Don't Run Me Over On Wednesday morning I went out for a run and almost got clipped by a car at a crosswalk. The driver wasn’t paying attention and missed me by a few feet. For the next 45 minutes of the run I kept thinking about two things. First, I’m really glad that car didn’t hit me. Second, how did automobiles actually become a thing? At some point people had to trust machines over humans to build them. That thought eventually led to this article.And do me a favor...as you drive this...
11 days ago • 4 min read
Short-Form Concern Between the influence of a podcast and a movie, I'm starting to have deep concerns about creating short-form content. Hence, this week's article. I hope you challenge yourself with the same questions I'm currently dealing with.On a more positive note, my friend Joe Lazer (the younger, more attractive Joe) just published a truly incredible book called Super Skill: Why Storytelling Is the Super Power of the AI Age. To be honest, I get a lot of people asking me to promote...
18 days ago • 6 min read
A Commitment Last year I started a book club. We kept it small. Just the eight of us. What I love most about it (besides the fellowship) is that I'm reading books I wouldn't have normally knew existed. This month, we're reading Uncool from Cameron Crowe (director of Almost Famous), which is the source for today's issue.Many times, creators and writers feel out of place. Like we are living in a world that doesn't understand us. If you've ever felt this way, you'll appreciate Crowe's book. It's...
25 days ago • 4 min read
Is It Over? Last week, I came to the crossroads with my Content Inc. model. I started developing this model over 20 years ago and tried to perfect it over the years. In a nutshell, it starts with a differentiated message, developed on one platform, consistently delivered over time, that leads to an audience that comes to know, like, and trust us.Not rocket science, but it's worked for decades. Some of the largest brands in the world succeeded using this model.But will it still work in the age...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
In the Mind I started to re-read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill again. It's honestly crazy that a book almost a hundred years old can still make an impact on a modern creator. And I was immediately reminded of this thought: Most creator advice today is tactical. Platforms, prompts, growth hacks. But the people who actually build lasting freedom tend to share something deeper. A way of thinking. A way of committing. A way of seeing themselves long before the audience shows up. That's the...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Hope After presenting twice in the same day last week, I have renewed hope for humanity. And I was so motivated by it, I wrote this week's newsletter about it. The more I talk about AI, and tech, and tools, the more I come back to what's important: our relationships with others. And before you read on, my friend Erika Heald has an excellent new book out called Content Foundations: Scale Your Content with AI without Losing Your Voice. Considering what I've been discussing in this newsletter...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Known x Needed I've been producing email newsletters in one form or another for over 20 years, and I have to say I've been honored by so many of you who've taken the time to write me about the past few newsletters I've written. Part of me wants to apologize because I've really taken a major shift from content creation, distribution, and media systems. But with everything going on in the world, and especially with AI, I just feel that there are more important things that I want you to hear...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Sometimes, The Problem Isn't You Most of us move through life assuming the rules we’re following are just “how things work.” Education. Careers. Retirement. Only later do we realize the unease wasn’t personal. It was structural. I’ve been spending more time looking at systems lately. What I keep noticing is that you can’t succeed inside one until you recognize that it exists and understand the rules that shape it. Those who identify the most systems have a better chance at winning...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
"I Know that I Know Nothing" - Socrates First off, a big thank you for all the replies last week. Outside of my predictions issue, it was the most replies I've ever received. It took me a few days, but hopefully I responded to all of you. Know that I appreciate you more than you'll ever know. And now for today's topic... The older I get, the less impressed I am by people who are 100% sure about anything. Not because they’re wrong, but because certainty has a way of shutting down curiosity....
2 months ago • 5 min read