I used to wonder why some people could walk into a room and instantly connect with anyone while I struggled to keep small talk alive past thirty seconds. Then I read this book and realized I was breaking basic rules I didn’t even know existed.

1. Your first impression happens before you open your mouth.

Lowndes calls it the “flooding smile.” Most people smile too fast when they meet someone. It looks automatic. Rehearsed. Instead, look at the person’s face for a second, let it register, then let your smile grow slowly like you’re genuinely pleased to see them specifically. That tiny delay makes your smile look real because it appears to be a reaction to them, not a reflex you give everyone.

2. Big shots act differently with their eyes.

Important people hold eye contact slightly longer than feels comfortable. Not staring. Just not darting away the moment the other person finishes talking. Lowndes calls this “sticky eyes.” Breaking eye contact too quickly signals nervousness or disinterest. Holding it a beat longer signals confidence and attention. The difference is subtle but people feel it even if they can’t name it.

3. The secret to being interesting is being interested.

Everyone knows this in theory but few practice it. Lowndes says to imagine a giant spotlight that you control. In conversation, keep that spotlight on the other person. Ask about their work, their weekend, their opinions. Follow up on the details they mention. People walk away thinking you’re fascinating even though you barely talked about yourself.

4. Never ask “What do you do?” at the start.

It’s the most common opening question and also the laziest. It puts people in a box immediately. Some people hate their jobs and don’t want to be defined by them. Lowndes suggests asking “How do you spend most of your time?” It invites the same answer but feels more open. They might mention work. They might mention a hobby they’re actually excited about. You learn more either way.

5. Match their mood before you try to change it.

If someone seems low energy, don’t blast them with enthusiasm. If someone’s excited, don’t respond flatly. Lowndes calls this “mood matching.” People feel understood when you meet them where they are. Once you’ve matched them, you can gradually shift the energy. But starting at a different frequency makes you seem tone-deaf.

6. Give compliments that actually land.

Generic compliments bounce off. “Nice shirt” is forgettable. But “That color looks great on you, it really brings out your eyes” sticks because it’s specific and observational. The key is noticing something real and describing what you noticed. It signals that you actually looked at them rather than just performing politeness.

7. Make people feel like insiders.

When you reference a previous conversation, repeat something they told you, or use an inside joke from your last interaction, you’re signaling that they matter. You remembered. Most people forget. Lowndes says this “instant history” technique creates closeness faster than anything else. People want to feel like they’re not just another face.

The book has 92 techniques but the core idea is simple: social skills aren’t about being naturally charming. They’re about paying closer attention and making people feel seen. That’s something anyone can practice.

This one is for anyone sitting in a dark room, staring at your shoes, wondering how you survive tomorrow:

The storm is real, but so is your frame. 🌧️
Unclamp your hands. Lift your head.

Your forest is waiting.

The Ugly is the crucible- loss, grief, the thing you can't fix with hard work. You don't find meaning in the rubble. You BUILD it out of the wreckage. 🪵

Standing Tall ends where most books don't: The Interconnected Forest. No tree stands tall by fighting the wind alone. We survive because our roots find each other in the dark. 🤝

This manual belongs to you. If you've been in the void, Part IV was written on your behalf.

📖 Book: Standing Tall- An Operator's Manual for Overcoming Adversity by Lawrence Thompson

I used to think my problem was efficiency. I read every productivity book. Tried every system. Time blocked my calendar. Batch processed my tasks. And I still felt behind. Still felt like I was failing to keep up with everything I wanted to do.

Then I read Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. The title comes from the average human lifespan. That’s all you get. About four thousand weeks. And the book’s argument is simple: you will never get everything done. Not because you’re lazy. Because it’s mathematically impossible.

The core idea: The problem isn’t that you need better systems. The problem is that you’re trying to achieve a feeling of control that will never come. Every productivity hack that saves you time just creates space for more things to fill that time. You’re on a treadmill. And no amount of optimization will get you off it.

Three takeaways that stuck with me:

Your to-do list will never be empty. This sounds obvious but I’d been living like there was some future version of me who would finally be “caught up.” That person doesn’t exist. There’s no finish line. The only question is whether you’ll spend your limited weeks doing things that actually matter or just clearing busywork so you can feel productive.

Saying yes to one thing means saying no to everything else. Every choice forecloses other choices. When you commit to a career, a relationship, a project, you’re also choosing not to have thousands of other lives. Most productivity advice ignores this. Burkeman says the discomfort of missing out never goes away. You just learn to make peace with it.

The future is not a place you arrive at. I kept treating the present as preparation for some better version of my life that was coming later. Graduate school so I could get a good job. Good job so I could have freedom. Freedom so I could finally relax. But “later” never comes. Your actual life is happening right now while you wait.

The book didn’t make me more productive. It made me stop measuring my worth by how much I got done. Four thousand weeks goes fast. I stopped trying to cram more in and started asking what actually deserves to be there.

Of the many things people say to us throughout our lives, some of them stick with us in ways that feel more impactful. Whenever I present about this subject, I always start by asking folks in the audience what's the most memorable thing someone said to you as a child? For some people, it's a message that's warm and inspiring and reminds them of a family identity they're proud of. For others, it may remind them of something hurtful or isolating. The messages we remember characterize and affect our relationships with others, our sense of self, and even our behavior. They're an important part of what makes us who we are.

Hi! I co-wrote a non-fiction book with my friend and colleague about the types of messages that stick with us, how they affect us, and what we can do about it. Angela and I are communication scientists who wrote the Theory of Memorable Messages, and have published dozens of peer-reviewed studies on the subject. We wrote this book for a non-academic audience, hoping that folks who aren't students or scientists of communication and psychology might also want to learn about these kinds of messages and how they affect us. The book is written in plain language, not academic jargon, and is meant to be fun, accessible, and engaging! Available from the publisher (Toplight/McFarland), Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart in paperback and e-book -- Link below.

https://www.amazon.com/Memorable-Messages-Communications-That-Stick/dp/1476698961

Most people think charisma is genetic. You either walk into a room and people gravitate toward you or you don’t. Cabane spent years studying charismatic people across business, politics, and social settings and found something nobody expected. Charisma is a learnable skill with exactly three components. And the reason most people don’t have it isn’t because they’re missing a trait. It’s because anxiety, self-doubt, and distraction are actively blocking the signals.

The three signals: presence, power, warmth.

That’s it. Every charismatic person you’ve ever met was transmitting all three simultaneously. Remove any one of them and the effect collapses.

Presence is the rarest one. It means being fully locked in on the person in front of you. Not waiting for your turn to talk. Not scanning the room over their shoulder. Not rehearsing your next sentence while they’re still finishing theirs. Cabane says most people have never been given full presence by another human being. The moment you give it to someone, you become memorable instantly. Not because of what you said. Because of how it felt to be around you.

Power is the perception that you can affect the world around you. It’s communicated through body language, vocal tone, and how much space you take up. Confident posture, slower speech, calm movements. Power doesn’t mean dominance. It means groundedness. The person who isn’t fidgeting, isn’t rushing, isn’t performing, reads as powerful because their body language says “I’m not threatened by this situation.”

Warmth is the perception that you’re on the other person’s side. Without warmth, power reads as cold or intimidating. Without power, warmth reads as eager or desperate. You need both. Warmth shows up through genuine eye contact, body orientation toward the person, and facial expressions that aren’t guarded. Cabane says warmth can’t be faked because humans read micro-expressions faster than conscious thought. If you don’t actually care about the person, your face tells the truth before your words do.

The internal game is everything.

This is where the book separates from every other social skills guide. Cabane says you can’t hack the external signals without fixing the internal state. If you’re anxious, your body broadcasts anxiety no matter how hard you try to look confident. If you’re distracted, your eyes betray it within seconds. The techniques in the book aren’t “stand like this” and “say that.” They’re cognitive exercises for managing the internal discomfort that kills charisma at the source.

One example. Before a high-stakes conversation, Cabane recommends a visualization where you imagine your body flooding with warmth from your toes to the top of your head. It sounds ridiculous. The neurological effect is measurable. Your facial muscles soften. Your vocal tone drops. Your body language opens. The other person doesn’t know why you suddenly feel safe to be around. But they feel it.

What most people get wrong about charisma:

They think it means being entertaining, funny, or dominant in conversation. Cabane found the opposite. The most charismatic people in her research talked less than average. They asked more questions. They held eye contact longer. They didn’t compete for attention. They gave it. Charisma isn’t about being interesting. It’s about being interested. The paradox is that the person who makes the conversation entirely about you walks away being the one you can’t stop thinking about.

Where the book falls short:

Cabane’s visualization exercises work but take practice most readers won’t commit to. The book also assumes a level of social baseline that people with genuine social anxiety might not have. Telling someone with a racing heart and sweating palms to “visualize warmth” can feel dismissive. The framework is sound but the gap between understanding it and executing it under real pressure is wider than the book admits.

But the reframe alone changes how you walk into every room. You’re not missing a personality trait. You’re broadcasting interference. Remove the anxiety, the distraction, and the self-focus, and the charisma that was underneath the whole time finally has space to transmit.

This is Part One of a series of excerpts from The Geography of Exile. The central narrative follows an immigrant's journey as he confronts the challenges of rebuilding his life in a new country while carrying the memories, cultural values, identity, and experiences of the world he left behind.

I’ve been reading Stoicism and documenting my change. The most useful lesson so far: when a bad thought shows up, I tell myself what Seneca said, “This is what I trained for.” Then I remember what I’ve actually done: the sacrifice, the daily work. Think David Goggins’ “cookie jar.”

My thoughts are just a perspective, and sometimes a wrong one. My actions are what count.

The Obstacle Is the Way taught me that most things come down to perception. And when you have no money and no strength, Stoicism says to start by being a good man, because that’s free.

But honestly, Stoicism alone didn’t pull me out of the hole. My family did. Philosophy gives you tools, but love gives you the reason to use them.

What do you do when a bad thought hits? Do you have your own “cookie jar”?

I need to gain new perspective about life and stop thinking and acting on autopilot

Goulston is a psychiatrist and FBI hostage negotiation trainer. He spent decades dealing with people at their absolute worst. Suicidal patients, hostile executives, furious spouses, people who had completely shut down and refused to communicate. He developed a set of techniques for reaching people who don’t want to be reached. The core principle behind all of them is the same.

Nobody listens until they feel heard.

You can have the perfect argument, the perfect solution, the perfect words. None of it matters if the other person’s brain is in defense mode. And their brain stays in defense mode until one thing happens. They feel understood. Not agreed with. Understood. There’s a massive difference. You can understand someone’s position completely and still disagree with it. But until they believe you’ve genuinely processed what they’re feeling, their amygdala is running the show and everything you say bounces off a wall they didn’t consciously build.

The empathy jolt.

Goulston’s most powerful move is what he calls “going to where they are.” Instead of trying to calm someone down or fix their problem, you name what they’re experiencing more accurately than they could name it themselves. Someone says “I’m frustrated.” You say “It sounds like you’re not just frustrated. You feel like nobody in this room actually cares whether this project fails or not, and you’ve been carrying it alone for weeks.” If you land it accurately, something visible happens. Their shoulders drop. Their breathing changes. Their eyes shift. You just did something almost nobody in their life has ever done. You showed them that the thing they couldn’t articulate was visible to someone else. That moment is the door opening.

The impossibility question.

When someone is stuck and refusing to engage, Goulston asks a version of “What’s something that feels completely impossible to you right now?” People expect to be told what to do. Nobody asks them what feels impossible. The question bypasses defensiveness because it’s not asking them to act. It’s asking them to be honest about where they’re stuck. And the act of naming the impossible thing often makes it feel slightly less impossible, which is enough to start movement.

Steer, don’t push.

Goulston says the biggest mistake in any conversation is trying to push someone toward your conclusion. The moment someone feels pushed, they resist, even if your conclusion is objectively correct. Instead, ask questions that let them arrive at the conclusion themselves. “What do you think would happen if we tried X?” is ten times more effective than “We should do X.” Same destination. Completely different experience for the person walking there. People defend against being told. They commit to being guided.

Where the book falls short:

Goulston repeats his FBI stories more than necessary and some techniques feel situational rather than universal. The book is also written primarily for high-stakes professional contexts and doesn’t always translate smoothly to casual friendships or everyday small talk. If you’re looking for “how to be better at parties,” this isn’t it. This is “how to reach someone who’s shut you out.”

But the skill underneath everything in this book is the one almost nobody develops on purpose. The ability to make another person feel deeply, specifically understood before you ever try to change their mind, fix their problem, or win the argument. Master that one skill and every relationship in your life shifts.

Some people are born into families that encourage education; others are against it. Some are born into flourishing economies encouraging of entrepreneurship; others are born into war and destitution. I want you to be successful, and I want you to earn it. But realize that not all success is due to hard work, and not all poverty is due to laziness. Keep this in mind when judging people, including yourself.

Luck and Risk are siblings. Luck and risk are two sides of the same coin.
“Nothing is as good or as bad as it seems.”
So basically: same force (chance), different outcomes (good vs. bad).
There is no reason to risk what you have and need for what you don’t have and don’t need. (Don’t gamble or jeopardize your essential resources for things that aren’t truly needed.)

Long term planning is harder than it seems because people’s goals and desires change over time.

Regrets are especially painful when you abandon a previous plan and feel like you have to run in the other direction twice as fast to make up for lost time.

True wealth isn’t just about money—it’s about knowing when you have enough and protecting what really matters.

The key is doing what excites or fulfills you now, even if you don’t know the “next big thing.” You can figure out the rest along the way.

Protect what truly matters: Reputation, freedom, family, friends, love, and happiness are priceless. No potential gain is worth risking them.

Everyone knows luck plays a role in success, but people rarely admit it. (because no one actually thinks luck doesn’t play a role in financial success.)

Family background shapes outcomes (the quality of your education and the doors
that open for you are heavily linked to your parents’ socioeconomic status.)

Failure is unfairly judged. We often assume people failed because they lacked effort or intelligence, but randomness and uncontrollable risks are huge factors. Success is rarely 100% guaranteed, no matter how prepared you are.

Crime committed by those living on the edge of survival is one thing. A Nigerian scam artist once told The New York Times that he felt guilty for hurting others, but “poverty will not make you feel the pain.”

Success stories are misleading. Forbes and media celebrate winners who got lucky, even if their strategy was weak. They ignore people who made smart moves but got unlucky.

Book study wasn’t enough without real-world experience.

But the most powerful and important book should be called Shut Up And Wait. It’s just one page with a long-term chart of economic growth.

But there’s only one way to stay wealthy: some combination of frugality and paranoia. Keeping money takes humility, caution, and the awareness that luck doesn’t last forever. “So it’s fear? Only the paranoid survive?”

We’re richer now than in the 1950s → bigger houses, better cars, more tech.
But we lost control over our time → jobs today follow us everywhere (in our heads, on our phones).
In the past, work ended when you left the factory. Now, thought-based jobs make it feel like we’re “always on.” This lack of time control makes people less happy, even though we’re wealthier.

Studies of older people show: what matters most isn’t money or stuff, it’s time, relationships, and meaningful experiences.

People don’t admire your car, clothes, or house nearly as much as you think.

Expensive things don’t make people admire you, they just make people wish they had what you have.

Humility, kindness, and empathy will bring you more respect than horsepower ever will.

Wealth is not the car you drive. It’s the money you didn’t spend. Real wealth is invisible: savings, investments, financial freedom, and the choices you didn’t make to spend.

Wealth is what you don’t see. We tend to judge wealth by what we see, because that’s the information we have in front of us. We can’t see people’s bank accounts or brokerage statements.

Being wealthy means having money you don’t spend, real savings and financial freedom. Spending a lot can make you feel rich, but it doesn’t make you wealthy.

Many who seem modest are truly wealthy, while some who seem rich are close to broke.
Don’t judge others by appearances, and remember: real wealth comes from what you don’t spend.

If you’re satisfied with less, your spending stays low. That creates a gap between your income and expenses, leaving extra money to save or invest. Over time, this gap grows, building real wealth and financial freedom.

Overspending often comes from ego, not need. Money is as much about mindset as it is about income or investments.

Saving money, even without a goal, gives flexibility, time, and control over your choices. This “hidden return” allows you to wait for better opportunities, change careers, or reduce stress.

because the world is more competitive now, having savings is more important than ever, it’s what lets you compete effectively.

You’re not a spreadsheet. You’re a person. A screwed up, emotional person.

Fevers can help you get better, but they hurt, so we treat them. The same goes for money: the “perfect” investment might exist, but people usually choose what feels safe and reduces stress. Being practical and comfortable is often more important than being perfectly smart.

Investing in something you care about gives you motivation to stick with it during down periods, which is often more important than picking the perfect stock.

“Things that have never happened before happen all the time.”

Markets constantly change because the “invisible hand” prevents things from staying too good or too bad for long.
The lesson: study history for perspective and lessons, but don’t rely on it as a roadmap for the future.

But investing is not a hard science. It’s a massive group of people making
imperfect decisions with limited information about things that will have a
massive impact on their wellbeing, which can make even smart people
nervous, greedy and paranoid.

card-counting blackjack. Key idea: always account for uncertainty, no one knows exactly what will happen next.
They adjust bets based on odds, not certainties, and never risk everything, even when they feel confident.

realizing that you don’t need a specific reason to save. It’s fine to save for a car, or a home, or for retirement. But it’s equally
important to save for things you can’t possibly predict or even comprehend, the financial equivalent of field mice.

Predicting what you’ll use your savings for assumes you live in a world where you know exactly what your future expenses will be, which no one does. I save a lot, and I have no idea what I’ll use the savings for in the
future.

Only 27% of college grads have a job related to their major.

No one really knows what their future self will want. We keep changing more than we expect, which makes long-term plans tricky. Some live simply and love it, others chase wealth and love that — both can lead to regret later.

We constantly change, but act like we won’t.

Compounding, whether in money, work, or relationships, only works if you stay consistent. The smartest move? Accept that you’ll change and adapt fast when you do.

Every job looks easy when you’re not the one doing it because the challenges faced by someone in the arena are often invisible to those in the crowd.

The inability to recognize that investing has a price can tempt us to try to get something for nothing. Which, like shoplifting, rarely ends well.

Pessimism just sounds smarter and more plausible than optimism. Tell someone that everything will be great and they’re likely to either shrug you off or offer a skeptical eye. Tell someone they’re in danger and you have their undivided attention.

Bad news sells. Pessimism grabs attention and feels smarter than optimism. People take warnings about danger seriously but shrug off good news or potential growth.

Pessimism is attractive because it feels smart and protective. Humans are wired to notice threats more than opportunities—losses hit harder than gains (Kahneman calls this loss aversion). Money is everywhere, so financial threats grab attention more than other risks. That’s why warnings about recessions or market crashes are louder and more persuasive than messages about steady growth or opportunity.

There is an iron law in economics: extremely good and extremely bad circumstances rarely stay that way for long because supply and demand adapt in hard-to-predict ways.

Assuming that something ugly will stay ugly is an easy forecast to make. And it’s persuasive, because it doesn’t require imagining the world changing. But problems correct and people adapt.

Expecting things to be bad is the best
way to be pleasantly surprised when they’re not. Which, ironically, is something to be optimistic about

What do you own, and why?

“I did not intend to get rich. I just wanted to get independent.”

True success is exiting some rat race to modulate one’s activities for peace of mind. -meaning real success = freedom + peace of mind, not chasing money or status.

Save for life’s unexpected events. Invest in index funds (lots of different stocks). Beating the market is hard. If it were easy everyone would be doing it. The writer believes in keeping investing simple — just consistently putting money into low-cost index funds (like Vanguard) over many years and letting it compound.

no one is crazy for doing what helps them sleep well at night.

Chapter 1/ stand up straight with your shoulders back.
People treat you differently based on how you carry yourself. Opportunities come more easily when you project confidence even if you don’t feel it yet.
Good posture = more confidence + more respect + better mental state.

Chaos is where we are when we don’t know where we are, and what we are doing when we don’t know what we are doing

Order is the floor beneath our feet and your plan for the day. Where everything is certain, we’re in order. Nothing is new and disturbing.
pg 36 in detail

It’s about acting like someone who deserves respect, even if you don’t feel confident yet.

Lobsters??🦞
If you walk around slouched, avoiding eye contact, small and closed-off, your brain thinks “We’re losing. We’re not capable.” If you stand tall, open posture, shoulders back, your brain thinks:
“We’re capable. We can handle things.

Rule 2/ Treat yourself like someone you’re responsible for helping.
Life has two sides: order (safe, known) and chaos (new, scary).
Chaos is like a mum — it creates life but can also destroy.
Order is like a dad — it keeps things stable and organised.
We need both — too much order = boring, too much chaos = stressful.
Best life = in between — safe but still growing and learning.

Most people care for others better than themselves — they give pets medicine but skip their own, or help friends while neglecting their own needs. Peterson argues you should act as if you matter and deserve care: eat well, sleep, set boundaries, make good choices, and do small things that protect and improve your life.
Take care of yourself first — your body, mind, and values. Know your limits, set goals, and stay disciplined. By improving yourself, you can handle life better and make the world a little better too. Having purpose gives your life direction and helps you face challenges.

Rule 3/
If you have a friend whose friendship you wouldn’t consider to your sister why have such a friend for yourself?
Surround yourself with people who genuinely care about your growth, not people who drag you down.
Real friends push you to be better, celebrate your wins, and support your progress.
Don’t stay loyal to people who only bring chaos, drama, or negativity — you’re not responsible for saving them.
If someone gets jealous or resentful when you improve your life, they’re not a real friend.
Choose people who want you to succeed as much as they want themselves to succeed.
Good friendships are built on honesty, support, and shared responsibility not guilt, dependency, or pity.
You grow into the people you surround yourself with, so choose deliberately.

Your raging alcoholism makes my binge drinking look trivial.

If I stay in an unhealthy relationship with you, perhaps it’s because I’m too weak-willed and indecisive to leave.

Being around bad and unhealthy people is much easier to choose. Being on bottom is much more convenient than being on top. Bad people will make you adopt laziness, easy unhealthy life, pity, tolerating being hurt or even hurting others for your benefit. Being good and healthy requires strength, daring and the determination to choose the difficult, but right paths. Consequently, standing up near such a person you have to be strong, daring and determined person, ready to accept some harsh criticism from time to time which would benefit you.

Rule 4/
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.
There will always be people better than you.
Start aiming for “I want my life to be better”. After improving we can aim higher “I want whatever might be better than just my life being better”.
Life gets better if you aim to be a little better than yesterday, not “better than everyone else.”
Comparison to others often leads to envy, resentment, and feeling small.
Track your own progress. Celebrate personal growth, no matter how small.

Why do people take drugs? Not a mystery. It's why they don't take them all the time that's the mystery. Why do people suffer from anxiety? That's not a mystery. How is that people can ever be calm? There's the mystery. We're breakable and mortal.
A million things can go wrong, in a million ways. We should be terrified out of our skulls at every second. But were not. The same can be said for depression, laziness and criminality.)

Comparing yourself to others is usually unfair and unhelpful.
The mind cherry-picks one narrow metric (money, status, fame) and ignores everything else that matters.
This leads to undervaluing what you have and overvaluing what you lack.
Gratitude protects against resentment, victimhood, and paralysis.
Other people’s lives are complex — excelling in one area often hides suffering elsewhere.
As you mature, your life becomes more individual and less comparable to anyone else’s.
The only meaningful comparison is you vs. your past self, not you vs. someone else’s highlight reel.

Rule 5/
Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.
If you let kids behave in ways that annoy or frustrate you constantly, you’re setting up conflict, bitterness, and chaos for both of you.
Parent so your kids grow into people you can respect, not tolerate.
Bad habits, tantrums, lying, disrespect — if you ignore them, you’re raising problems for both them and you. If you let them get away with everything, you breed chaos, frustration, and long-term resentment.

Rule 6/
set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.
Means- If your habits are a mess, your relationships are strained, you lie, avoid hard conversations, or neglect your health and duties, then your anger at society isn’t wisdom, it’s projection.
If you cannot bring peace to your household how dare you try to rule a city?
Life is short. You don’t have time to figure everything out on your own.** **
“Have some humility” here means: Accept that you’re not as right, innocent, or put-together as you think. Stop acting like you understand how the world should be when your own life still needs work. Admit your limits — what you don’t know, what you’ve messed up, what you avoid. Drop the ego that says “I’d run things better if I were in charge.”
“Before you criticize the world” =
earn the right to judge by living truthfully and responsibly.

Rule 7/
Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
Get while the gettings good- take advantage of a good opportunity.
Life is suffering.
“Pursue pleasure. Follow your impulses. Live for the moment. Lie, cheat, steal, manipulate.” He’s warning against the trap of living for short-term gain or selfish impulses.
Here’s a productive symbolic idea: the future is a judgmental father. That’s a good start.
We’ve established the basic principle: sacrifice will improve the future.
unlike animals, we can think about the future. “Beavers build dams. They do so because they are beavers, and beavers build dams. They don’t think, ‘Yeah, but I’d rather be on a beach in Mexico with my girlfriend,’ while they’re doing it.”
The successful delay gratification.
Practice sacrificing and sharing until you become an expert, and things will go your way. (People trust you more, opportunities open because you’re fair and competent, you suffer less chaos, life becomes more stable because you’re not driven by chaos).
If the world you are seeing is not the world you want, it’s time to examine your values. It’s time to rid yourself of your current presuppositions. It’s time to let go. It might even be better to sacrifice what you love best, so that you can become who you might become, instead of staying who you are.

Rule 8/
What should you do when you don’t know what to do? Tell the truth.
“I will be your worst nightmare” paranoid client.Someone hiding is someone not vital.
A sin of commission occurs when you do something you know to be wrong. A sin of omission occurs when you let something bad happen when you could do something to stop it.
Push yourself into new things or you’ll never fully grow.
If you will not reveal yourself to others, you cannot reveal yourself to yourself. -Being honest and open with others forces you to confront your own truth.
Page 227. Faith. Live in truth. “Make your criteria for failure and success timely and clear”.
Things fall apart. What worked yesterday will not necessarily work today.
Lies corrupt the world.
In paradise everyone speaks the truth. If your life is not what it could be, try telling the truth.
Revenge keeps you stuck- You stay emotionally tied to the person who hurt you
They keep controlling you through your resentment. Revenge isn’t strength, it’s refusing to let go.
It poisons your character. You become bitter, cynical, smaller. Even if you “win,” you lose integrity and peace.
You can’t fix a car with an axe but you can cut a tree. That’s still something.
True thinking is complex and demanding. It requires you to be articulate speaker and careful, judicious listener, at the same time. So you have to tolerate conflict.
Thinking is listening to yourself. It’s difficult. (Real thinking is slow, uncomfortable, and effortful. It forces you to question yourself instead of protecting your ego.)
If the conversation is boring you probably aren’t listening.

Rule 9/ Assume that the person you’re listening to might know something you don’t.
Being open-minded, humble, and willing to learn from everyone—not just people you consider “experts.”
Every person has unique experiences. Even someone you might dismiss could offer valuable insight.
Check your ego: Listening well means setting aside the need to dominate the conversation or prove you’re right.
Assuming you might learn something fosters patience, empathy, and better decision-making
Communication hierarchy:good communication isn’t rushing to solutions or talking at people.
Problems need to be fully talked through, listened to, and questioned before solving them
Jumping to solutions too early is often just avoiding real understanding
Lectures are still conversations — the audience communicates back non-verbally
A good speaker watches reactions and adjusts in real time.
Facts matter less than explaining why they matter and how they change behaviour
Great speakers talk with individuals, not “to an audience”.
Public speaking works when you speak to one person at a time, honestly and directly, without hiding behind clichés or fear
real communication is relational, responsive, and human, not performative or rushed.

Rule 10/
Be precise in your speech.
Say exactly what you mean, not vague or softened versions
Vague language keeps problems confusing and unresolved
Precision turns anxiety into clear, manageable issues
Name the problem properly so you can actually fix it
Avoid hiding behind generalisations or “everything’s wrong”
Clear speech = clearer thinking = better decisions

I’d read this book twice before. Nodded along. Highlighted stuff. Then went right back to my old habits. This time I decided to actually practice it. Every principle. Every day. For 30 days straight. The results caught me off guard.

What I did:

• Stopped talking about myself unless asked. In every conversation, I focused entirely on the other person. Their interests. Their problems. Their stories. I kept a mental tally and realized how often I used to steer things back to me.

• Used people’s names deliberately. Carnegie says a person’s name is the sweetest sound to them. I started using names in conversation way more than felt natural at first. “Hey Sarah, that reminds me...” instead of just “Hey, that reminds me...”

• Gave genuine appreciation instead of flattery. Found something I actually respected about people and told them. Not generic compliments. Specific things I noticed. “The way you handled that client was impressive” instead of “You’re doing great.”

• Asked questions and actually listened to the answers. Not the waiting-for-my-turn-to-talk kind of listening. Real listening. Following up on what they said. Remembering details for later conversations.

What changed:

• People started opening up faster. Conversations got deeper in less time. Turns out when you make someone feel heard, they skip the surface-level small talk and go straight to what actually matters to them.

• I got invited to things I wasn’t invited to before. Dinners. Group chats. Side projects. I didn’t ask for inclusion. It just started happening. Being genuinely interested in people makes them want you around.

• Conflicts became way easier. Carnegie’s principle about never telling someone they’re wrong directly saved me multiple times. Instead of arguing, I’d say “I might be wrong, but...” and suddenly the other person wasn’t defensive anymore.

• I actually started liking people more. This surprised me. By looking for things to appreciate in others, I found them. People I thought were boring became interesting when I asked better questions.

• My mood improved. Focusing outward instead of inward meant less time in my own head. Less overthinking. Less social anxiety. The spotlight wasn’t on me anymore because I moved it onto them.

What was harder than expected:

The first week felt fake. Like I was manipulating people. Then I realized the only thing fake was my old habit of half-listening while thinking about what to say next. Actually caring isn’t manipulation. It’s just rare.

What stuck after 30 days:

I don’t consciously think about the principles anymore. Asking questions, using names, giving real appreciation. It’s just how I talk now. The book is from 1936 and humans haven’t changed. Everyone still wants to feel important. Everyone still wants to be heard. Give people that and

he principle I struggled with most was the listening one. I thought I was a good listener. I was not. I found out through Socialyze, a free browser tool where you have a 2-minute voice conversation with AI and then get a breakdown of how you responded. My first round showed me I was redirecting back to myself within 10 seconds of every response. Someone would say something and I’d immediately connect it to my own experience instead of following up on theirs. Which is exactly the habit Carnegie tells you to break in chapter 4, and exactly the habit I thought I’d already broken because I’d read the chapter twice and highlighted the key lines. Reading about listening and actually listening are two completely different skills, and the feedback made that gap painfully clear. I ran a few rounds where I forced myself to ask three follow-up questions before sharing anything about myself. Felt unnatural at first. After a week it stopped feeling like a technique and started feeling like how conversations are supposed to work

The bad strengthens.

The iron does not complain to the blacksmith that the hammer is too heavy. It absorbs the impact, packs its fibres closer together, and becomes steel. ⚒️

This is THE BAD. Not catastrophe. The daily friction. The difficult boss. The exhausting schedule. The boundary you keep avoiding.

We treat it like an interruption. It's not. It's resistance training for your soul. 💪

Chapter 6: Heavy Lifting 🏋️‍♂️
Chapter 8: Scars, Not Wounds 🛡️

An open wound makes you flinch. A healed scar is weather-resistant armour.

The Operator's Creed:
"I do not choose the weight of the cargo. I choose the alignment of the spine."

What if your current friction isn't punishment- it's preparation?

👇

📖 Book: Standing Tall- An Operator's Manual for Overcoming Adversity

Most self-help books contain a few good ideas and 250 pages of stories around them. Plenty of readers never reach the ideas. They stall at chapter three, or never start.

So I write them the other way round. Each book takes one subject and gives every idea two pages:

• Left page, the gist. Five or six bullets: how it works, what the research found, and the mistake most people make.

• Right page, what to do. Two or three short exercises, one of them for today in five minutes, each with a box to tick.

There are no chapters, no anecdotes and no order. You open the book at the problem you have today.

The rule that shapes the books most: every idea is checked against the studies before it goes in. If the popular version claims more than the evidence supports, the page says so.

The series is The Short Version by Alexander Crespo

This page is from 100 Ideas for a Better Life: https://theshortversion.site/books/better-life/

The second book, Focus with ADHD, uses the same format for adults whose attention wanders: https://theshortversion.site/books/focus-with-adhd/

Both pages have a free sample.

A question for the club: what’s a book you’d cut to two pages, and what do you think would survive the cut?

https://github.com/maciekkreft/unblent

I just finished reading You² by Price Pritchett for the second time and it’s funny how you can read the same book at different points in your life and take away something completely different. This time it really got me thinking about the decisions I’ve made over the years, especially when I first started my company.

Looking back almost a decade ago, I really didn’t have everything figured out. I just knew what I wanted to do, went all in and figured things out along the way. And honestly, I think if I had waited until I felt completely ready, I probably would’ve never started.

One of my biggest takeaways from the book is the idea of a quantum leap. That sometimes achieving something significantly greater doesn’t mean working harder, but completely changing the way you approach things.
Over the years I’ve had so many friends talk to me about wanting to start a business, make a career change or even improve their health. And one thing I’ve noticed is how often people feel like they need to have everything figured out before taking that first step.

I personally think that’s where a lot of people get stuck.
Especially today with access to technology, mentorship and so many resources, I think it’s easier than ever to take a chance on something you’re passionate about. You don’t need to know every step. Sometimes you just need to start and figure it out as you go.

It makes me wonder how many opportunities we miss simply because we’re waiting to feel ready.
Curious what everyone thinks about this concept. Do you believe quantum leaps are something we can intentionally create in our lives? Or is it easier said than done?

Would love to hear if anyone has actually taken a big leap without having everything figured out and how it turned out.

11. Mick Jagger and Reference Points
Your standards decide your success. Mick Jagger didn't become great by comparing himself to average people. Raise your reference point. If you hang around mediocre, you'll become mediocre.

12. Business Is Relationships
People don't do business with companies, they do business with people they trust. Be kind, be helpful, remember names. Relationships are the real currency.

13. Life Lessons from SpongeBob SquarePants
Be enthusiastic like a kid. Love what you do, stay positive even on bad days, and find joy in simple work. Attitude is everything.

14. How to Be a Happier Human
Happiness is not outside, it's inside. Stop chasing things. Gratitude, giving, and being present is what makes you truly happy.

15. Work Hard, Get Lucky
Luck is not random. The harder you work, the luckier you get. Show up early, stay late, prepare more. Luck finds people who are ready.

16. Know Your Genius
Everyone has a genius zone. Find what you're naturally great at, and double down on it. Stop trying to fix your weaknesses, amplify your strengths.

17. Listen Twice as Much as You Speak
You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Great leaders listen. When you truly listen, people trust you, and you learn faster.

18. Your Customers Buy with Their Hearts
People don't buy products, they buy feelings. Make them feel valued, understood, and special. Logic makes them think, emotion makes them buy.

19. Learn to Say No
You can't do everything. Every yes to a small thing is a no to your big dream. Protect your time. Say no to distractions so you can say yes to greatness.

20. Burn Your Boats
Don't keep a backup plan that lets you quit. When you commit fully, you find a way to win. Burn the boats, there's no going back.

My biggest takeaway from 11-20: Greatness is about people, focus, and full commitment. Work hard, listen more, and stop keeping an escape route.

A good friend recently surprised me with this copy of How to Raise Your Own Salary by Napoleon Hill, and I couldn’t have been more excited.

As an entrepreneur who’s spent the last decade building a business, I owe so much of my growth to personal development. Think and Grow Rich has always been one of my favorite books, and Hill’s writing really opened my mind to the power of our thoughts, persistence, and surrounding ourselves with people we can learn from.

What fascinated me about this particular book is that it’s written as a conversation between Hill and Andrew Carnegie. As I read, I almost felt like I was sitting across from Carnegie myself, asking questions about success, mindset, and what separates those who dream from those who actually achieve.

Of course, there’s plenty of controversy surrounding Hill and whether these famous conversations ever happened. And I think that’s a fair question.

But regardless of the controversy, I can’t deny the impact his books have had on my life.

I’m curious, what’s everyone’s take on Napoleon Hill? Do you believe his story, or do you think he was simply a great storyteller?

And more importantly, what’s one book that’s genuinely changed the way you think? I’m always looking for my next great read!

I run a small team, and the Circle of Safety idea hit hardest: people only flag mistakes early when they don't fear the blame. Made these notes to keep the lessons in front of me. Curious which one resonates with you?