This two-minute clip contains one of the most powerful tactics for building a great life: Separate the truth from the decision. It saved my marriage.Watch this clip, then keep reading. So often, we avoid the truth—or worse, lie to ourself and others—because we're afraid of what comes next.This causes us to live in dissonance. It's the source of most of our pain. The key to achieving alignment is recognizing that: Acknowledgingthe truth and taking action are Ttwo separate things imply...
20 days ago • 1 min read
“Why was I so averse to doing it the ‘normal’ way? Why was I unable to just be ok with climbing the ladder and calling it a day?” —@thedulab on X This email is personal—it’s for people (like me) who can’t be normal. I’m an extreme case study: I made it all the way to the top. I landed the dream job—complete with a 7-figure salary, prestige, fancy office, and executive perks. I was a made man. All I needed to do was sit in an office, do good work, and collect fat paychecks. But I couldn’t be...
4 months ago • 2 min read
The Time is Now Last week, I ran into an old climbing friend who I hadn’t seen in 10 years. He has Parkinson’s now, with severe symptoms. It shook me. ⌛️ Mortality is an abstract concept… until you see someone who’s on the clock. On my 40th birthday, my dad—a man of few words—sat me down and told me: “Whatever dreams you have, go chase them now because you’re a lot less likely to do it in your 50s.” I took Dad’s words to heart and adopted a mantra: The time is now. By decade’s end, my life...
4 months ago • 1 min read
👔 The Suit In 2017, I sat at the 30-person dining table in Masayoshi Son’s $150 million home. All eyes were on me as I pitched a deal to Masa and his team—some of the brightest minds on Wall Street. When my part was done, I handed things off to a colleague and surveyed the room. Two thoughts hit me in rapid succession: 1) “This is the top.” I’d come a long way from bagging groceries in small-town Texas for $3.35 an hour. 2) “I don’t want to be here.” I was living someone else’s dream, not...
5 months ago • 1 min read
📍Matagorda, Texas I sit at the mouth of the Colorado at dawn, cup of coffee in hand. 70 years ago, my mom picked cotton just a few miles inland. By chance, she met a young physics professor who was traveling through. Two days later they were engaged, and not long after, I arrived. I grew up fishing these fertile bays. Wide open spaces will taint you—they make it hard to sit in a cubicle for hours on end. I was always a good thinker, but bad employee. So I faked it, and made it—all the way to...
5 months ago • 1 min read
55 and just getting started (Soul Bossa Nova, 5.12b, Ten Sleep Canyon, Wyoming) Today I turned 55. I’m the fittest, sharpest, and happiest I’ve ever been. If I’m an outlier, it’s not because I’m built different or discovered a secret formula. The truth is far less glamorous: It’s a million tiny choices, compounded over decades. Here are 55 of them: Walk 15+ miles a week, even if you do other exercise. Humans are uniquely made to move slowly over long distances—it’s critical to longevity....
5 months ago • 7 min read
🔌 This was the day—7 years ago—when I pulled the plug and rebooted my life. I walked away from a prestigious 7-figure job, uprooted the family, and moved to Colorado with no plan. To be honest, I didn’t even know what I was after—I only knew what I didn’t want anymore. With time and lots of reflection, I’ve come to understand why I needed the change. I bet you’ll relate… It wasn’t just about living in a better place or pivoting my career—the real reason was more fundamental: To be me. The...
5 months ago • 1 min read
At 54, I’ve been to the mountaintop—both literally and figuratively. I’ve run harder than most, for longer than most, and learned all the lessons (usually the hard way). Here are 7 things that really matter: 1) FamilyIn a world gone crazy, it’s all we have. Find a good partner, get married, have kids—you’ll never know true love until you hold your own child. Burn the boats and go all in. Make family your top priority—not just in words, but with action. Want to change the world? Start at home....
5 months ago • 2 min read
One kid asleep and one crying. The Good Old Days don't feel like it at the time. Then, one day you wake up and the house is quiet. My friend Isaac recently sent me a video he made for his wife to celebrate their 5th anniversary. One line hit me hard:“One day the toys will all be put away, the house still and quiet.” If you've got young kids, take it from me—a recent empty nester: The Good Old Days don’t feel like it at the time. It feels more like hard work and struggle. The days are long…...
6 months ago • 1 min read