2024 was a year of big wins and even bigger wake-up calls. I got promoted, earned my blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, became a fully certified volunteer firefighter, broke 80 in golf for the first time, and — most importantly — welcomed my daughter into the world on New Year’s Eve. Not a bad highlight reel.
But for every achievement, there were just as many days of frustration, doubt, and exhaustion. It’s easy to look at the scoreboard and forget the moments when I felt completely unqualified for my own life.
That’s where my green marble notebook comes in. If you’ve been following my writing, you know I’ve been collecting wisdom — quotes, lessons, and random epiphanies — for years. I keep it in my office drawer, sometimes ignoring it for months. Then, out of nowhere, I’ll flip to a page from 2019 and get hit with exactly the reminder I need.
Through all the highs and lows, one thing never changes: my obsession with collecting wisdom. Finding new ideas, testing different perspectives, and figuring out how to navigate this whole being human thing a little better.
Usually, I save these lessons for my annual birthday post on October 25th, but this year felt too packed with insights to wait. So here they are — the best, most thought-provoking ideas I came across in the past year. Some will seem obvious, others will be easy to forget, but my hope is that at least one of these sticks with you and changes how you see the world from this day forward.
Let’s dive in.
1. Make It a Great Day
I recently spoke with a parent who made a tiny tweak to their morning send-off: instead of saying “Have a great day,” they started saying “Make it a great day.” Small change, big difference. One is passive, like greatness just falls out of the sky. The other is a reminder that you’re the one steering the ship. Life isn’t handed to you — it’s crafted by you.
h/t Sahil Bloom’s Curiosity Chronicle newsletter
2. But If I Could…
Create a mind shift simply by saying, “But if I could…” and acting accordingly.
You can apply this to literally any domain, but here’s an example I’d use for golf: “If I could chip well, what would that look like?” Now, instead of lamenting your shaky short game, you start moving, thinking, and executing like someone who can chip like Phil Mickelson and knock it close.
This isn’t about delusional positive thinking — you’re not trying to convince yourself you’re elite. You’re just borrowing the mindset and mechanics of someone who is.
Play the role, and soon enough, the role starts playing you.
3. The Magic Third
In The Revenge of the Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell introduces the “Magic Third” rule — the idea that once a group reaches around 25–33% of a total population, it gains critical mass and tips toward mainstream acceptance.
Take women in leadership roles. In male-dominated fields — corporate boards, politics, STEM — when only a handful of women are present (say, one or two in a group of ten), they often stand out as exceptions rather than the norm. But once women make up about a third of the group, the dynamic shifts. They’re no longer seen as token representatives; they become a normal, influential part of decision-making.
It’s why empty restaurants feel uninviting, why social movements need a solid early base, and why party hosts pray for at least a third of their guest list to arrive early.
4. Lab Food Isn’t Real Food
The average American gets 60–80% of their calories from ultra-processed foods — stuff that’s more lab experiment than actual food. Chris Van Tulleken, physician and author of Ultra-Processed People, explains how these Frankenfoods are designed not just to be edible but addictive.
Even so-called “healthy” alternatives are packed with preservatives, emulsifiers, and mystery ingredients that wreak havoc on long-term health. Meanwhile, the cheapest, most accessible options are also the biggest drivers of chronic disease.
Want a simple fix? Stick to real food — shop the perimeter of the grocery store like your health depends on it (because it does).
✅ Eat This: Meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, olive oil, water, coffee.
❌ Ditch This: Bread, pasta, rice, tortillas, alcohol, granola bars, cereal, soda, fruit juice — basically, anything wrapped in plastic.
5. Politics Isn’t Just Left vs. Right
We tend to view politics on a simplistic left-to-right spectrum. If extreme progressivism is on one side of the x-axis, extreme conservatism is on the opposite.
But what about the y-axis?
In his latest book, What’s Our Problem?, Tim Urban explains the oft-overlooked vertical distinction of political reasoning — which he calls High- Rung vs. Low-Rung thinking.
On the top end of the y-axis is The Higher Mind— where we engage in complex ideas, are conscious of our biases, and are willing to engage in with curiosity. On the lower end is The Primal Mind — our leftover animalistic tendency to be tribal, unaccepting of different viewpoints, and seek confirmation over truth.
Just like our political views can change over time (i.e. I was once a progressive Democrat, but now I’m more of a moderate Republican), so can our reasoning. It’s an important reminder not just to scrutinize our political beliefs, but to examine whether we are seeking TRUTH or CONFIRMATION of those beliefs.
6. The Medium is the Message
What happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment?
Originally published in 1985, Amusing Ourselves to Death, is Neil Postman’s thesis about the corrosive effects of television on our politics and public discourse. The core idea is that the form in which ideas are expressed affects what those ideas will be. Be it television, Twitter, TikTok, or podcasts — the introduction of a new medium into the zeitgeist inevitably alters the meaning of being informed.
As politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment, there begins a decline in the ability of our mass communications to share serious ideas. In other words, TV is not informative media. It’s merely entertainment.
7. Floss God Dammit
There is a growing body of research linking oral health, particularly the state of one’s gum tissue, with overall health. According to Dr. Peter Atia in his book, Outlive, brushing and flossing one’s teeth may help reduce systemic inflammation and possibly Alzheimer’s disease risk.
8. How to Listen Better
As someone who loves to spew information and share facts (you’re literally reading them right now), I’ve been making it a point to listen more in conversations. It can be difficult to cull the urge to one-up someone else’s story or to only talk about yourself, but I’ve found that the best conversations happen when you’re genuinely curious in learning more about the other person.
I’ve been following David Brooks’ SLANT method which he outlines in his book, How to Know a Person.
- Sit up
- Lean forward
- Ask questions
- Nod your head
- Track the speaker.
Listen with your eyes. That’s paying attention 100%.
9. Judge the Contents, Not the Box
I tend to take strong, knee-jerk stances against things for no good reason (i.e. pickleball, country music, even coffee). Yet, somehow, my curiosity always drags me into the very things I swore I’d never touch.
Derek Sivers recently brought up a great point about this on The Tim Ferriss Show.
If you feel completely averse to something, get to know it better. Whatever you feel yourself leaning away from — try leaning into it instead. If you hate opera, go learn about opera. If you hate sports, go learn more about sports. Usually just learning more about something gives you an appreciation about it that you used to just dismiss.
Usually, the things we dismiss outright are just misunderstood. Getting to know them peels back the layers of our aversion and reveals a little appreciation (or at least tolerance). Our dislikes are often just laziness in disguise. It’s easier to hate than to explore. But every time I’ve pushed past my resistance, I’ve found myself pleasantly surprised.
If you hate something, get to know it better.
10. Earn the Sunset
John Cena was on Kai Cenat’s livestream when he casually dropped some of the hardest life advice I’ve heard in a while. At first, Cena thought his purpose was obvious: become a pro wrestler. Then he pivoted to acting and figured, “Oh, this is it. I’m a storyteller now.” But somewhere along the way, he realized he didn’t need to fit himself into some neatly labeled box. Wrestler? Actor? Invisible man? Nope.
I just want to be useful.
It’s such a simple reminder for those days when your to-list is laughing at you. You don’t need a grand mission or a LinkedIn bio that screams “entrepreneur-slash-visionary.” Just focus on being useful, even if that’s as basic as holding the door for someone or watering a dying plant.
“So when the sun goes down, I look at what I did for the day… Did I earn the sunset? Some days I don’t, and I motivate myself to try to do it again but most days I do. And that’s my sense of purpose.”
If the guy whose catchphrase was “You can’t see me,” can live by such clarity, what’s stopping the rest of us? Focus on adding value, one small, meaningful act at a time.
11. Psychology is More Contagious Than the Flu
You’ve probably heard the phrase “calm is contagious.”
But calm isn’t the only thing that’s contagious. You can pretty much replace calm with any word like panic, chaos, or disorder.
Special Forces veteran Evan Hafer once shared a story about a combat mission gone sideways. One soldier started losing his mind — complaining about gear, tactical mistakes, and basically everything else. That’s when the Team Leader shut him down: “Hey man, if you don’t have a solution, just shut the fuck up.”
Bad vibes spread like wildfire. As a leader, whatever energy you put out will come right back to you. In high-stress situations, your team is watching. If you lose your cool, they’ll follow your lead — straight into disaster.
12. The Hidden Cost of Inaction
Warner & Swasey was a well-known US tool hire company. In the 1950’s they ran an advert with the tagline, ‘The man who needs a new machine tool, and hasn’t bought it, is already paying for it.’
When we delay making an important decision or investment (especially one that could make life a little bit easier), we end up paying the cost in other ways.
Imagine you’re a student who needs a new laptop for schoolwork. Your current one crashes all the time, and you spend hours trying to fix it or redoing assignments that get lost. You might think, “I can’t afford a new laptop right now,” but in reality, you’re already paying for it — with your time, stress, and possibly lower grades.
Sometimes investing in the right tool, support, or decision now is the best way to stop the invisible costs from piling up.
13. When People Give Opinions, Add a Question Mark
The next time someone chimes in with a thoughtless opinion, turn it into a question. Instead of “Social media is ruining society,” try “Social media is ruining society?” Leave it hanging.
The foolish rush to answers; the wise sit with the question.
14. The Art of “Selective Sucking”
I used to stress myself out about credit card points. Any time I got together with friends, they would share how they traveled to Europe for free, linking points to their premium airline mileage accounts, and getting a free three-night stay by signing up for the hotel’s loyalty program with AmEx. I thought to myself, “Man, what kind of idiot am I paying for all my vacations?!”
But after a while, I found that researching ways to be more efficient with credit cards was a pain in the ass for me. I hated it and it always left me feeling like I could have done better.
Instead, I embraced the fact that my time could be spent more wisely doing things I’m actually good at — making a great itinerary, finding great spots to eat, and organizing the micro details of the trip itself (rental cars, train tickets, etc). This may sound like a position of luxury, but I’m happy to eat an extra $100 vs. spending three hours figuring out how to transfer my Delta points.
In other words, I deliberately choose not to engage in activities are either a) don’t like, b) suck at, or c) don’t have the time or money to bother with.
15. The Best Definition of Success
Success is being excited to go to work and being excited to come home.
h/t @willahmed
16. Earn Your Story
“The things that you tell your grandkids about aren’t supposed to be easy.” —David Senra (Founder Podcast)
The stories worth telling — the ones you’ll pass down to your grandkids — never come from comfort or convenience. No one brags about the effortless wins, the days that went exactly as planned, or the things handed to them. The best stories are forged in struggle: the risks taken, the setbacks endured, the moments when quitting seemed like the only option — but wasn’t. The discomfort, the uncertainty, the failures — these are the raw materials of a life well-lived.
If it’s easy, it’s forgettable. If it’s hard, it’s legendary.
17. Stop Apologizing For Boundaries
“Guilt is a feeling you have when you’re acting out of alignment with your values.” — Dr. Becky Kennedy
Our understanding of guilt is often completely off-base. As Dr. Kennedy explains, if we’re truly acting in alignment with our values, it’s not guilt. Guilt only surfaces when we’ve veered off the road of who we strive to be.
The problem is, we often confuse guilt with discomfort. When someone doesn’t like our boundaries, we internalize their distress and mislabel it as guilt. It’s like saying, “I see your feelings and I will carry them for you.”
But let’s be clear: that’s not guilt — it’s codependence with a guilt mask.
Setting boundaries — especially with the people we love — is uncomfortable, for sure. But it’s also necessary if we want to live a life aligned with our values. Boundaries aren’t about controlling others; they’re about defining how we operate. The other person doesn’t have to like, agree with, or even comply with your boundary. You’re not asking for permission — you’re declaring a personal policy. That’s it.
So next time you feel that pang of “guilt,” ask yourself: is this guilt, or is it just discomfort from prioritizing what matters to me?
18. The Theory of Enantiodromia
Too much of a good thing eventually becomes a bad thing. It’s like a pendulum — swing too far one way, and it’s bound to swing back. In 1921, psychologist Carl Jung formalized this idea with the term Enantiodromia —things in excess become their opposite.
We see this everywhere. Society overdosed on tech and constant screen time. Now everyone’s meditating, doing goat yoga, and reading books with titles like Digital Minimalism and Stolen Focus.
Or take parenting: a kid raised with overly strict rules might rebel by going full Wolf of Wall Street the second they get freedom.
Extremes aren’t sustainable. Nature always finds a way to point the compass back to true north.
19. Stretch More (Seriously, Your Body Will Thank You)
If you sit a lot — which, let’s be real, most of us do — your hip flexors and chest are probably tighter than a pair of jeans fresh out of the dryer. That stiffness isn’t just uncomfortable; it messes with your posture, your workouts, and even how you feel at the end of the day.
A simple fix? Stretch. It takes five minutes, and your body will love you for it. I run through these four moves before workouts and sometimes before bed. The result? Instant relaxation and fewer why does my back hurt moments.
Try these:
20. Don’t Copy the What. Copy the How
One of the best mental models I’ve learned comes from Kobe Bryant:
Kobe didn’t just study basketball. He studied greatness — in sports, music, business, and art. His reasoning was simple:
“No matter what discipline you are in, there’s a common denominator in how we approach our craft. The attention to detail. The level of commitment. Those things are the same across the board. That is my message: Don’t look at what I did but how I did it.”
The mistake most people make is that they copy tactics instead of principles.
They try to replicate the exact workout, the same morning routine, or the specific investment strategy of successful people — without understanding the underlying why.
Instead of imitating outcomes, reverse-engineer the process. Study the frameworks, mental models, and systems that lead to mastery. The what is surface-level. The how is transferable to anything.
If you get the how right, the what takes care of itself.
h/t Founders Podcast
Closing Thoughts
At the end of the day, the best ideas aren’t the ones you read once and forget. They’re the ones that sneak into your daily life — shaping how you think, how you act, and how you respond to the world around you. Some of these ideas might resonate right away, others might sit in the back of your mind for months before suddenly clicking. Either way, if even one of them helps you see things a little differently, then this whole exercise was worth it.
Here’s to another year of learning, growing, and scribbling down wisdom in that green marble notebook.
— KB
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