To own a business that generates you many millions of dollars, you have to become a certain type of person. Is that worth it?

Of course there are days that are not enjoyable. Of course life presents hardship. Unavoidable, painful hardship. But who is the gatekeeper of your own enjoyment?

Living in Los Angeles has thousands of perks. It also has a few downsides. One of those downsides showed up on my apartment building’s driveway the other day, in the from of urine in a water bottle. 

You know that feeling, right? When you incorporate a new productivity habit, you see everything you’re accomplishing, and you feel invincible?

Why do we need to be good at things in order to try? Why do we need to be good at things to enjoy them?

I didn’t want to use pre-recorded loops for any of my songs. I wanted to create and record everything myself. If a machine did it, or if someone else did it, I wasn’t interested. 

“We expend effort. We create value. It’s easy to get confused about which one we’re going to ultimately be compensated for.”

Just now, I took a walk around the block to clear my head. On my walk, I witnessed two men in an argument about the ethics of their businesses.

The old saying goes, “Don’t believe everything you read.” This saying evolved to become “don’t believe everything you see on TikTok.” Now, we need to change it again: “don’t believe everything you see on AI.”

Is work-life balance the antithesis of greatness? Doesn’t it take a singular focus on one discipline to become world-class? 

This is what I learned growing up just a chainlink fence away from a vicious Rottweiler named Rufus. 

Sometimes I catch myself daydreaming about the perfect career. I imagine a time in my life when I’m only doing exactly what I want to be doing; a time when projects filter in for just the right rates at precisely the ideal times.

Bad guys in movies like to say “everyone has a price.” That there’s a financial figure, career aspiration, or deep desire that will get anyone to do anything. This may be true. But what if we raised our prices? 

I thought I heard someone shout this last night as I took trash bins out to the street. Usually my mind doesn’t register random shouts on the street. I’ve learned to tune them out. But I heard this one. I used to live in Venice. 

Can you call a business a success if it closes its doors? Can you say you are successful if your small business isn’t growing? If you have to shut down or sell or leave a business, can you really call that successful? 

I think you can. 

“There is a beautiful statue dedicated to liberty in New York City’s harbor. There is no such monument to responsibility.“

Stress and sadness and annoyance aren’t necessarily things to be avoided at all costs.

This quote struck me a few weeks ago. It wasn’t until I heard Ryan Holiday say it so plainly that I realized I’m always looking for the third thing. 

Everyone wants to create a smash hit: a movie or a book or a song that is instantly popular, and remains meaningful for decades thereafter. In order to do this, you have to balance popularity and longevity. 

We’re good at considering the costs of being truthful when we make creative excuses. But having a cloudy conscience has costs, too, and we’re not so quick to consider those costs.