No. 664 – January 18, 2026
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Tiny Thoughts
The best people I know act like they’re still catching up.
Everyone discovers an extra gear in a crisis. The rare skill is accessing it without one.
The only controllable variable in any situation is you. Oddly, it’s the last one people adjust.
Insights
Coach Greg Harden on the first step:
“If you don’t believe in yourself, why should I believe in you?”
Lewis Carroll on the Red Queen effect:
“Here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.”
Tom Brady on not being mastered by your circumstances:
“If you’re in a place in life you don’t want to be, it’s up to you to make it better. To reframe it by focusing on the positive, and approaching it with enthusiasm. In the end, your positivity and enthusiasm will contribute to creating the outcome you’re after. Once you apply this mindset to all aspects of your life, you corner fear. Fear basically has nowhere to go.”
The Knowledge Project
One of the people I’ve learned the most from is Peter D. Kaufman.
Peter has been the chairman and CEO of GlenAir since 1977. And he’s got a track record that puts him in the top 0.001% of business leaders during that time. He’s also the editor of Poor Charlie’s Almanack and was one of Charlie Munger’s closest friends for decades.
In a talk never meant to be made public, he revealed the secrets of multidisciplinary thinking. Someone unfortunately recorded the talk without his permission. It became hugely popular, and eventually Peter allowed the complete talk to be transcribed and posted on FS.
It’s time to listen and learn.
+ Listen on Apple | Spotify | YouTube | X | Web/Transcript
Thanks for reading,
— Shane Parrish