A Major Career Change A reader recently asked me why this newsletter is called The Tilt. My first thought was, “Wow, I should have explained that about 200 newsletters ago.” But the question stuck with me, mostly because I had just finished a long conversation with a friend who is thinking about making a major career change. Not “maybe I’ll update my LinkedIn profile and see what happens.” A real change. The kind where you start asking uncomfortable questions like, “What am I actually good...
7 days ago • 6 min read
The Access Trap But first...I have three important announcements. First, we just announced that our foundation, Orange Effect, will be closing after 20 years. You can read my wife's post here about the decision to wind down OEF operations. It was a difficult decision...but wow were we able to affect some positive change in the world. I'll be writing about this later in the month when discussing when to exit a business or job. Second, my friend Jay Baer is making some news. After 17 years and...
14 days ago • 6 min read
Slowly, Slowly Who's the last person who asked you, "what did you do today?" Did you answer with what you actually did...or with something else? A question like that came from my Dad in the middle of a pretty ordinary week. And that's what today's article is about. Any questions or comments? Just shoot me a note.JP P.S.: You won’t find ads in this newsletter thanks to a generous donation from Lulu. Since 2002, Lulu has helped authors and creators publish, print, and sell their books. If...
21 days ago • 5 min read
Less Is More This one hits home for me because it’s something I’m working on right now. I’ve noticed that when things start to feel a little off in my life, it’s usually not because of one giant problem staring me in the face. It's often because I’ve added a few too many things without even realizing it. One more meeting. One more project. One more thing to check. One more thing to manage. One more “sure, I can do that” that seemed harmless at the time. Then the good stuff starts getting...
28 days ago • 5 min read
Inherited Beliefs Most of us think we've carefully chosen our beliefs. I'm not so sure. The older I get, the more I realize how many assumptions I've inherited from family, friends, culture, and experience. This week's story begins with a conversation after my grandfather's funeral and ends with a question I use when I find myself absolutely certain of something. I'm curious if you've ever found yourself in a similar situation. Any questions or comments? Just shoot me a note.JP P.S.: You...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
You Have Spoken! Thanks to the 211 of you who completed my one-question survey.First off, the big complaint was that you couldn't choose more than one category. Many of you (it seems) are marketers, independent content creators, AND friends of mine. That's a winning combination if you ask me. Sadly, you couldn't actually choose that combination.40 percent of you are marketers. 16 percent of you are independent creators.10 percent of you are friends (love ya!).5 percent have no idea why they...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
The Closer Last week I was the closing keynote at BABA Summit in Denver, which sounds fancy until you realize what it really means. The opening keynote gets to set the tone. The closing keynote has to figure out what the tone actually became.And the tone was pretty clear. Everyone knows something big is happening, especially with AI, but nobody is totally sure what to do with it yet.That is what this week’s article is about.Any questions or comments? Just shoot me a note.JP P.S.: You won’t...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read
Do Not Fail I grew up trying my best not to fail. In school. At sports. In love. The goal was always the same. "Don't screw this up Joe!" Now, decades later, I realize I had it all wrong. Failure isn't to be avoided. Failure is the job.That is what this week’s article is about.Any questions or comments? Just shoot me a note.JP P.S.: You won’t find ads in this newsletter thanks to a generous donation from Lulu. Since 2002, Lulu has helped authors and creators publish, print, and sell their...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Dicey Advice I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the advice we pass down. Some of it is useful. Some of it is outdated. And some of it is simply inherited without ever being questioned. That’s been on my mind as I think about my own kids. They are walking into a world that is moving faster, louder, and stranger than the one I grew up in. So I started asking myself a simple question. What would I actually tell them now? That is what this week’s article is about.Any questions or comments?...
2 months ago • 7 min read