PN | Weekly #16: May 24, 2026
“The optimalism ideal is not a distant shore to be reached but a distant star that guides us and can never be reached.”TAL BEN-SHAHAR |
Happy Sunday, Heroic!
Michael here. ๐
Hope you had a great week!
On Thursday, we had an amazing wrap up call for the 21-day Warrior & Monk challenge with Brian and Ben Pakulski.
Among a treasure trove of incredible insights shared, Brian reminded us to celebrate progress, echoing both Adam Grant (Hidden Potential) and Dan Sullivan / Ben Hardy (The Gap and The Gain) in encouraging us to really appreciate how far we’ve come.
Ben followed up by emphasizing the power ofโ optimizing for trajectory, not outcome.
Don't measure the destination. Measure the direction. Shorten the feedback loop. Daily action against the lighthouse in the distance.
We closed by talking about the deeper why behind what we do.
Here's the pull quote from the inside cover:
"Life is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. Shouldn't you spend it doing something you love?"
Gurley's whole book is one long argument for pointing yourself at the work you love and staying pointed for the long arc.
There’s a powerful Big Idea which focuses on research from Daniel Pink, on what Pink calls boldness regrets. The regrets that haunt us aren't the things we tried and failed at. They're the things we never found the courage to even try.
All of which has me wondering:
What's the thing you've always wanted to do, but have never pointed yourself at?
Not the thing you tried and let go. The thing you've never even aimed at. Or aimed at with any real energy.
The novel. The pivot. The conversation (with your team, or your clients, or your partner). The fitness goal. The faith practice. The business. The ask.
Most of us know what it is.
As the Note reminds us:
"The best time to start pursuing the work we love might've been twenty years ago, but the second-best time is always right now."
So… how can you point a little more at work you love, today?
One small move that you can celebrate as progress and a trajectory optimization.
Day 1. All in. Let's go.
-Michael
Enjoy this past week's featured Notes!
Mini Habits
by Stephen Guise
by Ray Dalio
Getting Things Done
by David Allen
Runnin' Down a Dream
by Bill Gurley
by Daniel Goleman
by David Brooks
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“There are two types of pain you will go through in your life: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons.”JIM ROHN |
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