Emotions & Finance

Many people struggle to learn new things because they feel shut down and overwhelmed. This piece explores the emotional architecture of learning--the process of starting, getting overwhelmed, persisting, and eventually reaching an "aha" moment.

Even when it feels like we’re out of options, there’s always one card left to play—a relationship, a skill, or a small action that can move us forward. Taking that imperfect action not only keeps us in the game, it often reshuffles the deck and opens up new, unexpected possibilities.

A business with product/market fit doesn't necessarily feel good for an entrepreneur to work on. This note explores the factors internal to the entrepreneur that make a business feel worthwhile.

Good and bad businesses feel different. What exactly is the difference? This post explores the external criteria--the market and customers--while next week's post explores the factors internal to the entrepreneur.

A take on how countries might respond to the new U.S. tariffs, viewed through the lens of fear, anger, and shame.

People can sometimes feel paralyzed by the need to follow an optimal or efficient path towards a goal. But progress is uncertain. By focusing on what we learn at each step, we can mitigate the feelings of anxiety that come with any uncertain endeavor.

Fulfillment in work requires a balance between the emotions of safety and excitement. We achieve this by building a portfolio of "bonds" and "stocks." From a place of safety, when the right opportunity presents itself, we can have the courage to go all-in on a home run opportunity.

People assume that we need to go all-in on creative projects to make them work. However, that turns creative projects into life-or-death situations that must work for us to survive. Adding a stable, low-risk project to our portfolio is a better way to manage risk.

People often mistake busywork for the important work that leads to real change. The important work is scary, especially because the initial feedback can be negative.

Losses are a natural consequence of playing any game with a difficulty level appropriate to us. The key to long-term success is distinguishing between temporary losses and permanently destructive losses. When we hold on through the former and cut the latter, we win in the long-term.