For much of my life I had it all wrong. I embraced the idea of “going all the way” — and I mean I fully embraced it.

I’m 47 and optimistically, I’d like to consider this roughly half my life. I’ve been reflecting a good deal of late on what I have learned thus far, which has not always come close to easy.

“The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation.” –Saint Augustine

I tried something the other day. I was in a really bad mood, which is pretty rare for me. And as I walked into the gym where I work out, I think I had a ill-tempered look on my face.

A podcast by Mike Spivey on overcoming your insecurities, especially in settings like conferences, meetings, and events with lots of strangers—where many of us might be more likely to be insecure.

We wanted to share two blog posts today for those who run businesses, both written by Mike Spivey.

If you are reading this, I am going to guess that there was something about the title that you can relate to. Perhaps you are in a position at work that demands too many hours. Or maybe parenting, relationships or social duties have you overwhelmed. Whatever it is, I’d like to relate how I solved the aforementioned problem of “finite me/infinite needs” in hopes it can help others.

Research conducted by Strava, a social network for athletes, shows that January 12 is the day New Year’s resolutions die — amazingly, just twelve days in. But is that really so surprising? Be honest with yourself; have you ever set a resolution only to give up on it after just a few days, a mere week, a month, or midway through the year?

In this podcast, In this podcast, Mike Spivey discusses his experience in his first job out of college.

If you can be good at one thing, you can be good at anything. Leadership has always fascinated me, but more precisely, people who always seem to successfully lead organizations and teams are the most intriguing.

I sat, pondering both the murky nature of the grey slush on the floor and my own murky future as my university applications sat on an admission officer’s desk somewhere. Then I took an elbow to the face.

The picture above is of the Atlantic Ocean in South Florida. Notable because I took the picture, dropped my phone, shirt and shoes, and just jumped right into it at that exact spot. Also notable because I can’t really swim.

A thoughtful quote from author and motivational speaker Esther Hicks.

Dr. Sam Harris believes that free will is an illusion—that we are merely a collection of our DNA and every life experience we have been aggregating, leading us to every decision or action we have ever made and ever will make. I tremendously believe, to my core, that we have a strong say in our destiny, and I would fervently defend this belief.

When we are born, there are an almost infinite number of pathways our lives can take. From our very first breath, every little permutation of a decision or interaction changes the road we are on and direction we are heading.

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

I wanted to take a second to share something. About a month ago, I wrote down 5 principles by which I would like to live every day and hold myself accountable to.

This is a different sort of post — it’s on starting and running a business or firm. More specifically, it’s also on the 200 or so times someone with a business idea has asked me to invest in their idea and why I have said “no” every single time.

Be the best version of yourself, of course, but be your best self only for yourself.

When I care deeply, I am at my best—be it about people, my work, or what I enjoy (like running) in my personal life. Things only get muddled when I let others dictate what it is that should matter to me.