I find myself consumed by current affairs. In order to dig deeper to locate optimism that feels out of reach, I share a few pieces that have provided a glimmer of hope this week — and I have decided to take a pause from upcoming newsletters to return with fresh eyes and authentic and constructive ideas.

This week continues to be difficult, as we bear witness to war and conflict in Gaza. We must continue to work on fueling the powers for good, within us and outside of us, and keep making deposits into our emotional bank accounts with empathy, compassion, and justice. No easy task, certainly — but it is the only path forward, one we must march together.

These are trying times, but we must not let them turn us against one another. Emotional extremes are an essential aspect of life. In these difficult times, we must remember, as hard as it is, to shift our mindset, by turning away from fear and looking for joy and gratitude.

The terrorism attack and war in Israel have brought to light horrors abroad and disappointments at home. This week, I share the articles, insights, and resources that I have found most resounding, as I process and mourn.

Nature does wonders for us -- it's good for our mental health and our physical health, no doubt about it. But nature is also a good place to turn to when looking for solutions and inspiration to tackle the problems we face.

Zero-sum thinking has enmeshed itself in our society - in our policies, media, conversations, and politics. It’s time to resist. And also work harder to surround ourselves with a diversity of opinions.

Education is often thought of as the solution to most problems. And I think that is true. But what kind of education? We often say that learning how to think is what a good education should be all about. In this post, I reflect on David Foster Wallace’s remarkable commencement talk from Kenyon College in 2005 where he argues that the point is perhaps not to learn how to think but rather to learn what to think.

All around us, negativity swarms our news feeds and headlines. I find reality to be much richer and optimistic than these soundbytes let on, don't you? This week, I share an ode to what I call glass-half-full-ism. It's the attitude we must channel to tackle the problems around us head-on, one that benefits all aspects of our lives and is our best ally for problem-solving!

I'm back...for now! After some rest and reflection, I approach a milestone that encourages me to rewire and rebalance my priorities in pursuit of finding deeper meaning and relevance in an ever-changing landscape. Both inside and outside of my being.

In celebration of Father's Day, I toast to all the great fathers in my life — and my wife and children that made me the father I am.

The current state of affairs, at home and abroad, paints a dismal picture of the future. It's easy to feel despondent. This week, inspired by Tim Urban, I am thinking about our society as a house and that we all would be better served if we approached the change we need as a remodeling project vs a tear-down.

I'm still enveloped in love after the weekend's wedding festivities — it's the perfect anecdote to the seemingly unavoidable negativity that surrounds us all these days. This week, I ask you to join me in a celebration of love.

Love fuels our fondest memories and truly makes our lives richer, in every sense — and yet, true togetherness can be difficult. After all, as human beings, we are frustrating, stubborn, and more often than not—annoying! And yet, we love each other all the same. This week, in light of the union of two members of my inner circle, as they embark on marriage, I reflect on some ideas for how to help ourselves stay closer together!

Our time in life is finite -- and most often, when we consider time, we think of it in terms of scarcity. When we adjust our mindset, and rather see our time as precious, it allows us to spend the time we have well. That's the real task at hand!

What is advice, really, if not lessons learned by those around us, past and present? All too often, we let our egos keep us from sharing this knowledge and receiving it with appreciation. This week, I was inspired by Kevin Kelly’s new great book to be more open minded about the incredible value that can be found in various forms of advice. Let’s be grateful for the lessons.

We need to reframe our narrative of growth beyond our own lives. While it is true that we are born, we grow and we die, it’s equally true that new lives are shaped constantly and build upon what we have built. If you see progress as a chain of curves it’s easier to find reasons to believe in continued progress. I know I do.

Our ideas and our values often reflect who we are and how we see the world. However, there's more to the picture than our individual desires—we also have an essential collectivity. Belonging is as important as believing. And I have always been drawn to the work of uniting people and ideas.

Just back from TED 2023, I try my best to summarize what I learned and what I liked. Hoping that this could inspire and help some of you as well. TED is all about Ideas worth spreading so pleases share them in turn.

In a world of immediacy and impatience, we need to strategize with a broader time horizon than we have grown accustomed to, on a global and personal scale. Pausing, reflecting, and taking a breath would serve humanity well.

Restaurants are some of the most customer-centric businesses in our lives. We all visit them frequently but if you're lucky, you've had the chance to work for them. Restaurants, as well as the broader hospitality industry, are more important to the fabric of our society than we typically give them credit for.