Philosopher's Notes

I picked up Metabolical during a deep dive I did on a series of books on nutrition, longevity, and energy, alongside Good Energy by Casey Means, Forever Strong by Gabrielle Lyon, and Outlive by Peter Attia. I'm pretty sure I got it on Casey's recommendation, and Dr. Lustig, one of the world's most respected endocrinologists, is a big part of her Levels app. I've also featured one of my favorite Lustig books, Fat Chance, in another Note. This one is a sobering, sometimes nauseating look at how processed food poisons people and the planet, and it lands on two simple precepts: protect your liver and feed your gut with Real Food. If you want to think for yourself about food and reclaim your Energy, I highly recommend it. Big Ideas we explore include Insulin 101, Dietitians, Waist Circumference, Two Simple Precepts, and Be the Change.

As you know if you've been following along, I'm a big fan of Joe De Sena. I consider him a Soul Brother, and we've featured all of his prior books, from Spartan Up! to 10 Rules for Resilience. So when I saw he'd teamed up with Ben Askren and David Sacks, Ph.D. on this one, I immediately got it, reading the first half on a flight to serve some Heroic leaders and the rest the next morning. I've read a LOT of mental toughness and peak performance books, and this one is right there at the top. It's all about dissolving the false dichotomies of life and sport by replacing "or" with "and." Whether you're an athlete, a CEO, a coach, or a parent looking to forge excellence and activate your Heroic potential, I highly recommend it. Big Ideas we explore include Extreme Balance, Deliberate Practice, Process or Outcome?, Good Enough?, and Need a Spot?

I love Susan Peirce Thompson. Her personal story, her wisdom, and her commitment to changing the world inspire me deeply. This is the third Note I've created on one of her books, following Bright Line Eating and The Bright Line Eating Cookbook. Maintain tackles what most programs leave out: how to actually keep the weight off for good. Susan maps three identity shifts, becoming Devoted to your program, becoming Resourced so you no longer use food as a crutch, and becoming Liberated from the cycle of yo-yo dieting and food obsession. It is neuroscience, psychology, and practical habit-building backed by Susan's own extraordinary transformation from crack addict to world-class PhD researcher. If you want to stop the cycle and find lasting peace with food and your weight, I highly recommend this book. Big Ideas we explore include Meet Your Guide, What Is Maintenance, Devoted, Resourced, and Liberated.

I discovered this book through Scott Barry Kaufman, who raved about Susan David and her work in his excellent book Rise Above. He told us that cultivating emotional agility was one of the primary ways to overcome a victim mindset and realize our full potential, and that was enough for me. Susan is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and the cofounder of the Institute of Coaching at McClean Hospital, and the book delivered on every bit of that promise. The core idea is powerful: emotional agility means holding your most difficult emotions loosely, facing them courageously and compassionately, and then acting in alignment with your deepest values. Not relentless positivity, but genuine humanity. If you want to move from bottling or brooding to showing up as the Hero of your own story, I highly recommend this book. Big Ideas we explore include Emotions, Showing Up, The #1 Tip, Dead People's Goals, and Emotionally Agile Kids.

I got The Traveler’s Gift after my friend Chris Duhon recommended it, and I’m glad he did because it’s a fun, fast, deeply inspiring read. Andy Andrews tells the story of David Ponder, a man going through a difficult season who finds himself traveling across time to meet seven extraordinary guides, each of whom shares one decision that can change a life. What emerges is a practical framework for personal success rooted in responsibility, wisdom, action, courage, gratitude, forgiveness, and faith. It reads like a fable, but the lessons are real and enduring. Big Ideas we explore include The Seven Decisions, The First Decision, I Am a Person of Action, I Will Choose to Be Happy, and Greet the Day with a Forgiving Spirit.

This is the fourth Note I’ve created on one of Ben Hardy’s books, and The Gap and The Gain delivers one of the most powerful distinctions I’ve ever encountered. Co-written with Dan Sullivan, it shows why so many ambitious people stay stuck in dissatisfaction: they measure themselves against an impossible ideal rather than against the progress they’ve actually made. Once you really get the difference between the GAP and the GAIN, you can start building more happiness, confidence, freedom, and momentum right now by measuring backward, appreciating how far you’ve come, and using even difficult experiences to grow stronger and wiser. Big Ideas we explore include The Gap and The Gain, Harmonious Passion, #1 Hour in Your Day, Three Wins, and how to Become Antifragile.

I’m a big fan of mental toughness and peak performance, so I jump at any chance I get to sharpen the sword of performance excellence, and Champion Mindset is a fantastic book. Patrick Mouratoglou, one of the world’s most respected tennis coaches, gives us ten keys to forging a champion mindset, with practical wisdom on self-esteem, confidence, failure, motivation, and what it really takes to perform at your highest standard at all times. What makes this book so powerful is that Patrick is relentlessly clear that the ultimate battle is in your own mind. He shows us that confidence is built through action, failure is fuel, your entourage matters more than you think, and the real goal is not just winning matches but making your life a masterpiece. Big Ideas we explore include At All Times, Self-Esteem, Failure Is Fuel, One Bad Apple, and The Ultimate Game.

Kevin Kelly helped launch Wired and is a wonderfully brilliant, iconoclastic, wise human being. Excellent Advice for Living is a tiny little book packed with pithy wisdom, the kind of book where I could literally open to any page and riff on a gem or two. What makes it so fun is that each compact line opens into a much bigger truth about how to live, work, recover from mistakes, stay enthusiastic, and keep aiming at what matters most over the long arc of a life. This Note plays with a handful of my favorite seeds from the book and connects them to wisdom from Emerson, Wooden, Rotella, James Clear, and others, all in service to helping us apply the ideas right now. Big Ideas we explore include +25 IQ Points, The Only, Behavior -> Thinking, Compound Interest, and Good Bad Days.

This is the sixth Note I’ve created on one of Yogananda’s books, and How to Be Happy All the Time is a tiny but deeply inspiring guide to one of the biggest questions in life: where real happiness is actually found. Yogananda reminds us that happiness cannot be chased in the outer world because it is not a thing to possess but a state of consciousness to cultivate. He shows us that bad habits, restlessness, and our constant search for pleasure steal our peace, while inner calmness, good discipline, meditation, reading, and equanimity help us create the lasting joy he calls true happiness. It is packed with simple, practical spiritual wisdom on how to stop looking outside ourselves for what can only be found within. Big Ideas we explore include Happiness and Where to Find It, The Rose of Happiness, Happiness Thieves, Best Indoor Sport, and The #1 Condition for Happiness.

Bill Gurley wrote Runnin’ Down a Dream for anyone who wants more than a paycheck and suspects work can be one of the most meaningful expressions of a life well lived. The core message is simple and powerful: life is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition, and eighty thousand hours is far too long to spend doing something you do not love. Gurley offers a practical playbook for stepping off the conveyor belt, chasing your curiosity, finding your obsessive interest, honing your craft, and having the courage to run down your dream, whether you are just starting out or changing direction midcareer. It is optimistic without being naive, grounded in real stories, and relentlessly focused on the parts of success we can actually control. Big Ideas we explore include The Conveyor Belt, Obsessive Interest, Hone Your Craft, It’s Never Too Late, and Use It or Lose It.