PN | Weekly #30: August 30, 2026

“Every organism has one and only one central need in life, to fulfill its own potentialities.”

ROLLO MAY

Happy Sunday, Heroic!

Michael here. 👋

Hope you had a great week!

I can’t stop thinking about one of the pull quotes from this week's new Philosopher's Note is on The Right to Be Human, Edward Hoffman's biography of Abraham Maslow.

“I think of the self-actualizing man not as an ordinary man with something added, but rather as the ordinary man with nothing taken away. The average man is a human being with dampened and inhibited powers.”

It’s easy to get caught treating our potential as an addition problem: we just need more discipline, skills, credentials, wisdom, success…

Maslow turns that on its head.

“The ordinary man with nothing taken away”

Which has me pondering:

In what ways am I limiting myself? What are the thoughts, behaviors, and habits dampening and inhibiting me?

And remember…

As Brian highlights at the end of the Note: the point of all this work isn’t ourselves.

We uncover what's within us so we can bring it TO the people and spaces we share. Our families. Our teams. Our communities.

That's the right to be human. Nothing taken away... and everything given.

Wishing you and yours a great week!

Day 1. All in. Let's go.

-Michael

New on Philosopher's Notes TV

This week, Brian is back at the chalkboard to explore The Power of Showing Up by Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson.

What if being a great parent isn't about being perfect, but simply about showing up consistently? In this episode, Brian explores how predictable presence and connection can shape who our kids become and how their brains develop. You'll discover why showing up with consistency, care, and authenticity matters far more than getting everything right, and how these simple principles can transform your most important relationships.