March 2019 : A newsletter

Status: In like a 🦁.

1. I’ve seen the future and it is sun-filled. Still I row, row in the predawn hours. Here’s the routine (courtesy of my good friend and accomplished oarsman, Agent H): 500m (@35 strokes/min) followed by a 0:30 cooldown, multiplied by 5. Result: a 13-minute, survival-of-the-fittest rowing session and low-impact alternative to another staple: the 5K run (@ 160 strides/min). Have data, will travel.

2. Have podcasts, will travel smarter. And with a healthy relationship between performance and (not or) longevity, the probability of traveling farther improves dramatically. The goal: stay in the game by working with purpose. Podcast reco: Peter Attia: Eric Chehab, MD: Extending healthspan and preserving quality of life.

3. Of course, purpose isn’t limited to sports. Brands can (and should) have purpose, too. Trouble is, many either aren’t aware of what they can be or lack the bravery to reveal it. If Tom Fishburne’s (a.k.a. The Marketoonist’s) sketches weren’t so on-the-nose they might hurt less. Either way, his work is terrific and worth a follow, starting with a recent installment, Brand Social Purpose.

4. Startups need strength, corporations need flexibility. Both need growth. Brain food: The Two Ways for Startups and Corporations to Partner. Clearly there are more than two ways but keeping it simple has its advantages.   

5. With strength and flexibility you can put in the hours and who knows? maybe change the world. Here’s how Bill Gates is tackling some of our planet’s biggest challenges: Talking Tech & Saving the World with Bill Gates! Nice work by all who made this happen. (Including you, AC.) Followers of MoreBetterNow - an exclusive group, to be sure - may recognize the producer and co-star of the Gates interview, MKBHD, a.k.a. Marques Brownlee. Marques was also featured in September 2018 when I highlighted his Tesla factory tour with Elon Musk. Both clips are outstanding.    

6. Regardless of your organization’s purpose, more video is likely a good idea. For my $0.02 (why is it always $0.02?), video is the most powerful communication medium in the history of planet Earth. Forthwith and if you’re not yet sufficiently inspired by observation #5, additional learning: How to make a film. Now give it a try, yeah? And dedicate to making what you make gooood [insert prayer emoji].

7. While we’re talking video, Free Solo won an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary. Think you’re tough? Check it out and reassess.  

8. Can I also talk video in point number 8? Bruce Springsteen on Broadway is exceptional. As a storyteller and musician, the man is in an echelon of his own. BTW Bruce is also a favorite of Dr. Eric Chehab (he of observation #2, above). As if additional endorsement is necessary.   

9. In last month’s update I sung the praises of Tim Ferriss’s podcast with Jim Collins. If you haven’t yet, lend a listen the next time you’re on the move. 🚣‍♀️🏃‍♂️ And if you’re inclined, check out Collins’s recent monograph, Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great. Yes, a monograph. Meaning it requires stationary consumption. Also apologies for the segue pun in that opening sentence.

10. Monthly quote: “Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn’t matter.” -Marcus Aurelius. I couldn’t agree more.

Now’s the time.

-John