All Episodes
Displaying 1 - 20 of 356 in total
Live Like It's The Last Time
The Ancient Greeks had two different words for time:Chronos was the idea of chronological, linear, quantitative time. That all time is equal.Kairos was a bit different...
The Simple Question to Unlock Progress
This has become the most common question I receive:Big project, very intimidatingDon't know where to startFeeling stuck, paralyzed, anxiousMy response is always the sa...
The Magic of Showing Up on Your Bad Days
On June 11, 1997, Michael Jordan stepped onto the court for Game 5 of the NBA Finals between his Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz.Jordan was reportedly very sick, but c...
I Co-Hosted a Retreat With Richard Branson—Here’s What I Learned
Last week, I had a pinch me experience:I spent five days co-hosting a retreat with Richard Branson, Adam Grant, and a group of incredible entrepreneurs and thinkers on...
The Law of Reversed Effort: Slow Down to Speed Up
Last week, I posted a short thought:The worst mistakes in life are made when you try to do fast what’s meant to be done slow. Real, durable things take a long time to ...
Sahil’s Monthly Idea Drop: July 2025
If you read (or listen) to this newsletter, you know that I’m obsessed with interesting ideas.Here are 5 ideas I can’t stop thinking about this month…(P.S. This may be...
The Cheshire Cat Principle: How to Create Clarity
In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, there’s a scene in which Alice reaches a fork in the road and has a simple exchange with the Cheshire Cat:“Would you tell me, plea...
The Empty Boat Mindset
There’s a story I come back to when I’m feeling stressed or frustrated...A monk is meditating alone on a lake when another boat crashes into his. Anger rises—until he ...
The Arrival Fallacy: Why Success Is Never Enough
Last week, the world's top-ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, went viral for something completely unrelated to golf.During his pre-tournament interview at The Open Cham...
The Poem I Wish I Read 10 Years Ago
Last week, a reader sent me a poem that stopped me in my tracks.To live content with small means.To seek elegance rather than luxury,and refinement rather than fashion...
The Poison Arrow Principle: How to Stop Overthinking
Here's an old Buddhist story I think about often:Imagine someone is struck by a poisoned arrow. A doctor is called to remove the arrow, but the man stops him. 'Not so ...
22 Pieces of Career Advice They Don't Teach You in School
I get a lot of messages asking for career advice.The following is my attempt to synthesize my responses from the last few years into a series of short, valuable lesson...
The Question That Haunts High Achievers
Last week, I was speaking to a group of entrepreneurs when one of them admitted he'd been struggling.He's dealing with a challenging family health situation and feelin...
The Artful Life: Ars Longa, Vita Brevis
In the 4th century B.C., the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, wrote in his Aphorisms (translated into Latin here):Vita brevis, ars longa, occasio praeceps, experim...
The Jonah Complex: How to Stop Running From Your Own Light
On a windy pier in the ancient city of Joppa, a young man buys a one-way ticket to sail in the opposite direction of his destiny...The young man, Jonah, had been calle...
A Simple Reframe to Improve Your Life
We've all been there...That familiar sensation of feeling behind.And it's no wonder it's so familiar. From the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to...
The Columbus Egg Principle
There’s an old fable about Christopher Columbus that I like…In 1493, upon return from his first voyage to the Americas (which he mistakenly identified as the East Indi...
A Simple Question for True Mastery
Robert Caro is widely considered to be one of the greatest biographers of our time. His list of accolades is long and includes two Pulitzer Prizes for Biography, two N...
How to Stop Procrastinating
In 1789, philosopher Jeremy Bentham mused on the two forces that control our lives:"Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and p...
The Trap of Success (& How to Escape It)
I have a close friend—we'll call him Ben.Ben is very successful. He's in his 30s, sold a company for $100 million, and earns over $10 million per year in his current r...