Discussing our forgotten 6th sense—magnetoreception.

A conversation on the benefits of being uncomfortable—the outcomes on the other side.

And reading a new poem I wrote Friday—in honor of our nation’s 250th anniversary.

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Makes me think we have this ability because we were created for an environment with magnetism. And, I wonder if we’ve forgotten about it, because much like generations of animals living in a cave will lose their sight, we haven’t had to use it?

“Human Magnetoreception!”

Be uncomfortable for something that matters. Keeping the perspective on why and what’s on the other side makes it worthwhile. (That’s what’s on the other side of the discomfort, and what’s on the other side of this life.)

The Daily Market Roadmap®

Uncomfortable

Hello, As many of you know I typically don’t use social media on the Sabbath. It’s a day of complete rest. Not out of legalism to some religious creed, but rather because of the benefits I receive…

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19 hours ago · 35 likes · 2 comments · John

A new poem I wrote on Friday. God bless America!

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"America's Founding"

"'God bless America,' 'from sea to shining sea,'"
by our Savior's stripes, we are healed,
under the Stars and Stripes, we are free.
Pioneers went before us, braving the vast
unknown—some planted, some bled out on the field—
and yet covered by the Blood, remained steadfast.
"One nation under God," a Republic manifest—
if we can keep it. Our Founding Fathers' destiny,
asking what we can do for our country, blessed
in the pursuit of happiness, life, and liberty.
Where the eagle, in fierce majesty, flies brave,
and our heroes sacrificed their lives to save,
the "'Land that I love,' 'God shed His grace on thee,'"
in unity, it was for freedom that Christ set us free.

Reading the Poem

Betsy Ross 1777 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Encouragement

This sonnet is written in honor of our nation, founded on Christian values, and serves as a tribute to the great men and women who sacrificed for our freedom.

The ending of the poem also serves as a prayer for our nation, for the next 250 years and beyond.

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:13–14 (NIV)

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.

Micah 4:4 (NIV)

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Ephesians 4:3 (NIV)

Footnotes

“God bless America,” and, “Land that I love,” are from “God Bless America” by Irving Berlin. May we be forever grateful.

“From sea to shining sea,” and, “God shed His grace on thee,” are from “America the Beautiful” by Katherine Lee Bates. May God continue to do so.

“One nation under God,” is from the United States Pledge of Allegiance. May we keep it so.

A conversation on being proud of the privilege of being an American as we look at 250 years together, and the legacy of those who sacrificed before us.

Discussing the 3 F’s to help you write poetry—Feel, Flow, Function.

And reading 3 poems.

God bless America, and have a happy Independence Day!

3 F’s for Poetry

Feel: “Show, don’t tell.” People need to “see” it to “feel” it. Can you see it?

Flow: The poem needs to flow with rhythmic sound. Read it out loud to hear for yourself. Can you hear it?

Function: This is how you want the reader or listener to experience the poem, whether in a concept or emotion. Does it make sense?

Reading 3 Poems

“Concord Hymn”

By Ralph Waldo Emerson

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
   Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
   And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
   Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
   Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
   We set today a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
   When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
   To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
   The shaft we raise to them and thee.

“I Hear America Singing”

By Walt Whitman

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the
     steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon
     intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing
     or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

“The Gift Outright”

By Robert Frost

The land was ours before we were the land’s.
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours
In Massachusetts, in Virginia,
But we were England’s, still colonials,
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no more possessed.
Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves
We were withholding from our land of living,
And forthwith found salvation in surrender.
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)
To the land vaguely realizing westward,
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she would become.

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A conversation on creating the impossible, and creating in context of new opportunities.

People who didn’t listen to experts and made what couldn’t be made.

And the drop of opportunity cost—with you being the differentiator.

Articles Discussed

One of my favorite categories of news is, “Someone did the impossible.” (It’s tied with, “Someone discovered what shouldn’t exist.”)

“Scientists achieve the ‘impossible’ material that could boost future wireless technology”

The risk adverse may see this as a reason to be fearful...

The cautious may see this as intimidating...

But for those who want to make the most of every opportunity, the cost has never been lower.

“The Great Descent”

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A conversation on my Bible reading this morning (Leviticus 24:10–23) teaching lessons on fatherhood, influence, and self-leadership.

Then looking at 4 lessons on screentime from 100+ hours of parental conversations.

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Leviticus 24:10–23

Much of the success in our parenting approach with screens boils down to our influence in our kids’ lives, the values we teach them, and the self-leadership we model.

Raise Humans, Not Users

The Best Approach to Screens, According to 100+ Hours of Parent Interviews

I’m a child of the internet: I was 11 years old when the iPhone was released, 14 when Instagram came out. I had my first kid two years ago, and my second is on the way. And lately I’ve been wondering: how does the first generation to grow up completely online raise kids who have a healthier relationship with the internet than we do…

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14 days ago · 19 likes · 5 comments · Royce

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Starting off with a Dilbert comic that seems to predict the future we’re in now.

Then asking questions on how the spirit and the physical body interact with memories and thoughts.

Finishing with a conversation on agency and sovereignty.

Articles Discussed

I saw this comic right before seeing the latest news from Meta on their brain-to-text decoder... If you think your apps are listening to you to feed you advertisements now, just wait...

And this feels like something from the future Dilbert predicted.

For all the silliness around this topic, I do believe there’s something to it. Have to discern the nonsense from the directionally possible. Brings up interesting questions on how our brain/memories interact, in context of we’re more than just flesh.

Interesting article that presents agency as a skill to develop. "Agency is the capacity to act."

Noah Revoy | Coach, Author, Public Speaker

Everyone Is Talking About Agency

Every year more people are talking about agency. They have noticed some power in the word. When they use it, other people pay attention. Their understanding might be vague, but they have caught onto something real. Agency tracks with success…

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8 days ago · 2 likes · Noah Revoy

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Discussing a creek splitting on the continental divide towards two opposite oceans, marketing ideas that work for leading yourself or others, and how having a vision before it’s cool is an opportunity for success.

Plus, new mic being adjusted.

Articles Discussed

This means it’s possible to travel across the entire continental United States without ever leaving the water. Fun to consider the unconventional as possible.

This excellent list is also great for leading yourself or others. Marketing personal development to you, vision to a team, and more.

I don’t know anyone who has started a business for this reason. And the vision was excellent—even though it didn’t quite work as intended. Sometimes we have to pivot to make the most of an opportunity.

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Discussing God-given intrinsic motivations—I believe this is the biggest miss in team building.

And, how to run a company effectively, with a story of the opposite of effective leadership.

Bonus: I killed a spider on-stream.

Articles Discussed

Found one of my old posts on the topic of innate/intrinsic motivations.

"“You were created with God-given talents and God-designed motivations.”

Reframes are the key to your success with number 3.

“How to Run a Company Effectively”

Fascinating story of how the wrong incentives create ineffective leadership.

(Obligatory mild language warning.)

“How Microsoft murdered Ensemble.”

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A conversation on 10 unconventional lessons I’ve learn from 100 days of a live stream experiment.

My favorite part of writing this article was pulling the posts of so many incredible people to highlight.

Enjoy the read!

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Nobody just does that.

Nobody decides they’re going to just start a live stream as a personal challenge, and then keeps going. At least, nobody I know.

But that’s what I’ve done, with three outcomes in mind:

• Stream for one month.

• Build onto my talent stack.

• Add value to the audience.

And the outcomes have been better than I could have imagined.

• I’m almost finished with my fifth month.

• I’ve received repeated compliments on my commentary, energy, and hosting.

• There are people who include my livestream in their routines, and have even been inspired to start their own experiments.

And with that, here is a summary of what I've learned, so far.

10 unconventional lessons from 100 days of live streaming.

1. Doing something for the first time inspires more of the same.

One of the unexpected privileges of my live stream has been the influence to help inspire others to take “risks” and run their own experiments.

Layered into that, the opportunity to provide opportunities is a privilege like no other.

2. Consistency is lowercase king.

There’s already a lot written on consistency, so here’s a reframe to keep in mind:

Consistency is lowercase king. (And Jesus is capital King.)

And the king wins in the end.

3. It’s easy when it energizes you.

This builds off of Scott Adam’s reframe, “Manage energy, not time.” It stands to reason that anything that energizes you is easy, right? I can confirm it feels that way.

I find talking about stuff in a way that people find useful is energizing. (And for anyone considering live streaming, you need that energy on the stream.)

I’m stewarding my energy with my live stream.

4. Reciprocity is a lost value.

And stewarding expectations is how you deal with it.

You are not owed anything in return for promoting someone’s work. Some give a like, some a repost, some a follow. But some people do nothing, and that’s ok. You made the choice to offer commentary, without the condition of it being reciprocated.

Whatever the case, I like to imagine people either see it and like it, or they missed the notification...

Humor aside, I do believe there is honor in simple reciprocity, and here’s an example of a man of honor:

5. People want you to win.

When people like you. (So be likeable?)

In all seriousness, I believe well adjusted people want other people to win.

Or at least not lose. And if you consider people not wanting you to lose (let’s ignore haters), then that might as well be the same as wanting you to win, right? Feels like it makes sense.

But it does help to be likeable and for people to enjoy interactions with you.

6. You can talk about about anything.

When you have filters to use. These come from living life. They’re not the same as a worldview (think of a filter being applied on top of a worldview).

Daily Reads has a few, with the following three that I’ve defined:

The Poetry Filter, which asks what’s the bigger picture, the deeper meaning, and how do the dots connect.

The Human Nature Filter, which considers we are both made in the image of a Creator, and have a fallen sin nature—and then asks how that influences our motivations.

The Personal Innovation Filter, which asks what are the transferable principles, and how can you use them in your life.

7. Believe good feedback when you hear it.

People often talk about ignoring the naysayers. (Generally speaking, yes.)

You should also listen to the compliments, and let them encourage you. It can be easy to forget or dismiss these, but I believe they are important for building momentum.

It’s ok to feel successful, even in the little things.

8. Fun is a compliment.

I’ve encountered a recurring feedback from the guests I’ve hosted: they all had fun.

These are high performers who are intentional with their time. I realized that “fun” coming from them is a huge compliment. (Which is why I now gauge my hosting on if the guest had fun or not.)

Fun coming from the right person means:

• They felt honored as a guest.

• They found value in the conversation.

• Their contributions were worth their time.

Receiving this compliment from Anthony, a business owner, executive coach, and world class musician, was a big win.

9. Live streaming is easier than recording.

Because there’s no time to overthink about it when you’re streaming live. (Unless you want to crash and burn in spectacular fashion.)

There is something to this in the ease of authenticity. It’s easier to be yourself when you’re not worried about needing to get everything right for editing.

That said, there is one prerequisite for doing this well: confidence.

10. You can just do something without the end in sight.

When I started Daily Reads, I did not have a vision for it past one month. It was just a personal challenge.

I do have some medium term vision for it now—I figured I should be intentional about it to make the time investment more worthwhile.

But long term, I do not have an end in sight, yet. Only to continue adding value and encouraging people.

Special thanks to all the guests I have had the honor of hosting of Daily Reads conversations on their work: @thejeffcallahan (on X), , , , and .

Thank you to all who have liked, reposted, and replied. Your support is appreciated.

And thank you to the writers for your articles, ideas, and art. You are making a difference, and I am grateful for your work!

Here’s a reward for making it to the end of the article—the first time I’ve been clipped:

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Discussing illusions of predictability versus taking responsibility to provide stability...

And purpose in staying power for your family—how you treat your spouse will determine how your kids trust you (and themselves).

Articles Discussed

What’s most interesting to me here is the perspective shift. Risk taking is a lot easier when we realize there’s already risk behind the scenes. So be wise in your approach.

“schema correction”

Excellent article that’s worth reading.

“Over many years, that trust becomes the hidden structure beneath a child’s life.”

And, that trust is turned back into themselves and their own confidence.

“The Work of Staying”

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Persuading people to have an “wow” moment about something they didn’t realize they were wrong about (until you helped them see it).

And Case Study Solutions versus Case Study Contexts—context matters in how you make anything transferable.

Articles Discussed

Effective use of this writing (and communication) technique requires persuasion. Pacing and leading, for example.

Speaking of Writing

A Simple "Flip" That Stops Readers in Their Tracks

You might think being right, truthful, or entertaining is what makes writing interesting…

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14 days ago · 17 likes · 2 comments · David Deutsch

In your own development, when you hit a plateau, it means your solution has met a new context and either needs adjusting or an additional solution. As you grow, you can treat yourself as a changing context too.

Noah Revoy | Coach, Author, Public Speaker

Beware The Shallow Coach

We have all had a friend who solved a problem and could not stop talking about it. He fixed his weight, or his back, or his marriage, and now he has a fix for everyone. The diet. The supplement. The one trick that saved his marriage. Whatever your trouble, he already has the answer, because it is the answer that worked for him…

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16 days ago · 3 likes · Noah Revoy

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A conversation on organizational trust and the ability to have long-term vision for innovation...

And then taking both of those points personal with our relationships and self-prisons.

Also, a schedule change: stream now starts at 7:05am central, Mon–Fri.

Articles Discussed

My biggest take away is how when leaders lock down information, they’re showing distrust that people naturally try to circumvent...

But when you show trust and let people in, your “secrets” (IP, etc.) become their secrets too.

You reap what you sow.

“A measure of employee morale is Leaks Per Capita”

I find this to be fascinating and exiting.

The response has been mixed: with optimism and negativity.

I find the negative responses to be a good example of the inability to think long-term.

“Announcing a new division of Midjourney called ‘Midjourney Medical’”

Besides reading this for the story itself (you should, it’s incredible), this is a great article on relational-life prisons. It shows what happens in our personal lives when we lock down due to distrust and only consider what has been for what’s possible.

“People Are Living in a Cell and Calling it Life”

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Fun Friday conversations on habits, rest, and interruptions—and how to deal with (steward) each.

Starting off with a “Scripture Break.” The author’s husband posted about sharing her non-monetized work because it adds value, and I thought it would be fun to as well.

Articles Discussed

A man of His Word is a man of his word.

“Friday’s Christian Business Corner”

They rediscovered the Sabbath.

The best rest is doing something that recharges you—energizes you.

Enjoy your Sabbath!

“I Take 24-Hour Micro-Retreats. Here’s Why You Should Too.”

Great excerpt, and the article is an excellent read too.

’s X post:

’s post, all about interruptions:

Ashley’s Substack

The inconvenience of it all

If you’re frustrated, walk with me…

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5 months ago · 12 likes · 2 comments · Ashley Homol

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Going through a conversation thread between on the state of indie self-publishing.

How we present ourselves affects how people feel which effects their perceptions.

Plus, happiness as a result of stewarding meaning?

Articles Discussed

How we present our work goes a long way in how it makes people feel, which leads to the conclusions they make.

Excellence, confidence, clarity—all important.

Interesting conversation. And, check out the article!

“A Changing Environment: The Indie Publishing Quality Crisis”

Besides other factors affecting their happiness, I would wonder if their happiness level is directly related to what they’re doing... Are they spending time with their kids?

It’s one thing to know you have meaning, and another thing to live it.

“New study suggests parenthood increases meaning in life but leaves everyday happiness largely unchanged”

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A discussion on how lessons Joshua Lisec learned in ghostwriting are lessons you can apply in your business or personal life.

Plus, a little on the topic of how affirmations are Biblical…

And reading my new poem, “Affirmations.”

Article Discussed

Ghostwriting is the context… You might be surprised how each lesson could be applied in your context too.

“15 Provocative Lessons from 15 Years Ghostwriting”

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Start with the end in mind and work backwards to accomplish ridiculously big vision—because you’re only retracing your steps.

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Excellent article by and . This will persuade you in the best way that big vision is possible.

My favorite leadership gem from it:

“He later made it a company-wide rule: the more senior you are, the more visible your presence must be.”

a16z

SpaceX & the Sentient Sun

America | Tech | Opinion | Culture | Charts…

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20 days ago · 295 likes · 17 comments · Marc Andreessen and Michael McGuiness

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Started with a microlesson on optimization—system efficiency versus human experience.

Then a conversation on ulterior motives and incentives... Using recent UAP news as the example. (Plus, my theory on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena...)

Articles Discussed

It’s worth noting that using “whistleblower” in the headlines makes it seem like more and more whistleblowers are coming forward...

Except the whistleblower in this article is the same guy in several articles...

“Military whistleblower goes public with claims US has secret UFO retrieval program: ‘Terrestrial arms race’”

Just like we can “know” something is off visually (uncanny valley), we can “know” something is off audibly, even if we can’t put our finger on it.

I wonder if we’re the same with pattern recognition in context of marketing, propaganda, and narratives?

“Deepfake Detection: Your Brain Hears the Difference Even When You Can’t”

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Playing with the descriptor. May go with “Articles and more for personal innovation—through the Poetry Filter.” May stop at “innovation.”

Conversations on expressions of building skills through different types of art, plus reality.

Articles Discussed

Art is an excellent way to build skills on noticing details, crafting a vision, and expressing it. Drawing is one way, but writing poetry, sculpting, and even photography are means to develop the same core skills.

“Learn to See”

My question is, if these are possible, why haven’t we observed them? What else are we missing?

“‘Crystals’ of space-time could be the origins of certain rare black holes, theoretical study hints”

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A conversation on the Human Nature Filter and what it predicts...

In context of two foundational premises around needs.

1. Potential: We are created in the image of the Almighty.

2. Reality: We have a fallen sin nature.

Articles Discussed

Very interesting article by . And I love the 3 body problem metaphor.

“The Three-City Problem of Modern Life”

The Human Nature Filter predicts behavior like this.

“"The Spectrum": How Autism Was Hijacked By Narcissists”

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