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Bad Back

This week, a strained back confined me to bed for a few days where even the simple act of standing became a monumental task. As I laid there watching Netflix, I found myself envying the characters' casual movements - their ability to spring up, twist, and turn without wincing. It is silly, but I silently resented them for not appreciating what they had, the ability to move. Confucius said: "A healthy man wants a thousand things, a sick man only wants one." When pain becomes your constant comp...

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On Honesty

It's easy to tell someone they've lost weight, it's much harder to tell them they've gained it. Both are true, but the latter is often more valuable to hear. The truths we most need to hear are usually the hardest to say. Easy truths flow freely - complimenting a haircut, celebrating a promotion, praising weight loss. But the important ones get stuck in our throat - pointing out concerning drinking habits, mentioning failure to meet expectations, or telling your friend they have a booger in t...

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Inaction is not Purity

It's easy for the person who has done nothing to do no wrong. The person who never started a business hasn't made unethical decisions for profit. The person who never entered a relationship hasn't betrayed trust. The person who never held power hasn't abused it. This pristine record is meaningless – like my 0-0 boxing record. I'm technically undefeated with fewer losses than Mike Tyson. But virtue isn't measured by avoiding difficult situations, it's proven by how you act when facing them. Th...

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Following Rules is not Free

Following rules is harder when you're poor because poverty forces people into "survival mode" - the sort of last resort decision making when unmet needs overwhelm all other concerns. Anatole France captured this perfectly in The Red Lily: "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread." The millionaire doesn't consider stealing groceries, but the single mother on food stamps does - not because of chara...

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The Art of Slowing Down

I often catch myself thinking I'm incapable of relaxation. This belief surfaces when I reach what should be peaceful moments—a vacation, a day off—yet find my mind still racing at full speed. Interpreting this worry as proof that I can't relax isn't accurate; I have experienced relaxation before. What I'm really experiencing is the natural deceleration of an overactive mind. When you're driving 100 mph, the car doesn't instantly stop when you hit the brakes—it needs time and distance to safel...

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My Writing Process

I went from having a cluttered mind to clearly articulating opinions after I started writing weekly WIBTALs. Over time, I've developed a 3-step writing method that I wish I'd known when I began. This is my process:1. CaptureIdeas are like butterflies: they appear unexpectedly and can vanish just as quickly. You need a practice for capturing them when they appear. I carry a small pocket journal for ideas everywhere I go. This minimizes the time between conception and recording and avoids the d...

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Date like a VC

I'm a single 27 year old male who lives in NYC and 80% of my dates go poorly. I've found that dating follows a power law, where most outcomes are bad to mediocre, but a few are exceptional. Power law distributions can be found everywhere in life, but one place in particular where professionals have a method for addressing the distribution is venture capital.Venture Capitalists (VCs) give money to startups to hopefully return more money back to the people that gave them money. Because most sta...

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Don't Find Someone Who Makes You Happy

In the 25th anniversary edition of "The Fountainhead," Ayn Rand shares a story about her husband, Frank O'Connor: "I did not feel discouragement very often, and when I did, it did not last longer than overnight. But there was one evening, during the writing of The Fountainhead, when I felt so profound an indignation at the state of "things as they are" that it seemed as if I would never regain the energy to move one step farther toward "things as they ought to be." Frank talked to me for hour...

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Don't Lose Sight of the Goal

We all know someone who loves to brag about how many books they've read or how many hours they've worked. While they might sound impressive, it's worth asking: what's their end goal? Are they achieving it? These individuals often focus on inputs instead of meaningful outputs. Reading a lot or working long hours isn't bad, but they're just tools, not goals. Ideally, we read to gain wisdom, not to hit a target number of books for the year. We work to achieve something worthwhile, not just to lo...

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Give Yourself Permission to Fail

After posting WIBTAL 34: The Hammer Salesman, I received feedback that it was my best WIBTAL yet. While the comments felt reassuring, I f...