I was inspired by Chris Williamson’s Christmas episode of Modern Wisdom, where he and a few friends share their favorite “hacks” from the year. While I was listening, I started making my own list in my head, then decided to write it out and even record a video, hoping to put you on to at least one new company or idea for the new year. Apple Podcasts Spotify None of these recommendations are sponsored by the companies–I’m not “big” enough to have sponsorships, lol. I’m making these...
2 days ago • 11 min read
I hope you had a great holiday week and weekend! Here's this week's Notes... 📝 this week's Daily Notes 12.23.25 #1073 momentum into the new year 12.24.25 #1074 counterproductive habits 12.26.25 #1075 what went well for you? 12.27.25 #1076 lessons from Siddhartha 12.28.25 #1077 strength from letting go 📝 The Omens Irrational '26 A preview of my word for 2026--more to come. 2025 Faves A list of a few of my favorite things from this year. See you next week (or tomorrow) and keep pursuing, JC
3 days ago • 1 min read
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” -Herman Hesse When I opened my O-p-e-n app to use the timer for my morning meditation, I was greeted by this quote from Herman Hesse. It’s a great quote as we continue to prepare for a new year, which can act as a great time to make changes–a fresh start with the new year. But the quote's message isn’t the only reason I shared it. If you remember, yesterday I wrote about re-reading Siddhartha and shared a few...
3 days ago • 1 min read
I was rereading Siddhartha this week, and some new passages jumped out at me this morning as I reached the part of the story where Siddhartha begins to shed the version of his Self that was rich, lustful, and materialistic. I won’t spoil the plot and how Siddhartha arrives at the understanding of his new Self--it’s a short and quick read that I highly recommend, but I wanted to share a few of them with you: “I praise you, Siddhartha, after so many years of foolishness, you have once again had...
4 days ago • 1 min read
What went well for you in 2025? It drives me crazy when I see posts about how “2025 was a year (not meant positively),” and it’ll drive me crazy in February when I see posts about how 2026 feels like a year, only a couple of months in. No doubt some things did not go your way in 2025, and no doubt some things will not go your way in 2026. But why do we let these define the year? I’m sure there were far more things that went RIGHT in 2025 than went wrong, if you really paid attention. And are...
5 days ago • 1 min read
From Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: Thoughts and habits not conducive to the work: Believing you’re not good enough Feeling you don’t have the energy it takes Mistaking adopted rules for absolute truths Not wanting to do the work (laziness) Not taking the work to its highest expression (settling) Having goals so ambitious that you can’t begin Thinking you can only do your best work in certain conditions Requiring specific tools or equipment to do the work Abandoning a project as soon as it...
7 days ago • 1 min read
"Motivation often comes after starting, not before. Action produces momentum." -James Clear Over the next week, you’ll start hearing more about people’s New Year’s resolutions, and we all know that only a small percentage will make it past the middle of February. One reason most resolutions fail is the lack of momentum at the start of the year. I don’t think you need to or should wait until January 1 to start doing something different that is going to help you move closer to your goals. But,...
8 days ago • 1 min read
I hope you had a great week! A little heads up--I'm working on a short Google survey to find out what would make these Weekly Notes more valuable, or if they are what you prefer as they are. I'm contemplating going back to curating a few pieces of content each week that align with the Authentic Life, but I only want to dedicate the energy towards curation if enough people say they'd like it. This week, I dropped another episode of Convos with Friends on AlignedLife and am excited for more...
10 days ago • 1 min read
This morning, while I was making breakfast for Silas, a thought entered my mind, “I wonder if people understand WHY I write the Daily Notes, record AlignedLife, write more on the AlignedLife blog, create videos, and give talks about the Authentic Life?” I’m not sure. I then thought to my Self, “Why do I?” I asked this not because I don’t know the answer, but just as a reminder that my why is not business-related; my business is tertiary behind self-expression and helping others–it’s the...
10 days ago • 3 min read