High quality and high maintenance people go hand in hand in healthy communities. They are not necessarily the same people, but I’ve found where you find one, you find the other. They cluster!

There is not greater wealth than health.

A rich man worries about many things. A sick man worries about one.

If you find something high quality that you want to own for the long term and you emotionally connect to it. Don’t negotiate. Buy it and commit. This works for stuff like houses and jobs. Not people though. You can’t buy people 🙂

Leadership is learning, but in front of more people

Two years from now I wonder what we will be carrying around in our pockets.

When I commuted in a car I always felt a bit safer driving next to a Tesla because I knew (hoped) there was better software assisting the driver, who like everyone else was probably a little zoned out.

On public transport I’ve noticed that that the mask wearing people tend to sit together. There’s a mutual appreciation for protecting each other and the people around you. There’s a solidarity in there somewhere.

You can apply this principle to societies as well. Countries, counties and cities that are cautious and compassionate will beat Covid in the long run.

Smell and music are amazing time machines.

Working hard, grinding it out, slogging away all needs to add up to something. If you are working your tail off but not getting anywhere then maybe it’s time change. The environment and the people around you make a massive difference. Success is not just about hard work.

Emigrating to a new county is great example. Same hard work, same long hours but a different country makes all the difference for some people.

School is the same. A struggling conscientious student switches school and it makes all the difference. Success comes easily and the mediocre student finished top of the class.

It doesn’t have to be that hard. Choose where you spend your time wisely. There are easier ways to be successful.

Hard work and perseverance are table-stakes but there are no guarantees

Have you ever got on a train and realized you’ve incorrectly chosen a local train that stops at every station? You see the express train whiz past as your train chugs along with stops and starts.

It’s tempting to see it through and wait it out on the slow train. Why introduce more uncertainty?

What’s the worst that can happen? Sometimes the best course of action is to get off the slow train and wait for the next express or catch an Uber. The earlier you make the change, the better.

Americans live in fortress like suburban homes, with no pedestrian sidewalks or public transportation accessibility. Access to the home is via the garage and it’s private.

Zoom is creating a peep hole into people’s homes and lives – that most Americans have never seen.

It’s the equivalent of living in a crowded, bustling city where you can see your neighbor making dinner or watching TV in the other apartment block.

I think it’s a good thing. It will create empathy and more oneness.