Category: self improvement

Wake Up And Take Control Of Your Day with This Simple Habit.

When I was a kid, I had a small, square alarm clock.

It was very simple.

It had a traditional analog face, with an hour hand and a minute hand. (They actually looked more like arms than hands. But I think that ship has sailed.)

On the back of the clock, there were two simple dials. One set the time. The other set the alarm.

On top, there was a single, mushroom-shaped button. (Which grew in the dark.)

You pulled the plastic mushroom up to set it.

You pushed it down to turn it off.

That’s all there was to it.

But what was really important about my alarm clock was its location, location, location.

I didn’t set it on my nightstand like normal alarmists.

I placed it on top of my dresser on the other side of the room.

Every morning when the alarm clock sounded, I hopped out of bed and hustled across the room to turn it off.

And just like that, I was up and out of bed for the day.

I never hit the non-existent snooze button.

I didn’t crawl back in bed.

I started my day.

The Adam Albrecht Approach to Alarm Clocking has trained me to get up and start my day the moment my alarm sounds for the rest of my life.

Go Ahead, Make Your Day.

By training yourself to start the day when your alarm goes off, every day, you train yourself to take control of your life.

Today, I have stacked a series of beneficial habits into my morning routine.

Here’s The First Hour+ Of My Day:

When my alarm goes off, I turn it off.

Then I put a big smile on my face for 10 seconds.

I get out of bed.

I make my half of the bed.

I go to the bathroom and drink a tall glass of water I set out the night before. (Which means today’s success began yesterday.)

I weigh myself. (The daily feedback helps me keep my weight between the ditches.)

I enter my weight in my Happy Scale app.

Then I sit down at my desk in my home office to write.

I write from 6:10am until 7 or 7:30am.

As a result of this morning routine, I wake up, smile, hydrate, track my weight, and produce new creative work every morning.

Not because I decide to each day.

But because I decided to once, 10 years ago.

By 7am, I am rolling. I have won the first hour of the day. And I roll into the rest of the day, and my next habit stacks, with momentum.

But it all starts with the way I respond to my alarm clock.

Key Takeaway

Get on top of your day before your day gets on top of you. When you control how you start each day, it helps you take control of your entire day. And when you are in control of your days, you are in control of your life. So get up when your alarm goes off. Set your alarm on the other side of the room if you have to. Put a big smile on your face. And go win the day.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.And consider subscribing to Adam’s Good Newsletter.

5 Lessons From A Middle School Graduation Speech We Can All Use.

Last week, my son Magnus wrapped up his 3-year run as Magnus In The Middle School. It culminated with a graduation service on Wednesday evening. My friend Dr. Matt Joynt, the Super Duper Intendent of the Mequon-Thiensville School District, spoke at the ceremony and gave the graduating 8th graders five great pieces of advice. And since I am in the business of passing along the good advice I have heard, here is the High 5 from Dr. J.

Dr. Matthew Joynt, Superintendent of The Mequon-Thiensville School District and Dropper of Knowledge.
  1. Do More Of What Works For You. I love this. To me, this means figure out what works for you in the broadest sense. The routines. The preparation. The responses. The flossing and deodoranting. It means spending your time in areas that offer you a strong return and doing things that build your confidence and drive good outcomes.

2. Make a plan for handling challenges. Challenges will always come. Like Cold & Flu season. In fact, life is one long hurdle race of interesting challenges. So expect them. And have a framework for working through them ahead of time. Develop a philosophy for dealing with them. (I repeat ‘This Too Shall Pass” a lot.) Keep advisors and supporters you can turn to when times get tough on speed dial. Or at least keep them on speed text.

3. Praise Your Base. And Show Your Gratitude. None of us does this, whatever this is, on our own. We all have people who support our success. It is important to recognize those who help you succeed and to show gratitude for what you have. And thank your tribe for tribing with you.

My son, Magnus, and his certificate of high school eligibility.

4. Choose a trusted adult and commit to talking to them about anything. This is strong advice for young people. Developing a trusting relationship with an adult can be one of the greatest relationships and advantages of your life. There are parents, teachers, coaches and bosses who want to help you succeed. They have already experienced many of the things you are going through, or will go through. Having that kind of resource in your corner is a huge help. Even if you don’t have an actual corner. But adults should so the same. Find someone 10 years older than you who you can talk with regularly. They can give your perspective from a decade down the road. That is a valuable resource. Kinda like Google Maps, but better equipped to eat food and drink beverages with you.

5. Thank your community. It is important to recognize that schools are supported by the community. This is through taxes, votes, volunteerism, attendance and a variety of other methods. It takes a village to create and support the schools that support your growth and development. Recognize the efforts and commitment of those in your community to your success.

However, students aren’t the only people supported by their community.

I recognize the variety of communities that support me. As a parent, I recognize that my local community helps support my children’s education and development. As an entrepreneur and business owner, my community of clients, partners and advocates support me and my team in a wide variety of ways. As an author, blogger and newsletterer, my community of readers, including you, provide valuable support through your time, attention, purchases, endorsements, recommendations and feedback. As a track coach, a strong community of athletes, parents, fans, coaches, trainers, administrators, officials, referees and media support my efforts.

Thank you to all of you who help support my efforts. You are much appreciated.

Key Takeaway

Thank you, Dr. Joynt, for sharing this good advice with our kids. But commencement speeches are not just valuable for the graduating students. They offer great advice and reminders for everyone willing to listen. So do more of what works for you, make a plan for facing challenges, praise your base, find a mentor, and thank your community. It’s timeless advice that will compound in value over time.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media. And consider subscribing to Adam’s Good Newsletter.

How I Use An Annual Self-Evaluation As A Guide to Personal Growth.

I just had another birthday. Which I think is great. But it is easy to not think your birthday is great. When you are happy with your life, family, career, health and finances, birthdays can be enjoyable reminders that you are doing well. Because you are where you thought you would be at your stage of life. And not living in a van down by the river.

However, the opposite is also true. When you reach your birthday, but feel that you are not where you expected to be at your age, it can make you feel like you are behind the pace you set for yourself. And the farther off pace you feel you are, the more likely it is to affect your happiness.

A great exercise to do when you feel off pace is an honest self-evaluation. This helps you identify where you are feeling short of your expectations, which gives you an area to focus on for greater happiness and accomplishment.

The other benefit of the self-evaluation is that it often highlights all the things that are going well in your world. This can help you shift your focus from your shortcomings to your longcomings. (I don’t think I will use that parallel phrasing again.)

Despite the fact that I am feeling good about my life right now, I find the annual self-evaluation valuable. It serves as a reminder of the good in my life. And it highlights areas for growth and improvement and helps me prioritize experiences and actions that I identify as important. Remember, what is important to you is both highly personal and fluid. Like your blood, sweat and tears. So your list can change significantly from year to year. Just like your hairstyle or the style of your fashionable jeans.

So without any more color commentary, here’s Adam’s Annual Self-Evaluation 2025.

Doing Well

  • I am happy.
  • I smile a lot (Smiling’s my favorite.)
  • I am very happy in my marriage.
  • I have a good relationship with my 3 kids.
  • I enjoy my work.
  • I have seen my doctor and my dentist in the past year. (And I play Doctor My Eyes by Jackson Browne as my appointment walkup music.)
  • My health labs and screenings are all up to date and in the right zones.
  • I continue to both develop and maintain good relationships .
  • I seek out a lot of knowledge and self-improvement.
  • I believe in myself (Someone has to.)
  • I gather people (Kinda like Noah, but without the ark and the imminent doom.)
  • I read dozens of books each year.
  • I talk to my parents regularly.
  • I believe in my ability to improve.
  • I exercise regularly.
  • I feel strong for my advanced age.
  • I have relatively good endurance. (but not for long boring meetings)
  • I don’t drink or do drugs. (But I understand why others do. #raisingteenagers)
  • I have hobbies and activities I enjoy.
  • I have added to my investments in the past year.
  • I vote regularly. (Typically for Pedro)
  • I travel regularly.
  • The Weaponry is healthy with a great outlook.
  • My speaking opportunities are exciting.
  • I have prioritized my annual guys trip for several years now, making it a real thing.
  • I typically get good sleep.
  • I volunteer a lot of my time.
  • I am sharing my knowledge with youth.
  • I think I am pretty good at admitting when I am wrong.

Want To Do Better

  • Be more patient and tolerant.
  • Be a better Christian. (And a better Adam.)
  • Less time on my phone.
  • Be more present. (Because the present is a present.)
  • Follow through on all the things I say I will do.
  • Get better at giving gifts.
  • I want to drop below my snoring weight. (I’m about 5 pounds over my snore-free weight now.)
  • Get in better shape (But I still want to be human-shaped.)
  • Think bigger.
  • Create a better system for giving to charities and other worthy causes.

Things I have done.

  • Started a business (The Weaponry LLC. This was on my Life List when I turned 40.)
  • Wrote a book (What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? This was on my Life List when I turned 40.)
  • Created a blog (AdamAlbrecht.Blog) (I tried starting a blog 6 times before it finally took.)
  • Created a newsletter (Adam’s Good Newsletter) (This was on my life list last year. Now there are 16 issues.)
  • Traveled extensively across America (49 Countries and Puerto Rico – no Hawaii by the time I turned 5-0.)
  • Traveled to 6 countries in Europe
  • Traveled to India and Argentina
  • Been married for 22+ years
  • Own a home
  • Paid off my cars
  • Coached Track & Field at a proficient level
  • Coached youth football
  • Helped kids improve their skills and confidence
  • Made people smile and laugh. (I don’t know if they were laughing with me or at me, but I’ll take it.)
  • Found a great wife (Yes, it is you, Dawn!)
  • Created and partially raised 3 pretty great kids
  • I have ridden a snowmobile 113 mph
  • I have bounced back from failure. (And I am still bouncing.)
  • I have volunteered for hard jobs when I knew I was the best person for the job
  • Donated blood regularly (Which I had never done until COVID. This was on my list of things I regretted never having done when I turned 40. Now I give regularly, which is proof that this evaluation helps. And that I have blood.)

Things I haven’t done yet that I really want to do.

  • Write more books.
  • Give a commencement address.
  • Travel to East Asia.
  • Travel to Africa (And bless the rains, like Toto.)
  • Travel to Australia & New Zealand.
  • Travel to Italy and Norway.
  • Rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon. (While drinking Brim)
  • Walk a marathon.
  • Attend a Super Bowl, The Grammys and The Oscars.
  • Become proficient at an instrument. (Preferably a musical instrument.)
  • Become reasonably fluent in another language.
  • Do everything I say I will do.
  • Own enough rental properties to support my retirement.
  • Hike to Havasu Falls.
  • Create a self-sustaining business that doesn’t need me anymore.
  • Go hunting. (Like Good Will)
  • Create my own highly successful brand.
  • Become embarrassingly rich.
  • Go skydiving (I’m waiting for that sweet spot when my dependents don’t depend on me anymore, but I’m still not wearing Depends.)

Key Takeaway

To create the life you want, give yourself an annual self-evaluation. Focus on the positive. Note your accomplishments and what is going well. Then consider areas of improvement, experiences, actions, and accomplishments that would be meaningful to you. Identify them. Prioritize them. And deadline them. It’s the best way to do more of the things you value in the year ahead.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

The simple steps to achieve not-so-simple goals.

First, the bad news:

You can’t reach your goals in a day.

Boo.

At least not any meaningful goals that stretch your current skillz and abilities.

Now, for the good news:

You can do something every day to make meaningful progress towards your goals.

Boom!

When you have a clearly identified goal, you can clearly identify actions that will help you make progress towards that goal every single day. Even if you are not single. Or ready to mingle.

If you want to get in great shape, you can make time each day to lift weights, do cardio, eat well, or get good sleep. All of which are steps towards your goal. Even the sleeping part. (How sweet is that?)

If you want to write a book, blog, newsletter, song or screenplay, you can write a few lines every day. That’s how it is done. (And it’s how the 27 lines of this blog post ended up in your eyeballs.)

If you want to start a business, you can work on your offerings, plan your business, map out your next steps, put some money away, talk to other entrepreneurs, or read relevant books every day. That is the business of developing a business.

Recognize that your goals are destinations. You can make progress towards them every day through productive actions. And when you arrive at your goals, you’ll be happy that you started taking those daily steps. Because simple daily steps get you to the finish line.

Key Takeaway

Today is a great day to make progress towards your biggest goals. Make the small investment of your time and energy today that will compound with your small investment tomorrow, and the day after that. Start now. You’ll thank yourself tomorrow.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Here’s the other reason reading is so good for you.

Reading is better for you than you know. Yes, reading is a great way to learn things. That’s why I read Judy Blume novels in middle school. But that’s only part of the benefit. Just as importantly, reading is mental exercise that helps you maintain your mental strength and fitness. Which means that reading can help prevent your brain from getting any softer and flabbier than it already is.

One of the most important reasons to read books is that reading for long periods of time is hard. Reading is a grind. And not the kind R. Kelly sang about. Reading is not something you can rush through. It is slow, deliberate, unrushable work. Reading is something you have to do at a walking pace. And walking a great distance takes time and steady effort. That slow, steady effort is how things get done. It is how learning happens. It is how knowledge gets accumulated. It is how brains and the humans that walk them around transform into better versions.

Remember, success, like reading, is slow. So is growth. And wisdom accumulation.

Reading helps you develop your patient pursuit of greatness. Word by word, day by day, you learn to stay with your self-improvement tasks.

If you hired someone else to read for you, which is essentially what you do when you listen to an audiobook, your pace is basically the same. You just read with your ears, rather than your eyes. Which means there really isn’t a way around the pedestrian pace of reading. There is no hack, other than hacking your way through a book like a slow, steady walk from Hackensack to Hacksaw Ridge.

It is often said that the average CEO reads a very above-average number of books each year. That number has been reported to be as high as 5 or 6 books per month, or 60 books per year. The question is, do CEOs start to read a lot once they become CEOs? Or do people who have trained themselves to slowly and steadily accumulate knowledge through reading become CEOs? The answer should be clear.

Brain coach and speed-reading expert Jim Kwik breaks it down like this:

“I went to Amazon and looked at the medium average number of words per book, and it came out to about 64,000 words. So let’s say the average person reads 200 words per minute. We’re talking about 320 minutes to get through a book, which is about 45 minutes a day, to read a book per week. That makes it a little more realistic.”

-Jim Kwik

Have you ever thought about reading in terms of distance? I have. Because I am curious, like George. If all those lines you read in an average book were laid out in a straight line, on the earth, you would read for half a mile. This is according to my calculations of width per line (4 inches) multiplied by number of lines per page (27) multiplied by pages in book (263). Then I converted the inches into miles. Because I read on American roads. And always on the right side.

That steady mental march along mile after mile of words laid out in books improves you along the journey. As you travel that great literary distance, you pick up new words and expand your vocabulary. You gain new knowledge. You learn about people and places and things. (Oh, my!) You improve your understanding of people, history and problems. That’s why reading creates such a valuable adventure.

As you read, you collect knowledge to draw upon to create new and novel products, services, and art. You collect tools that can be used to solve problems. And you accumulate best practices and all the things that people before you learned in much harder ways than reading.

Strengthening your reading muscles helps you develop mental stamina to focus on all kinds of tasks longer. Reading helps you write for longer stretches. It helps you sit still and quiet. (And if I can sit still and quiet, you can too.)

By learning to read books, you become better at reading reports, studies, and briefings. All of which help make you smarter and more informed. And if you ever find yourself in court and they try to throw the book at you, being able to read that book is highly beneficial to you and your lawyer.

But patiently reading books also helps you learn to read the world. Including nature, people, weather, and art. You learn to slow down and pick up on clues all around you. You learn to slowly and patiently observe how the world works and how humans and animals feel. You notice the health of plants. And countless quiet signs and signals from the universe.

So put down your phone and your other electronics. (After you finish this post.) Find books on bestseller lists. Find the greatest books you haven’t read. They get you on track for developing those very valuable reading muscles that will improve your life.

Key Takeaway

Dedicate time to the slow, deliberate process of reading. It helps train your brain to work at its most effective pace. It teaches you patience and rewards you with a steady, long-term return on your invested time. It strengthens your focus and task stamina. And it provides a road map to reach your most important long-term goals.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media. Don’t worry, it’s a quick read.

Collecting Dots: A Valuable Life Lesson from Slumdog Millionaire.

Back in 2008, the movie Slumdog Millionaire hit the big screens. This smash hit was about a young boy in India, growing up on the streets of Mumbai. Through a series of fortunate events, he becomes a contestant on the game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. And apparently he wanted to be a millionaire.

The movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 2009, winning a remarkable 8 OSCARS, including Best Picture, Best Director (Danny Boyle), and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also won an Adam Albrecht Award for Most Badass Type Of Millionaire.

The thing I loved most about the movie was that every question our hero, Jamal (Mr Slumdog), is asked triggers a flashback to the moment or event where Jamal learned the answer to that question.

I have been thinking a lot about this movie lately, even though I only saw it once, nearly two decades ago. I am thinking about the movie now, because I am recognizing the same flashback effect in my own life. It’s kinda like the flashback scenes from Wayne’s World, but without the wavy lines and sound effects.

Today, as I am digging into my ever-larger collection of knowledge, I often experience flashbacks to the moment I acquired the now-useful knowledge. It is as if I am playing an epic game of connect the dots, and as I connect dots, I am not just drawing a line between the dots; I am understanding the origin story of each dot. Which I recognize is getting pretty deep for dots.

This is happening for 2 reasons.

First, I am thinking about the original knowledge-gain experience as I am dippin’ into my dots. I am not mindlessly accessing the answers. I am watching it happen in my head, as if I were the third person, observing the story.

Essentially, the things I could be doing involuntarily, I am performing voluntarily or consciously, which creates a deeper level of insights and understanding.

Second, I am actively trying to collect more dots. Like a knowledge farmer. Or maybe a knowledge hunter and gatherer. I read books with the purpose of collecting dots, which include facts, trivia and history. I am actively collecting tips, tricks, best practices, insights, study results, good news, quotes and positive examples. I ask a lot of questions. I listen closely to details in my conversations. And I am mindful of the knowledge harvest as it happens. It enables me to sort, label and store the knowledge harvest more effectively. Which means that a great reason I am easily accessing my dots is that I am cataloging them on arrival. Like a nerdy librarian. Which may be the only kind of librarian.

The natural question is, ‘Why am I consciously labeling and sorting the new dots I am collecting?’ I believe that this is a result of blogging and writing books. It is rewiring the way my brain works. (Which is good, because my brain has always had pretty wonky wiring.)

As a writer, it is useful to file, organize and label my dots for future use. But the same approach is also beneficial as an advertising professional, strategist, creative thinker and entrepreneur. In fact, creative thinking is nothing more than connecting dots in new and novel ways.

The Insight

We are as wise and worldly as the dots we collect and the dots we can connect. To become a better thinker, more insightful, more creative, more strategic and more empathetic, collect more dots. As you collect, consider the lessons, insights and knowledge you are gaining as you gain them. This helps you store them more effectively and access them more easily. When you have a greater collection of valuable dots, well cataloged, like spice jars stored alphabetically in your spice rack, you can access them when you need them, and create a greater range of outputs with deliberately nuanced flavors. This is a valuable skill and asset. It improves your thinking, and your value to others.

Key Takeaway

Collect more dots so you can connect more dots. Recognize the value of your dots as you amass them. Think like a prospector, and learn to recognize gems when you see them. When you understand what you have collected, whether it is the results of a scientific study, or a broken heart, it becomes more valuable to your human experience. Because you never know when you will need that information again. But when you can easily access your knowledge, you can profit from it greatly, just like the Slumdog Millionaire.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

The best way to get back on course.

There are proven ways to get results in every area of your life. Some methods are universally true. Some are proven to work for you. But when you discover a process that gets you results, use it. And don’t lose it.

I have proven processes:

  • To help me shed pounds when I creep above my target weight. (Like a creeper.)
  • To help me gain strength.
  • To help me put out 3 blog posts per week. (Which is a safe way to put out.)
  • To help me grow my business.
  • To feel closer to God.
  • To wake up well-rested. (Instead of feeling like I rested in a well.)
  • To make my hedges look good.
  • To read 3 books every month
  • To make sure my teeth don’t fall out

But sometimes I get away from my processes. And I gain weight, lose strength, fall off my reading pace, wake up tired, think less about God, write less, and give the Cavity Creeps a shot at my teeth.

When these things happen, and I realize I have strayed from my ideals, goals and norms, it is time to get back on track, Jack. And to get back on track, I give myself a 3-word reminder:

‘Trust The Process.‘

You have developed great habits that are proven to get great results over time. But only when you follow the process. If you are not getting the results you have come to expect, chances are that you have gotten away from your best habits.

In those times, return to the process. Resume the great habits. Trust the process. The results won’t come the same day. (Like Amazon.) Or overnight. (Like FedEx.) But be patient. The results will come.

Key Takeaway

Trust your proven processes to get you the results you seek. Give your processes time to work their magic. Your good habits are like the processes in an assembly plant, creating great results. You have to run the process through the full line. And when you do, you will be happy with the final product that rolls out of the factory.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Don’t be a fool. Make sure to get all the value you can from your vacation days.

Happy April Fool’s Day! I just returned from a spring break trip with my family. The best thing I came back with was not relaxation or a tan. In fact, my vacations are rarely relaxing. I logged nearly 30 miles worth of desert hikes in Scottsdale and Sedona, Arizona. And my dermatologist would be happy with how much F-ing SPF I used. (Ok, so I don’t actually have a dermatologist. But I do pack a lot of derm, like a pachyderm)

Inspiration

What I came back from vacation with were more memories with my family, new inspiration, and more ideas. None of those things took up any space in my carry- on bag. In fact, the only souvenir I bought on vacation was a single ornament to hang on our Christmas tree. It’s a family tradition. And I’m traditional.

I saw new things. I ate new things. I explored new places that expanded my thinking.

I discovered businesses that made me think about businesses that I could start. And things I could introduce to The Weaponry, the advertising and ideas agency I lead.

People

I met new people at hotels, on planes, and on hiking trails. I also saw my cousins Cher Fesenmaier and Chawn Tipton who live in Phoenix, whom I hadn’t seen since our Grandma Albrecht’s funeral a few years ago. Which was a surprisingly fun funeral. After all, she was 99 and taught us how to have fun. Even at funerals.

Cher, Adam and Chawn in Tempe. Make sure to see your people in real life.

Reading

I finished a book on vacation. (The Splendid and The Vile) I started reading 2 new books. (Barbarian Days and Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller.) Everything you read helps make you more creative. It feeds your brain more material and creates more dots to connect. Vacations would be valuable even if you just stayed at home and read. Your dermatologist would probably like that too.

Appetizers

I got to really dig into some locations that I had only experienced as appetizers in the past. My mom taught me that short visits to new places are like having appetizers. If you enjoy the appetizer, you can come back for more another time.

Memories

Your most valuable possessions are your memories. They are like pieces of art, movies, photos and paintings that you hang in the museum in your mind. The more new experiences you have the more you fill the most valuable gallery in your head. That gallery serves as your perpetual source of inspiration when you need ideas, and as your perpetual source of entertainment and conversation starters when you don’t have the time or money to travel. You get to relive the experiences of your memories over and over in your mind. Even when you are too old, weak, or poor to travel and adventure.

My people in Sedona. 10 out of 10. Can definitely recommend.

Key Takeaway

Make sure to take your vacation time. Use it to do new things. It enhances your creativity in immense ways. You collect new dots to connect to the other dots you already have. This helps you come up with new ideas and combine old ideas in new and novel ways. It expands your world and your thinking. It creates new perspective. It introduces you to new people. It gifts you new stories. And new reasons to laugh. It creates new memories. And sooner or later you realize that your relationships and your memories are your most valuable possessions. Your vacation days help you develop both.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

8 Great Books I Have Read In 2025.

If you want to have a great year of growth, create a great year of reading. That’s because the books you read change you. They change your thinking and your expectations. They increase the number of tools, tips and tricks you can tap into. They alter your perspective and add to your experience, knowledge and wisdom. They increase your inspiration and motivation and various other forms of ation.

I keep a reading log of the books I read each year. I try to add 2 to 4 books per month to the list. I am extremely happy with both the quality and quantity of books I have read over the first 2 months of 2025. Which means I can’t just keep these to myself. So here are the books I have read this year, in the order I read them.

The Right Thing Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. By Ryan Holiday

This is a good book full of stories about good people doing the right thing. Even when it was really hard or unpopular. Holiday says that of all the books he has written, this is the one he most wants his kids to read. I agree. It’s a top shelf book. (If being on the top shelf was a good thing in books, like it is in hard liquor. But being top shelf in books may mean inappropriate for kids, or short adults. And that’s not what I mean.)

Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg

I learned about this super book because my wife Dawn is reading it with her Mahjong Crew, Laura, Maria and Molly. The title of the book intrigued me. So I listened to the audio version on a road trip. It was full of good lessons, examples, tips and tricks about communication, persuasion and deepening relationships. A highlight was an analysis of the difference between the way that happy and unhappily married couples fight. And yes, they both fight, and they fight about the same things. But the subtle difference in the way they fight makes a huge difference. I am supercurious to know who at this point in the paragraph has decided that they don’t need better communications skills. I superrecommend.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

Wow! Not only did this book open my eyes to one of the great figures in world history, it reminded me of how little I know about world history that takes place outside of the United States or Western Europe. Khan’s is the ultimate rags to riches story. He was a brutal warrior and conqueror, but an open-minded and inclusive leader who ruled over a larger empire than any other conqueror on the planet. It was also interesting to note that he changed his name a couple of times. Kinda like Yvette Marie Stevens, who you now know as Chaka Khan. It must be a Khan thing. Another Top Shelf book.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

I saw this book on the list of 100 most important books of the 21st Century. And I knew it had recently been turned into a motion picture. Both of which are good indicators that it’s a worthwhile read. This short book, about 114 pages, was as well written as any book I have read. Packed with imagery-evoking description, but easy to digest, the book flew by like Maverick and Goose buzzing the control tower. For three quarters of the book I wondered where we were going to land. Then, like a good Seinfeld episode, all the pieces came together in a real wow in the last quarter. And I learned about another dark corner of history I knew nothing about. Everyone in your household should read this.

The New One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson

I re-read this helpful management guide for the first time in several years. I love how it simplifies management into a few very simple steps that are easy to understand and implement. A great read for any manager of other humans. Including parents, coaches and parole officers.

Foster by Claire Keegan

When I dug deeper into Keegan’s body of work, Foster surfaced as another fan favorite. It was another quick and enjoyable read. Descriptive. Simple. With interesting situations hiding in the shadows throughout. And a great reminder how different people are. And how much influence we can all have on another human’s experience. Spoiler alert: the book is not about the guys who invented the banana dessert. It’s a good read.

Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life by Jim Murphy

I couldn’t get enough of this book. I discovered it during the NFL playoffs, when A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles was spotted on the sideline reading the book during a game. I immediately ordered the book to see what might be so valuable that you would keep in next to the Gatorade during a competition. I quickly found out. The book is a must read for athletes and coaches. It introduces a healthier and more empowering way to think about competition and performance than I had ever heard before. And I have been a highly involved is athletics as an athlete and a coach for a large part of my life. I can’t wait for the sequel, Outer Excellence, to help me with my hair, nail and skin care routine, and to teach me how to dress snazzy. This gets my top shelf AA rating.

The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion by John Hagel, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison

I read a lot, and am always looking for the graduate level books on the subjects I care most about. This was definitely a graduate-level book on the powerful transformation of markets, industries, growth and relationships. As soon as I finished the book, I wanted to begin again, like Poor Old Michael Finnegan. I don’t remember the last time I dog-eared so many pages in a book or noted so many sections. I found this book incredibly inspiring and empowering. Perhaps one of my all-time top 10 books. I recommend this for business and economics geeks. And for people with deep passions. And anyone who wants to know how the world really works.

Key Takeaway

Books are powerful tools for self-improvement. I am amazed by how much I have added to my body of knowledge in the past 2 months alone. Make sure to constantly seek out great and important books that increase your knowledge, expand your view, and add to your skills and decision-making abilities. Remember, life is short. So read the good books first. And remember that short books are great for building your reading muscles.

If you have read some great books you think that I would enjoy, please send them my way. I can be reached at adam@theweaponry.com or 614-256-2850.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Navigating Growth Amid Headwinds That Make Big Goals Impossible.

In a perfect world, you would get better every day. You would become smarter, make more money, lose weight, grow your business and enjoy clearer skin 7 days a week. It’s what competitors want to do. You have these kinds of growth desires both at work and in your personal life. They tend to be even stronger in the months leading up to your high school reunions.

But at times you will face headwinds that won’t allow for growth. Not even Bob Seger can run against them. These headwinds won’t allow you to hit your goals, increase revenue, lose weight, or improve on whatever metrics you are using to measure yourself.

This is because sometimes the prevailing conditions work against you. These conditions can come in various forms, including the following:

  • Interest rates
  • Pandemics
  • Elections
  • Seasons
  • Weather
  • Fuel Prices
  • Illness
  • Injury
  • Cost of Goods
  • Scarcity of Labor
  • Venus in retrograde
  • Holidays
  • Recessions
  • Depressions
  • Travel
  • Embargoes
  • Bird Flu (Good luck with those Easter egg dye kits, PAAS…)

These factors can freeze industries and opportunities. They are abnormalities that create additional uncontrolled variables in your success experiments. But they are typically temporary. Unless your category has been totally disrupted. (Make sure you don’t mistake a headwind for category disruption. Or you will find yourself working at Blockbuster, waiting for customers who are never coming back.)

Remember the life-saving advice not to swim against the forces of a riptide. Apply the same advice to headwind conditions. Don’t tire yourself out trying to fight a force you can’t beat. Instead, conserve your energy. Wait it out. Or escape the headwind by moving to a different product, category, opportunity or goal.

Key Takeaway

Set lofty growth and improvement goals for yourself and your organization. But recognize when conditions create headwinds that make them difficult or impossible to achieve. Those conditions are almost always temporary. Adjust your expectations. And prepare to resume your march towards your big hairy, audacious goals as soon as the headwinds abate.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.