Welcome to June!

The calendar has quietly turned the page, and with it comes the unofficial start of summer. Longer days. Warmer mornings. More sunlight stretching into the evening than we've seen in months.

There's something about this time of year that feels full of possibility. Not because everything suddenly changes, but because we're reminded that life moves in seasons. Some are for building. Some are for recovering. Some are for enjoying the fruits of the work we've already done.

As you step into a new month, resist the urge to focus on everything that still needs to happen. Instead, take a moment to appreciate how far you've come. The goals you've chased. The habits you've built. The challenges you've survived.

Then take a deep breath and begin again.

A new week. A new month. A new opportunity to become a little stronger in your body, sharper in your mind, and wiser in how you spend your days.

Let's have a summer.

One thing I’ve started to believe and root my thought process in is the fact that most of us spend our days reacting.

The alarm goes off. We groan. A coworker sends a frustrating email. We get defensive. Our spouse says something that lands the wrong way. We assume intent. Monday morning arrives. We wish it were still the weekend.

The interesting part is rarely the event itself, it's the story we immediately tell ourselves about it. And more often than not, that story is what creates our suffering.

As I’ve been diving back into some of my favorite stoic texts, and a mix of the Meaning of Your Life book by Arthur Brooks, I've been reminded that perspective is less like a fact and more like a lens. Two people can experience the exact same situation and walk away with completely different emotions, not because their circumstances were different, but because the lens they viewed them through was different.

The alarm clock can be an interruption. Or it can be evidence that your body is healthy enough to get out of bed.

Monday morning can be the end of freedom. Or it can be a reminder that you have meaningful work, a paycheck coming, and people who depend on your contribution.

A disagreement with your spouse can become a battle to win. Or an opportunity to understand a perspective you haven't considered yet.

The situation often stays the same. The lens we view the event through changes everything.

The Stoics understood that we have very little control over external events. Traffic happens. Markets fluctuate. People disappoint us. Plans fall apart.

What we do control is our response, and our response is heavily influenced by the lens we choose. The challenge is that most of us never realize we're wearing one.

We assume our interpretation is reality. But what if the thing making you angry isn't the situation itself? What if it's the story you've attached to it? What if the lens is clouded?

I've found that asking a simple question can create space where there was once only reaction: "Is there another way to see this?"

Not a way that ignores reality, just another angle, another interpretation, another possibility.

Because the quality of our lives is often determined by the quality of the meaning we assign to everyday moments. And those moments compound.

A slightly different perspective today becomes a slightly different emotional experience. That experience influences your actions. Those actions influence your relationships, your work, your health, and ultimately your life.

This week, pay attention to the stories you're telling yourself. Not because you need to force a different answer. But because you might discover that a heavier feeling was never coming from the situation at all, it was coming from the lens.

And there is something incredibly freeing about realizing you can choose another one.

If you are on a quest for a lean appearance this summer, I want to share some positive news with you - you probably already have abs. The problem is that they're covered. Kind of like a six pack of beer, just gently insulated in a cooler to stay cold.

Visible abs are primarily a body fat problem, not an ab training problem. You can perform a thousand crunches a day, but if a layer of fat sits on top of the muscle, no amount of direct ab work will reveal them. Fat loss occurs systemically, not locally. Your body decides where fat comes off, and for most men, the midsection is one of the last places to lean out.

This distinction matters because it changes where you focus your energy. Most people spend months searching for the perfect ab workout when the real answer is creating a sustainable calorie deficit, prioritizing protein, and consistently managing body composition.

That doesn't mean training abs is useless. It means training abs without addressing nutrition is like polishing a car that's still sitting in the garage. I’ve begun to shift the intent of much of my ab “training” for function, strength, and appearance, pairing that with a sustainable diet in the kitchen to reveal that work.

I’d also like to dispel one common misconception: crunches and sit-ups aren't the best use of your time. While they train spinal flexion, they provide limited overload and don't challenge the core the way heavier compound movements do. Squats, deadlifts, farmer's carries, and overhead presses force the trunk to stabilize under significant load, creating stronger and often more developed abdominal musculature.

To train the midsection effectively, it helps to understand what you're actually working, as the abs are a combination of multiple muscle groups that require different stimulus.

The “rectus abdominis” is the "six-pack" muscle running vertically down the front of the torso. Heavy front squats and hanging leg raises are two of the most effective exercises for developing it.

The “obliques” sit along the sides of the abdomen and are responsible for rotation and resisting rotation. Suitcase carries and landmine rotations challenge them far more effectively than side bends.

The “transverse abdominis” is your deepest abdominal layer - your body's natural weight belt. It stabilizes the spine and transfers force through the trunk. Ab wheel rollouts and loaded carries are exceptional tools for strengthening it.

The final piece is body fat.

For most men, the top two abs begin appearing around 15-18% body fat. A clearly visible four-pack often emerges around 12-14%. A full six-pack typically appears between 8-12%, depending on genetics and muscle development. The deeply etched, magazine-cover look usually requires below 8%, a level that is difficult to maintain year-round.

The formula isn't complicated - build the muscle, lose the fat, and be patient. Most people don't need a better ab workout. They need a better nutrition plan and enough consistency to let it work.

Most of my reading tends to live in a few familiar lanes - personal development, history, performance, leadership, and the ongoing epic fantasy novel. But every so often, I like to intentionally step outside my comfort zone and explore ideas I wouldn't naturally gravitate toward. These five books are currently sitting on my to-be-read list for exactly that reason.

1. Theo of Golden
Allen Levi
This one is a complete departure from my usual reading habits. It’s a character-driven novel centered around community, wisdom, and the quiet impact one person can have on the lives around them. I’m drawn to books that make me think differently about what a meaningful life looks like, and this seems like one of those stories.

2. The Midnight Train
Matt Haig
I love the way this guy writes. His “Midnight Library” is a staple on many of the best books lists of this decade so far, and for good reason. It’s always a consistent formula of a touching story, some slight fiction elements, and a deeply rooted social or moral lesson intertwined in the text.

3. 1929
Andrew Ross Sorkin
Economic history has never been my primary reading category, but understanding the forces behind one of the most consequential financial collapses in history feels increasingly relevant. I'm fascinated by how human behavior, greed, fear, and decision-making repeat themselves across generations, even when the circumstances change.

4. Outdoor Kids in an Inside World
Steve Rinella
As a new dad, this book immediately grabbed my attention. Rinella explores how modern life has distanced children from nature and why reconnecting them to the outdoors matters. It feels like both a parenting book and a broader reflection on the kind of childhood experiences that shape resilient, curious adults.

5. Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
Somehow I've never read this modern classic. Harari takes on one of the biggest questions imaginable: How did humans become the dominant species on Earth? Books like this are pure food for the brain, forcing you to zoom out, challenge assumptions, and see humanity through an entirely different lens.

The older I get, the more I realize that the most consequential reading I do happens at the edges of my interests. Sometimes the best book you'll read isn't the one that confirms what you already believe, it's the one you almost didn't pick up.