PN | Weekly #27: August 9, 2026

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”

EPICTETUS

Happy Sunday, Hero!

Michael here. 👋

I hope you had a great week!

Have you read the newest Note yet?

It’s on Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Dad: 366 Meditations on Parenting, Love, and Raising Great Kids, and it’s a great one. (Not just for parents!)

As it says at the end of the introduction:

“We are in this together.

Now let’s do our best, together.”

It got me thinking about this Heroic community and our shared commitment to do our best to be our best, for ourselves, those we care about most, and the broader world.

That’s even more present after one of our heroes (Christine O’Connell, @heroicchristine) reached out a few weeks ago to celebrate the unique power and impact that our social platform has.

One line in particular really struck me.

She said that she’s really MOST dialed in when she’s deeply and frequently connected to the Heroic community.

This collection of virtue-driven, values-aligned individuals coming together to see, encourage, and celebrate one another the way we do just creates positive change in a way that few other things do.

It’s inspiring her to lead a group of heroes in using our nascent social platform to show up a little differently.

(If you haven’t ever checked it out, you can find it on the Together tab of the Heroic app)

All of that also makes me think of lesson Brian quotes from February 16th of The Daily Dad, which is equally applicable to ALL of us as it is to those of us who are parents:

“There’s a wonderful little expression: The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing…

The main thing is for them to be healthy, to be prepared for life, to have good values, to have a good sense of who they are and what they want to spend their life doing. The main, main, main, main thing is to love them and for them to feel loved.”

What’s your main thing?

What’s your main, main, main, main thing?

Are you keeping it the main thing?

May you be healthy, prepared for life, have good values, have a good sense of who you are and what you want to spend your time doing.

And may you be loved and feel loved.

We’re in this together.

Let’s do our best.

Together.

Today.

-Michael

New on Philosopher's Notes TV

This week, Brian is back at the chalkboard to explore The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher.

How do you stay calm and connected when conversations get difficult? In this episode, Brian explores a practical framework for communicating with greater clarity, confidence, and emotional control. You'll discover simple strategies for avoiding unnecessary arguments, expressing your needs more effectively, and strengthening your most important relationships through better conversations.