Every fortnightly issue takes a founder communication situation β submitted by a reader β and breaks it down through three lenses: the social script, the inner script, and what to actually say. Plus a pop culture parallel you probably didn't see coming.
β οΈ Meaningful Struggle & Your Life from a Distance
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Hello Friends, πββοΈLet's get unstuck together! Let's dive into three ideas to help you start scripting your best life. IDEA #1: Embracing Space and DistanceTHE INSIGHT: Giving yourself grace to take a breather isn't just great for you physically. It gives you the opportunity to do some psychological distancing. βCrying helps me slow down and obsess over the weight of lifeβs problems.β β Sadness, Inside Out Movie (2015)
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"Sometimes you need to press pause to let everything sink in."
β Sebastian Vettel, German Race Car Champion
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"It's not so much knowing when to speak, when to pause."
β Jack Benny, American Comedian
TRY THIS: Grow your Trust in yourself When you have to make a decision in a high stakes situation, try these techniques: Take distance from the situation and...
Try them to see if you become more confident and empowered about the decisions you make. IDEA #2: Remember, you must dieTHE INSIGHT: Is culture's obsession with longevity a signal of its death-denial or death-phobic nature? Death doesn't have to be shrouded in grief, regret and loss. It can be a celebration of one's life. How can we use this inevitable end to live a good life? "Most men and women die intellectually at 25, but are not buried until 60."
β G.E. Marchand, Early 20th Century Orator
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βIt is not death that a man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning to live.β
β Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor & Stoic Philosopher
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"The conquest of the fear of death is the recovery of life's joy. One can experience an unconditional affirmation of life only when one has accepted death, not as contrary to life but as an aspect of life."
β Joseph Campbell, American Writer
TRY THIS: The Eulogy of your Dreams Write a tribute to yourself. Imagine sitting at your own funeral and hearing this tribute. What would you like to have heard about yourself? You may want to include:
After you've written it, do a life audit to see if what you wrote is analogous with the way you are currently living. You have the power to make the necessary shifts to get yourself there. IDEA #3: The Comfort Zone is NOT the Enemy. Meaningless Struggle is.THE INSIGHT: Culture encourages us to get out of our comfort zone in order to grow, achieve and challenge ourselves. This encouragement stems from the belief that staying there leads to complacency, stagnation and a smaller world view. Rather than focusing on getting out of the comfort zone to grow, try shifting the focus on what is meaningful to you. When you do, you might find things you're willing to apply greater than average effort on. Even if struggle is imminent, you'll persist because it is meaningful to you. "Most everything that you want is just outside your comfort zone."
β Jack Canfield, American Author & Motivational Speaker
β βThe further you get away from yourself, the more challenging it is. Not to be in your comfort zone is great fun.β β Benedict Cumberbatch, British Actor TRY THIS: Select a few (Meaningful) Struggles The Humble Cupcake
Big money can be earned from humble concepts. Think about that nondescript cafe selling pastries and coffee, expanding beyond their first kiosk to multiple locations locally and overseas. Product definitely matters but strategy and execution are just as important. The journey of Candace Nelson shows us exactly how she started with cupcakes and ended up as a Shark on Shark Tank. THIS MONTH'S SCRIPT NOTES
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Script your Life
Every fortnightly issue takes a founder communication situation β submitted by a reader β and breaks it down through three lenses: the social script, the inner script, and what to actually say. Plus a pop culture parallel you probably didn't see coming.
Hello Friends, Have you ever walked away from an interaction with someone who felt incredibly important, only to realize an hour later that they didn't actually say anything of substance? Lately, Iβve been rewatching the Hulu series The Dropout, which charts the spectacular rise and criminal fall of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. Itβs a chilling reminder of how easily usually wise people can be taken in by people who project an image of credibility and societal clout. It's funny how we give...
Hello Friends, MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU. Have you ever been handed the keys to a car - then told the engine is off limits? Today's issue is about a key employee being asked by a founder to take the lead on a big project but given no authority, no clear brief and no clear project goal. If you want your issue to be considered for an upcoming Newsletter, just fill out this form. The Situation: Lisa is the Head of Customer Management at a 20-person startup. She was hired specifically because the...
Hello Friends, Justice for Baldoni has been on my mind since early April. The lawsuit that started in December 2024 is finally getting some meaningful action this April 2026. Back in mid-2025, I remember going hard on the assault bike in an exercise class fueled by the injustice I felt for Justin Baldoni. The good news for Baldoni is that 10 out of 13 claims have been dismissed and they'll meet in court to settle the rest. Source: Javier Mateo, BACKGRID Blake Lively's extremely wordy PGA tag...