Let’s briefly revisit some of the topics we’ve written about over the last several days…

Use the following as a reminder to go back and read unopened emails or simple encouragement. Another checklist of sorts.

Here goes:

Balance grit with purpose.

Grit alone is just stubbornness dressed up for a long winter. When you use your persistence to reach a clear purpose you have in mind, momentum will naturally build and even snowball.

When you “grit” your teeth just to get through a bad spell, without a clear sense on where you’re going, you’ll just spin yourself into the ground. Maybe even wear the enamel off your teeth while you’re at it.

The world doesn’t reward effort for effort’s sake. It rewards effort that knows has a specific direction in mind.

What you focus on expands.

The direction your attention takes shapes the world you experience. You can also think of your attention as mental fertilizer. The more energy that goes into your ideas, the bigger they grow.

Water the right ideas, and they’ll take over the landscape.

It’s not magic. It sure looks like it though. You should see my blueberries and strawberries right now. Bumper crop.

Quiet consistency trumps flashy effort.

The loudest person in the room rarely wins the long game. It’s the one who shows up, day after day, stacking small wins who ends up with the real story to tell.

World Number One golfer Scottie Scheffler’s record-setting performance last weekend is a testament to this idea.

Consistency—like anything over zero—compounds.

The battle for your own mind can be won-with training.

Your mind is a battleground, and most people surrender without ever knowing they could have fought. The good news: discipline, like muscle, grows with use. Train your thoughts with intention, and you’ll find you’re not just a spectator-you’re the one calling the plays.

We’re excited to bring you—coming up this weekend—an interview we did with Jim Murphy, author of:

Checklists are “cognitive nets.”

A checklist isn’t just an ordinary list. I think of checklists as safety nets for the brain, catching what your memory drops. Put it down on paper and you have more space for your brain to think, not worry about what to think.

In a world built to distract, this humble tool will keep your priorities from slipping through the cracks. The simplest systems often become the ones that save you from yourself.

So, keep all or some of these things in mind. Make some checklists but have a system for yourself on why and what you want out of such an exercise.

I have several methods on how to use checklists wisely (i.e. to avoid rather than enhance anxiety). If you’re interested, book a quick (free) call and you can see if I’m full of it … or not…

Instead of spinning the mental tires, we’re also moving forward again with the Substack page. The topics are going to be more long form than they typically are here. More of a newspaper column feel.

Some people are noticing. Last Saturday’s column was republished on Monday at the preeminent site for the “non-normies” in my world —LewRockwell.com

Expect columns on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Our podcasts—which we should have at least one coming out this weekend—will be put up on the Substack first, also. Those will be independent of the Tuesday/Saturday material.

On occasion, I’ll post stuff on 𝕏 – Twitter. Sometimes, my 𝕏 articles are refashioned emails. Sometimes, not. I publish original material over there, too.

If you want to observe how the low-grade cultural civil war is happening in real-time, find me on that platform (and we can help defend each other in battle):

As always,

Brian