27 - The relationship between emotions & equanimity, why you need to test yourself, how and why to alter your stress responses, improvement via focus & intention, and the most important physical capacities
- NOVEMBER 20 - New podcast on pain, effort, & the limits of human endurance, how to hold yourself accountable, why a need for validation holds us back, and more
- NOVEMBER 13 - How emotions impact attention, letting go, growth & relationships, overcoming the inner critic, and Tier 1 operator capabilities
- NOVEMBER 6 - New podcast on the curse of knowledge, priming for performance under stress, the safe-fail approach, the ingredients of intrinsic motivation, & more
- OCTOBER 29 - Why humor has an aftertaste, keeping up vs. catching up, investing in loss, training in adverse conditions, & why our relationships define us
- OCTOBER 23 - Why people quit selection, repetitive emotions, the power of contrasting, confidence vs. cockiness, and why quality sets the path of quantity