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.

The Power of 5 Minutes: Creating Big Impact In Small Moments.

Two weeks ago, my daughter Ava and I traveled an hour and a half to attend a Wisconsin high school sectional track meet in Neenah, Wisconsin. (Which is near Pinta and Santa Maria, Wisconsin.)

The meet was the last stop before the state championship meet. I coach 2 athletes who were competing that day in the shot put and discus. Both throwers, Terron ‘And On’ McCall and Luka ‘Ivanarock’ Ivancevic, finished in the top 3 of both events and qualified for the state meet last weekend in La Crosse. Which makes this story a prequel to the post I shared earlier this week about the state meet.

However, just before the shot put was set to start, after all of the throwers were fully warmed, hyped and ready to rock, a thunderstorm rolled in, like a Garth Brooks song, and forced a 1.5-hour delay in the competition. Boo.

This was double boo for me, because I had to leave the meet at 6pm, no matter where we were in the competition. It was my son Johann’s 18th birthday. And we had a family dinner celebration back in Milwaukee.

Terron and Luka, after taking 1st and 2nd in the shot put and second and third in the discus. They qualified for the state meet in both events. Fun Fact: behind Luka’s head, you can see part of the sign for Neenah’s school mascot: The Hot Pockets. Their school song is simply the Hot Pockets jingle.

When it was clear that I would miss the boys’ shot put competition, my daughter Ava and I left the shelter of the shiny new Neenah High School and headed for the parking lot to jump in our Expedition and hurry home from our northern expedition.

However, between the school and the parking lot, I spotted two familiar faces. One belonged to my college track teammate Scott Hammer. Hammer coaches at West Bend West High School, which is in our conference. So I see him regularly throughout the spring. His son Carson is a great 800-meter runner and qualified for the state meet in the 4 X 800-meter relay.

The other familiar face belonged to Josh White, another college track teammate, and one of my roommates for 3 years of college.

My University of Wisconsin track & field teammates Scott ‘Hammer’ Hammer and Josh ‘Slosh’ White. (In college, everyone had a nickname. Hammer’s was pretty obvious.)

It had been a few years since Josh and I had seen each other. Following huge smiles and hugs we quickly caught up. We said funny things to make each other laugh. We have a lot of funny history. I shared that Ava would be living just a block from our old off-campus house in Madison next year.

We then told Ava a story about the night we threw our first college house party, and how the cops showed up at our door at 4am, telling us there had been noise complaints.

But the noise complaints were not related to the party, which was long over, and very underagey. The loud noise was my roommates and I singing loudly, and repeatedly as we tried to leave the perfect answering machine message on our house answering machine. It’s fun to be around someone with whom you have so much shared history. It’s also fun to spend time with someone who remembers answering machines.

But of course, our time was short. Ava and I had a birthday dinner to get to. As we said our goodbyes, Josh said, ‘It was so good to see you. Even just 5 minutes together was awesome.’

We had to hurry back to Milwaukee for dinner and fun with Johann, the newest adult Albrecht!

As we pulled out of the parking lot and pointed the car south on I-41 towards Brew City, I kept thinking about what Josh said. ‘Even just 5 minutes together was awesome.’

He was right. And I am so thankful he said it. I asked Ava if she remembered what Josh had said before we left. She remembered it word for word, just as I had. We both reflected on the power of that statement.

Reminder

You don’t need a lot of time to catch up. You don’t need a lot of time to have a positive impact on someone. Or to make progress on a challenge, or to make something important happen. 5 minutes well spent can create magic.

In 5 minutes you can:

  • Catch up with an old friend
  • Make a new friend
  • Have a career-altering interaction
  • Make Minute Rice
  • Discover the key to unlocking a problem
  • Connect important dots
  • Make a big decision
  • Learn an important lesson
  • Have an aha moment (And write Take On Me.)
  • Start a flywheel spinning
  • Have a breakthrough
  • Say your are sorry
  • Tell someone you miss them
  • Ask for that thing you really want and get it.
  • Do that simple thing you have been putting off for too long
  • Get medical lab work done
  • Schedule your checkup
  • Call for help
  • Listen to 5 Minutes of Funk by Whodini

Key Takeaway

It only takes 5 minutes to do something that has a major impact on your life, career, or the lives of others. Meaningful reconnections, introductions, breakthroughs, discoveries and actions can happen in a flash. Never underestimate the power of these short blocks of time. Life and success are not built on hour-long blocks. They are built in meaningful moments. Take advantage of those small opportunities, and they can positively impact the rest of your life in big ways.

*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.

Valuable Lessons From The 2025 Wisconsin State Track Meet.

This past weekend I joined 17 athletes and 5 other coaches from Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin, as we competed at the 130th edition of the Wisconsin State Track & Field Championships in La Crosse. As we left for the meet last Thursday, I could not have possibly predicted how the story was going to unfold over the next two days. At least not without a DeLorean and a flux capacitor.

We knew we were going into the competition with a strong team. While most teams at this level have a few star athletes, typically in similar events, we rolled into La Crosse with a wide load of talent. We had athletes competing in the 110-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 300-meter hurdles, 800-meter run, long jump, high jump, shot put, and discus. Plus, we had elite teams in the 400, 800, and 3200-meter relays. (I also just set a personal record for most times I have written the word ‘meter’ in a single sentence.)

So, How Did Homestead Do?

It all depends on which lens you use.

Our relays were top shelf. We won the 400-meter and 3200-meter relays with blisteringly fast times. We grabbed second place in the 800-meter relay, behind a team that broke the state record. In fact, believe we also broke the previous state record in that race, but in the name of speed, I am not double-checking that fact so that I can finish this post quickly. #IWannaGoFast

Our hurdler, Jeridon ‘It’s a Beaut’ Clark, finished 6th in the 110-meter hurdles and narrowly missed the finals in the long jump.

Our stud 800-meter specialist Jay Tally not only anchored the 3200-meter relay, passing 5 runners in 2 laps to win the race, he also won the 800-meter run in state record time of 1:51.21!

Senior sprint star Sean ‘OMG’ O’Byrne took 8th in the 100-meter dash.

And Senior Terron ‘The Terror’ McCall, whom I coach, took 6th place in the shot put.

Terron on the podium for the shot put.

Together, those remarkable results helped the Homestead Highlanders boys’ team grab the State Runner-Up Title. And those were all great reasons to celebrate and be very proud of our team achievement.

A Second Perspective

However, through another lens, the meet was less satisfying.

You see, we lost the state championship by just 1 point.

Boo.

While the relays went great, the 6 races in 2 days demanded a toll on our top two all-star sprinters Sean O’Byrne and Lucas ‘Show No’ Mersky. Their selfless performances in the relays helped score valuable team points, but impacted their ability to rack up individual points and personal accolades. Sean was just .03 seconds from picking up an additional point, and .05 from picking up 3 more points. And Lucas’ specialty, the 200-meter dash, came at the end of the meet. And like The Giving Tree, Mersky had already given all he could for his team.

The Squad in the parking lot at Homestead High School, just before we left on our 3-hour drive to the other side of the state.

Now, we find ourselves looking through the results at what might have been…

We were just one height away from scoring in the high jump.

We were just 5 inches from scoring 1 point in the long jump.

The Throws

And then there were the throws. These are the events that I coached along with Jake Kroll.

I was extremely proud that Homestead was the only team with 2 throwers in the shot put finals. Junior Luka ‘The Big Red Machine’ Ivancevic finished 9th, just 9 inches from 8th and that valuable additional point. But Luka had been sick all week and gave all he had. In fact, he was the highest-placing non-senior and will come storming back for a great showing next year.

Then there was Terron McCall. Terron had been nursing a strained right pec muscle all week. In fact, he didn’t throw any actual implements last week until Thursday morning to help his injury heel.

On his first attempt, he had a big throw that landed foul, just left of the sector line, and smashed into the 59-foot marker box. For context, had that throw landed fair, it would likely have earned him a top 3 finish. (Even though he isn’t Finnish)

On his second throw, he hit 55 feet even, good enough for 6th place. Unfortunately, the throw re-aggravated the pec injury. And despite a run to the medical tent and an attempt to tape the shoulder to protect the injury, the 3rd attempt confirmed he could no longer continue in the competition.

Just before the finals began, I had to inform the judges that Terron, who was sitting in 4th place at the time of his injury, would have to drop out of the competition. I don’t ever remember having to pull the plug on an athlete in competition. And I hope I never have to do it again.

When the competition was finished, Terron’s best throw sat just 7 inches off the extra point we needed to win the meet.

We’re happy to leave La Crosse with La Hardware.

Luka and Terron both qualified for the discus on Saturday, too. Luka went hard to try to make finals, but in his go-big-or-go-home mode, he fouled 2 throws and missed making the finals.

Terron showed up like a champ. Despite the injury to the muscle most vulnerable in the discus, he attempted 2 ultra-light warm-up throws, which clearly bothered him.

But rather than withdraw from the competition, Terron decided he had to take one attempt in the competition. His competitors, teammates and many of the coaches and fans in attendance knew his situation. The crowd held their collective breath as Terron stepped into the circle, and launched into a full force attempt at a miracle ending. But it was not to be. The pain was to much to complete the mission. The discus fluttered out of his hand and Terron immediately grabbed his right pec in pain. And his senior track season came to an end.

Terron’s best throw of the season of 184’3″ broke the 15-year old Homestead High School Discus Record. And anything within about 20 feet of his best mark would have won us the state meet.

Through this lens, the meet felt as if we missed a golden opportunity.

Me, Terron, and Luka fueling up for the meet.

However, There Is A Third Lens.

While we lost to De Pere by just one point to finish second, we also beat another team by just 1 point. Yes, the top 3 teams in the state scored 46, 45 and 44 points. Arrowhead Union High School, the defending state champ and a perennial top finisher, came in 3rd place. While the winning team and the runner-up both get trophies and recognition on the podium at the end of the meet, 3rd place simply gets a long, quiet bus ride home.

So through the ‘At Least’ lens, every point mattered. Every point by every athlete earned us a very special and memorable award experience that provided a cap to a fantastic season. Through that lens, we were thankful for all of the effort and didn’t take a single point for granted.

Key Takeaway

There are several different ways to look at everything in life. Each lens tells a different story. Use each lens as needed. Some perspectives will instill confidence, some provide satisfaction, and some sting and drive you to improve. They all have their time and place. Remember, the human is the most complicated of all machines, requiring highly nuanced tools to perform at its best. Always tell yourself the story you need to hear in the moment.

Thanks to the 2025 Homestead Boys Track Team and coaches for a remarkable season. I was proud to play a small part in this great season. And I can’t wait to see what we can do next year.

*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 magic ingredient that leads to high performance when it counts most.

This weekend I will be coaching at the Wisconsin State High School Track & Field Championships in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I work with two great athletes who have had impressive seasons and are in the running to end the state meet and the season, standing on the podium with medals around their necks. And when this Hollywood ending happens, I will treat everyone to the non-alcoholic drink of their choice at the local Kwik Trip.

At this point in the season, all of the preparation is done. As we say in track & field, the hay is in the barn. (I think they also say that in farming.)

My job now is mostly not to do anything to mess my kids up. Which is also my number one responsibility of parenting. But I have found that there is one thing coaches can do at the pinnacle of the season that helps more than anything else.

Build Their Confidence

Two weeks ago, my son Magnus, who is in 8th grade, won the Wisconsin State Middle School Track Meet in the discus. When I asked him afterwards when he knew he was going to win, he said, ‘After my first throw.’ I then asked him how he built his confidence for the meet. He replied, ‘I just focused on feeling happy, excited and playing a great, exciting song in my head.’

That sounds like a winning formula to me.

Why Confidence Is So Important

Confidence is the magic ingredient in high-pressure situations. When the heat is on, it is confidence that keeps you cool.

Confidence makes you feel as big as the moment itself.

Confidence enables you to focus.

Confidence keeps your attention on yourself and the things you can control. (Like Janet Jackson.)

Confidence makes you feel prepared. Like a Boy Scout.

Believing in yourself when you are facing strong competition is the ultimate win.

Self assurance can be felt by others.

Your visible confidence, as communicated through your body language, positively impacts your teammates and negatively impacts your competition.

Confidence keeps you fully engaged in the competition to the very end, preserving the premium value of your final efforts.

Confidence quiets the doubt. And fear. And gets the butterflies to quit flapping and flying in your stomach.

Confidence neutralizes the shifting landscape of competition.

Confidence helps you overcome a weak week of practice.

Confidence lets you lock into what you know.

Confidence lets your training shine through.

Confidence means you can’t wait to step up to the line, the runway, the circle or apron. (Or onto the field, court, pitch, rink, floor or whatever you call that thing that fencers stand on.)

Confidence helps you remember all of your preparation.

Confidence helps you remember all of your past successes.

Confidence helps you forget the times you fell short.

The Keys To Building Confidence In others

Shift the feedback diet from correction to celebration.

Share success stories parallel to their own story.

Provide a simple and clear mental game plan.

Remind them of their past successes.

Remind them of their preparation.

Focus on what they are doing right.

Let them know you believe in them.

Help them play to their strengths.

Reduce distraction.

Discount shortcomings.

Surround them with support.

Lead the cheers.

Never underestimate the power of a good movie.

Encourage them to compile their pre-competition soundtrack. (I suggest starting with Imagine Dragon or One Republic. And here’s my confidence-inspiring playlist on Spotify.)

Key Takeaway

Confidence is a game-changer. It helps you perform at your very best. It enables you to tap into all of your preparation and rise to the occasion. As a coach, leader or parent, your most important job is to instill confidence in those you lead. As a competitor, it is important to create your own competitive advantage by tapping into the magical powers of your own self-confidence. Create pre-competition routines, self-talk and soundtracks that build your self-belief. When you do, the results will naturally follow.

*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.

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.

You vs You: The Ultimate Battle for Success.

When you think about the people standing between you and your hopes and dreams, you probably think about your competitors.

Or criminals.

Or cheaters.

You know, the people willing to harm you for their own self-interest.

But do you recognize that the person most likely to prevent you from meeting your goals in every area of your life is you?

The simple, undeniable truth is that you are your own worst enemy.

Your life’s greatest battles will be You vs You.

You are the one who decides not to do the things you said you would do.

You are the one who doesn’t live up to your commitments.

You are the one that cuts corners.

Who sleeps in.

Who mails it in.

Who opts out.

Who half-asses it when a full ass is required.

You are the one who gets too tired.

Or thinks it’s too late.

You are the one who will want rest more than you want reward.

You are the one who gives in to short-term thinking instead of long-term benefits.

You are the only one who can violate your own code of conduct.

You are the person most likely to talk yourself out of action.

Remember, to be great, happy and fulfilled, you have to overcome yourself.

You have to defend yourself from negative self talk.

You have to deny your own excuses.

You have to constantly argue against the valid arguments you present to yourself that would make it rational to quit.

You have to build self-defense systems against yourself.

You have to prioritize your long-term vision, your mission, your purpose and your goals over every excuse you come up with not to do what you know you have to do to be successful.

You have to decide that when you don’t feel like doing the thing, you do the thing anyway.

You have to be a badass today so you are not a sadass tomorrow.

You have to continuously prove to yourself that you do hard things.

In fact, you love to do hard things.

You don’t accept excuses. Not even really good ones, with whipped cream on top.

You have to do everything you can to make future you happier, healthier, wealthier, fitter, and closer to your heavenly ideal than current you.

You have to deny that first fucking marshmallow every time.

Always hold out for the bigger prize.

For the magical power of compound interest.

Focus on the long-term benefits of exercise.

Keep your weight in your acceptable zone.

Getting to the church on time. Like David Bowie said.

Never forget that you are your greatest ally.

You are your own bodyguard. Your own Frank Farmer.

You are your dream defender.

You are the person you can rely on most.

You are the one who writes your own rule book. So you know how to respond when tempted by the fruit of another other.

You are your own best armor.

You are your own biggest cheerleader.

You are the one who says I am not giving in yet.

You are the person who decided to hold on for ten more minutes.

Or to hold out for another day.

You are the one who reminds yourself that the couch and the TV will be there when you are done.

You are the one who sets the alarm. And gets up early. Even on vacation. Even on Holidays.

You do your things, even when the rest of the world doesn’t care if you don’t.

You are the one who sets your own deadlines. And hits your own deadlines.

You are the one who tells yourself that you don’t do what everyone else does.

Your rules are tougher.

Your requirements are harder.

Your standards are higher.

Because in the greatest battles you will ever fight, you have to beat you.

And when you do, you win at life.

*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.