This is Problem #1 on my list of The World’s Biggest Problems. How much money would it take for you to quit your job and chase your true passion? Almost everyone has a money problem. What if we all focused less on money and more on meaning? The Four Types of Money Problems 1. Poverty isContinue reading “The Money Problem”
Category Archives: Essays
We Need A Middle Class For Startups
Bootstrapped from zero. “Sell a product or course online! Sell services locally!” There are millions of different get rich quick schemes floating online now. The goal here is to secure the bag and escape the grind ASAP. Raised $100M+ from VCs. “Are you a Unicorn yet? Which Y Combinator class were you in?” Startups areContinue reading “We Need A Middle Class For Startups”
The Decades Are Short But The Centuries Are Long
Labdoor is turning 10 years old this month! We’ve been through so much — moving cross-country to SF to join Rock Health, raising a seed round led by Mark Cuban, creating a passionate community of smart consumers, getting accepted into Y Combinator’s Winter 2015 class, fighting multiple lawsuits from supplement companies, raising a Series A ledContinue reading “The Decades Are Short But The Centuries Are Long”
The Most Important Job in the World
A Woman from Coldwater
An adapted version of this story is now Chapter 5 of my book Positive Politics. Here’s a basic economics question: Question: What happens to GDP? According to economists, nothing changed because no new money changed hands. But I met that woman in Coldwater. What changes is she gets 26 hours of her life back eachContinue reading “A Woman from Coldwater”
Hidden Ambition
We’re scared of losing, but we’re terrified of being called a loser. We grew up watching elementary school bullies pick on the “nerds”. If you’re like me, you were usually the target of the teasing. It’s easy to internalize the idea that being ambitious isn’t cool. Social media is full of bullies making fun ofContinue reading “Hidden Ambition”
You Have To Make Life Meaningful
They’ll summarize your life into a few words, sentences, or paragraphs. The family you created, the friends you made, the things you did. In those words are the meaning of your life. Life’s secret is that these words aren’t predetermined. We get to pick these words through our actions now. We have to make ourContinue reading “You Have To Make Life Meaningful”
Ambitious Optimists
We need a new era of ambitious optimism. Summary: Idea: Convince more ambitious optimists to solve the World’s Biggest Problems. Problem: Too many people now think it’s “cool” to be cynical. Solution: Organize the world’s ambitious optimists! Why: Ambitious optimism is self-fulfilling. Mission: Make Life Utopic For All! History: Kennedy’s “We choose to go toContinue reading “Ambitious Optimists”
Pax Internet
Old: Convince governments, and people will follow. New: Convince people, and governments will follow. When President Zelenskyy posts videos online, his audience isn’t just his citizens and his enemies. We’re all his audience. We’re all his potential supporters. The power of enough people supersedes the power of any government. China, India, USA, North Korea, andContinue reading “Pax Internet”
Fuck The Cynics
When did it become “cool” to be cynical? I think it started May 1, 2003: A whole generation has grown up expecting their leaders to lie to them. Conspiracy theories have gone mainstream: I’m not saying there are no wolves out here. But please stop crying wolf every time. The worst kind of cynicism isContinue reading “Fuck The Cynics”