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Field notes from building in public — the Pivot, brainstorms, whiteboards, and more. Browse the full archive →
The Way by St. Josemaría Escrivá: Holiness in the Ordinary
I picked up The Way expecting another discipline book. Instead I got a 20th-century saint telling me holiness isn't a different job — it's the one I already have.
Definitive Guide to Catholic Fasting & Abstinence: What Stuck With Me
Matthew Plese's history of Catholic fasting shocked me into changing my Sundays. Here's what the early Church actually did, and why the version we practice today is a shell of it.
Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI: The 1968 Warning We Ignored
A 1968 encyclical predicted hookup culture, fatherlessness, and the objectification of women decades before any of it happened. Here's what I pulled from it.
Winning by Timothy Grover: The 4 Rules That Changed How I Operate
Tim Grover's Winning reorganized how I train, work, and spend my time — no balance, all selfish focus. Here's what actually stuck four years later.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: 4 Ideas That Changed How I Operate
I was oblivious to Naval until his Joe Rogan appearance flipped something in me. Here are the four ideas from this book that actually changed how I make money, spend money, and treat my body.
Boundaries by Henry Cloud: Why Saying No Is a Discipline
I picked this up because everything today pushes boundaryless living. Here are the four ideas from Henry Cloud's Boundaries that changed how I run my schedule, my business, and my relationships.
Quit Drinking Without Willpower by Alan Carr: Lose the Desire, Not the Fight
A COVID-era drinking habit spiked my resting heart rate into the 80s and killed my sleep. This book didn't teach me willpower — it taught me why I never needed it in the first place.
Designing Your Life: Why You Build Your Way Forward, Not Think It
I used to believe some parts of life were just fixed — weaknesses you live with, not fix. This book proved me wrong, and gave me the actual mechanics for redesigning the parts I thought were permanent.
The Miracle Equation by Hal Elrod: 4 Ideas That Changed How I Operate
Hal Elrod was declared dead in a car crash and later fought cancer, then wrote a book about faith plus effort. Here are the four ideas from The Miracle Equation that changed how I run my day, my team, and my bad moods.
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker: The Sleep Protocol That Changed How I Run My Day
I used to treat sleep like a tax on productivity. This book, written by a sleep scientist, convinced me it's the highest-leverage thing I do all day — and gave me the protocol to fix it.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield: How I Fight Resistance Every Day
This is my third time through Pressfield's book, and each time Resistance shows up as something different — calls, cash flow, or just getting out of my own way. Here's what stuck this round.
Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy: The Ideas I Actually Use
I bought Tracy's course for a thousand bucks years before I ever opened this book. Here are the four ideas from Maximum Achievement that changed how I run my real estate business and my life.
3 Book Reviews: Execution, The Secret of the Ages, Man's Search for Himself
Three old books, back to back, on why I chased the wrong goals for two decades, why my self-talk was the problem, and why I was a terrible leader before I understood what leadership actually is.
The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey: The Ideas Worth Stealing
I bought this book five years ago and let it collect dust. Here's what actually changed how I run my business once I finally read it — and why I still don't think you need to.
The Power of Agency: The Idea That Actually Changed How I Respond
After 800-plus books, I rarely find a genuinely new concept. Agency was one.
Love 2.0 by Barbara Fredrickson: The Chapter That Hit Me Hardest
Mid-triathlon training and buried in transactional sales calls, I hit Barbara Fredrickson's chapter on longing and got goosebumps. Here's the one idea I pulled from Love 2.0 and how I track it every morning.
Stress for Success by Loehr & McCormack: Why I Chase the Anxiety
An early-90s book on stress reframed how I run my life: stress isn't the enemy, avoiding it is. Here's what changed once I started treating anxiety as a signal instead of a warning.
Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount: Why I Never Skip My 9-to-10
Ten years into real estate, this book put a name on the one habit that keeps me from going broke: protecting the hour I prospect like nothing else exists.
Atomic Habits by James Clear: The 3 Ideas That Actually Changed How I Work
James Clear's Atomic Habits didn't just give me better routines — it forced me to ask who I'm actually trying to become. Here's what hit different on my second read, from motion vs. action to why I switched back to physical books for good.
Lead Yourself First by Kethledge & Erwin: Why I Schedule Silence
A federal judge and an Army officer make the case that solitude, not more input, is what separates leaders who see clearly from leaders who just react. It changed how I structure my week.
Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar: Why My Comfort Was the Problem
I was doing well by every metric and still felt flat. This book explained why comfort itself was the trap, and Atomic Habits gave me the fix I used to break out of it.
Before Happiness by Shawn Achor: Why Success Won't Make You Happy
Amazon recommended this after I'd been reading about mental toughness. I thought success led to happiness.
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor: Success Comes Second
I picked this up mid-Ironman training when I couldn't figure out why I felt flat despite doing everything right. Here's the formula it flipped for me.
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport: Why I Deleted My Apps
Cal Newport's book didn't just make me cut back on social media — it explained why the apps are built to own your attention, and gave me a real plan to take it back.
With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham: 4 Mental Habits I Stole for Business
An Olympic shooter's playbook on self-sabotage, breathing, and goal tracking explained why my best months always get sabotaged by my own self-image — and what I'm doing differently now.
Organize Tomorrow Today by Dr. Jason Selk: My One Must
Dr. Jason Selk's book on planning the day before taught me productivity isn't busyness, it's doing your one must.
Solving The Procrastination Puzzle by Timothy Pychyl: The Real Reason We Delay
A 105-page book that explained why I put things off even when I know better — and the one shift that's put more homes on the market for me this year.
Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins: The 4 Ideas That Actually Stuck
After 700 books in eleven years, David Goggins' Can't Hurt Me is one of maybe three that actually changed how I run my business — here's the 40% Rule, the real estate lesson, and why I stopped sugarcoating my own excuses.
Atomic Habits by James Clear: Why I Deleted Instagram to Build Systems
The two-minute rule, why I killed Instagram and Facebook off my phone, and why you don't rise to your goals — you fall to your systems. Here's what actually changed how I operate.
Atomic Habits by James Clear: The Ideas That Actually Changed How I Operate
I didn't need more motivation — I needed a better system. Here's what from Atomic Habits actually stuck, and how I use it in a real estate business and a triathlon block.
The Amazon Way by John Rossman: 4 Rules I Stole for My Business
I've been on an Amazon kick lately, and this one isn't the biography — it's the operating manual. Here are the four principles I'm actually running with.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield: How I Beat the Resistance
I read this book years ago and didn't get it. I reread it once I actually had something to lose, and it explained exactly why I wasn't making my sales calls.
Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff: Why Control of the Frame Wins the Deal
This one sat on my shelf for four months before I picked it up to fix our pitch. It's the most notes I've taken on a book in a while — here's what actually changed how I sell.
The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer: What I Took From It
Singer built a billion-dollar company, got indicted by the feds, and never once fought what was happening to him. Here's the acceptance practice I pulled out of it and started using.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: 4 Ideas I Actually Use
Mark Manson's book sounds like a joke title. It's not.
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer: 4 Ideas That Rewired How I Think
After thousands of books and six figures in seminars, I'm calling this the best book I've ever read — but only if you're actually ready for it.
Disrupt You! by Jay Samit: The Bannister Method for Breaking Barriers
I picked this up expecting a skim and a catchy title. Instead I got an explanation for why I've never fit the mold — and a three-step method for staying ahead before someone else takes my job.
Changing for Good by James Prochaska: The Six Stages That Fixed My Sales Calls
Written in 1994 but built on how the human brain actually works, this book explained why my New Year's resolutions never stuck — and gave me the six-stage sequence I now run every time I build a habit.
Your One Word by Evan Carmichael: The Word That Changed How I Run BPI
Evan Carmichael says skip the daily question and pick one word instead. Here's the word I landed on, the Steve Jobs story that stuck, and how it reshaped my real estate brand.
Relentless by Tim Grover: The 3 Levels That Changed How I Compete
I picked this up after seeing two strangers reading it on the subway. Grover's breakdown of good, great, and unstoppable rewired how I think about talent, discipline, and who actually wins.
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight: The Nike Grind Nobody Tells You About
Before Nike was Nike, it was a company called Blue Ribbon that almost went bankrupt for a decade straight. Here's what that decade taught me about building my own company.
The Alchemist, Unbroken, and Fearless: 3 Books That Reset My Perspective
One book I avoided for years, two war stories that make my worst day look easy. Here's what stuck after reading The Alchemist, Unbroken, and Fearless.
My Top Books To Read, Part I: 7 Books That Changed How I Operate
I don't do book reports. Here are seven books I actually go back to — for handling fear, building self-motivation, failing on purpose, and fixing my money mindset.
The ONE Thing by Gary Keller: The 3 Ideas That Actually Changed How I Work
This sat in my Amazon cart for two years until someone I respect told me to read it. Here's what actually changed how I run my day — and my company.
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance: The 3 Lessons I Took From It
I invested in Tesla back in 2009 when it was nowhere near what it is today. This book explains exactly the kind of person it takes to build something like that.
177 Mental Toughness Secrets by Steve Siebold: 4 Ideas I Actually Use
This book sat in my Kindle for eight months before I opened it. Here are the ideas on confidence, strengths, and honesty that changed how I operate.
No More Mr. Nice Guy by Robert Glover: What I Took From It
I picked this book up almost by accident and saw myself on nearly every page. Here's what Robert Glover got right about why nice guys stay stuck — and how I applied it.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari: Why Everything We Value Is Made Up
This book didn't just inform me, it rewired how I see money, rejection, and status. Here's what actually changed the way I operate.
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene: What Actually Stuck
It sat on my shelf collecting dust for four years. A Ryan Holiday binge got me to finally open it — here's what I pulled out and how I use it.
Bold by Peter Diamandis: The Mindset Behind Going Big
Diamandis and Kotler's playbook for turning an impossible vision into a global business — and the XPrize story that convinced me mindset beats money every time.
The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday: 3 Ideas I Use Now
Ryan Holiday's book on perception, action, and will gave me a framework I actually run my business through — starting with a Marcus Aurelius line that reframed how I see every setback.
Ask by Ryan Levesque: Why I Was Wrong About This Book
I picked this up expecting a book on clever sales scripts. What I got was a system for building products around what your audience actually wants — and a landing page framework I use now.
The Sell by Fredrik Eklund: What I Stole for My Business
I almost didn't read this one because an agent told me it was slow. I was wrong — here's what actually changed how I dress, sleep, and sell.
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy: Why Small Daily Wins Beat One Big Push
I saw Darren Hardy speak in San Diego and bought the book before I left the room. Here's the math on compounding and the one chapter that called out my worst habit.
No Excuses! by Brian Tracy: 3 Ideas That Changed How I Lead
Brian Tracy's cover says it all before you open page one. Here's what stuck from a book I read on the subway while people watched me read it.
est: Playing the Game by Carl Frederick — Be, Do, Have
The est philosophy behind Landmark Forum, broken down: why identity comes before results, why 'trying' is a lie, and why your reality is just a filter you built.
Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents: The SAVERS Routine I Actually Use
I don't usually like fictional self-help books, but Hal Elrod's real estate spin-off got me doing SAVERS before sunrise — and rethinking how I go to bed, too.
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: The SAVERS Routine That Fixed My Mornings
I was having a month of groggy, unmotivated mornings until this book gave me a structure to actually fix it. Here's the SAVERS routine and why I'm sticking with it.
I Wish I Knew This 20 Years Ago: One Idea Worth the Read
Justin Perry's self-published debut isn't packed with new material, but one line on string theory sent me down a rabbit hole worth the price of the book alone.
The ABCs of Success by Bob Proctor: A Yearly Reset, Not a Deep Dive
Bob Proctor's A-to-Z rundown of success principles didn't teach me anything new — and that's exactly why I think it's worth an annual re-read.