Last week wasn’t my favorite week of the year. Anyone else feel the same?

It felt like the kind of week where the best decision you could make was to stay off social media (thankfully, I am still doing so). Beyond that, though, I struggled to find positives. I even sat down and wrote a freestanding Superset because I was frustrated with the discourse. The lack of empathy. The divisiveness. The hate. And that was without even scrolling my feeds.

But as I sat on it for a few days and prepared to hit publish, I realized something uncomfortable - I was about to become part of the problem. We’re so quick to tell others how they should think - as if we’re speaking from some unearned moral high ground. The internet has given us a platform, and instead of treating it as a privilege, we often use it as a weapon.

We talk like we’re the ones who have it figured out. That our perspective is the clearest. That our opinion is the right one. And in doing so, we widen the divide instead of closing it. Over time, that gap only grows bigger.

There are lessons to be learned from the past weeks, months, and years, but the question is: will we use them? My challenge to myself, and to you, is this - take those lessons and turn them into something positive. Pair them with a willingness to listen, especially to those who see the world differently.

If each of us made it our goal to improve our five-foot circle (our family, our friends, our coworkers) the ripple effect over time would be undeniable. Real forward momentum, not the endless spinning of wheels in quicksand, fighting battles over moral compasses.

So instead of inundating you with yet another piece of content telling you why you should be a better person and why your stance lacks empathy, we lean on the trusted principles of this newsletter to instead look internally and take positive action. What we are doing to develop our brains so we can think and act. What we are doing to develop our bodies so we can perform and live long. What we are reading to develop the way we think.

Now let’s have a week -

Brain - 5-Day Protocol for a Great Week

Most mornings, you’ve got two voices fighting for your attention: one that begs for comfort, and one that demands you step up. The way you start your day decides which voice wins.

Here’s your protocol this week: five pieces of content, one per day, designed to prime your mindset before the world hijacks it. Each one hits from a different angle—discipline, perspective, humor, strategy, and philosophy. Consume it first thing in the morning, then anchor it with action.

Monday – Discipline (David Goggins)

Motivation You Need (10 min) Start the week with raw fire. Watch this before you do anything else, then immediately move - push-ups, a run, or tackling the hardest task on your plate. Don’t overthink. Just execute. The tone isn’t for everyone, but the message is.

Tuesday – Perspective (Chris Williamson)

Quotes You Need to Hear (5 min) Chris records some of his favorite, hard-hitting quotes in rapid-fire form, giving your Tuesday a quick kick in the ass with the boot of perspective.

Wednesday – Humor & Honesty (Mark Manson) 

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F* (30 min summary video) Midweek slump? Mark’s no-BS reminder cuts through the noise: stop wasting energy on things that don’t matter. Identify one thing today you can stop caring about, and free up space for what does.

Thursday – Action & Strategy (Sahil Bloom)

The Curiosity Chronicle: The Simple Question to Unlock Progress (Article, 5 min read) Fuel your brain with frameworks that sharpen decision-making. Pick one action and apply it before lunch. Don’t just read - use.

Friday – Philosophy (Ryan Holiday)

The Obstacle is the Way | Ryan Holiday on Stoicism (18 min) Close the week with calm strength. Whatever obstacle shows up today—traffic, stress, setbacks—practice flipping it into fuel. Stoicism isn’t abstract; it’s the art of turning pain into power.

The Challenge: Don’t binge these. Don’t “save them for later.” Watch/read one each morning before the day starts. Then act. Five days, five reps. By Friday night, you’ll have stacked a week of wins.

Let’s get after it.

Body - It’s Time for Creatine in Your Routine

Creatine is one of the most researched and effective supplements you can add to your training. It’s not just for bodybuilders either. It benefits runners, lifters, and anyone looking to improve strength, endurance, and recovery. Yet many people still don’t have it in their daily routine.

Here’s why I recommend it, and exactly how to implement it.

Why Creatine Works

Creatine is stored in your muscles and used to produce quick bursts of energy during high-intensity exercise. Supplementing increases your muscle’s creatine stores, which means more energy available for strength training, sprinting, and even endurance sports where repeated efforts are required. Studies also show benefits for brain health, fatigue resistance, and muscle recovery.

How Much to Take

Most people have heard of “loading phases” with 20–25 grams per day for a week. Personally, I find that unnecessary. Instead, I would start with 10-15 grams per day for two weeks. This gives your muscles a quicker saturation without the extreme bloat or GI issues some people experience with higher loading.

After those first two weeks, research shows that 10 grams per day is an effective long-term dose for active adults. The commonly cited 5 grams per day is enough to maintain levels once you’re saturated, but I’ve found (and the science supports) that a slightly higher maintenance dose (around 10g) is effective for anyone increasing training volume or maintaining an already high load.

How to Take It

• Form: Creatine monohydrate — it’s the most studied, affordable, and effective version.

• Timing: Daily consistency matters more than timing, but I like to pair it with my post-workout shake for habit’s sake.

• Protocol:

  • Weeks 1–2: 15g daily (split into 2–3 doses if needed).

  • Weeks 3 and beyond: 10g daily.

Creatine isn’t a stimulant; you don’t “feel” it immediately like caffeine. Its benefits come from consistent use, as your muscles build up higher reserves. That’s why starting now is key. Give it a few weeks, and you’ll notice better strength output, faster recovery between sessions, and over time, lean muscle growth. You will likely first notice some mental clarity gains as a first sign.

Adding creatine into your routine is one of the simplest, highest-return actions you can take for your performance. Two weeks from now, you’ll thank yourself for starting.

Book - Scary Stats from the Department of Education

Last week the Department of Education dropped a bomb: U.S. high school reading levels are now at record lows. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP):

• Only around 35% of high school seniors are reading at or above the “proficient” level.

• About 32% scored below basic in reading—meaning they struggle to find details in a text that help them understand its meaning.

These numbers shouldn’t just be alarming, they should be a wake-up call, and one that we aren’t surprised by. Even saying so, I was left a little sad reading through this latest report, and it’s one of the reasons reading is emphasized so heavily in the Superset’s protocol.

Several overlapping factors are to blame:

• Interrupted learning. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t just shake up schools, its effects on reading and comprehension have persisted. Lost instructional time, remote schooling, and uneven access to quality resources amplified an existing decline.

• Changing habits & distractions. Short-form content, scrolling, reduced attention spans, all of it chips away at the deep reading muscles: interpreting nuance, understanding context, sustained focus.

• Cultural signals matter. If books are less visible, reading is less visible, and if the adults around you rarely pick up a book or talk about reading, the implicit message is: reading isn’t essential.

What Example Are We Giving?

The reality is the next generation is watching. They see what we do more than what we say. So ask yourself - what example are we providing?

• Do they see us read? Not just for work or for kids, but for curiosity, escape, challenge?

• Do they see us value deep thought, sustain attention, choose meaningful content over passive snack content?

• Do they see us optimize our minds, not just chase metrics?

Problem identified. Now the challenge is, are we willing to be part of the solution?

• Carve out 15 minutes each morning or evening to read something meaningful. Let others catch you doing it.

• Create a visible reading space in your home - books on a shelf, a “read this” pile.

• Share what you’re reading: quote ideas, discuss with friends or family.

If you care about young people - your own kids, nieces/nephews, students - help them find books that challenge them, that build vocabulary, that require thinking.

Push for reading programs, libraries, or community efforts that bring books into homes and schools.

This isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about survival. Literacy isn’t just reading; it’s the foundation for critical thinking, for empathy, for the ability to navigate complexity.

The test scores are ugly. But they’re also a mirror. They’re showing who we are in this moment. Let’s make sure we are people who rise, who exemplify what reading and learning look like. The kids are watching. What do you want them to see?