It can be scary to bring chapters in our lives to an end. But, in 2026, commit to allowing chapters that need to conclude to do so. You don’t need to start a new chapter today, just because it’s January 1st. Your new chapter may not need to begin until March, July, or even December. The only “when” that matters for your new chapter(s) is when it is right for you. Yesterday, my wife, Ang, announced that a twelve-year chapter of her life would be ending at the end of January. In the fall of...
1 day ago • 2 min read
“We are always getting ready to live, but never living.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson As we head into the new year, make it a focus to start living in 2026. No more preparing.No more planning.No more procrastinating. Just living and experiencing life. And if you’re going to start living, you might as well start living your Authentic Life and leave the life prescribed to you by others behind. I’m heading into ‘26 with tons of momentum, a new level of confidence, and a level of excitement I can’t...
2 days ago • 1 min read
“Your own self-realization is the greatest service you can render the world.” -Ramana Maharshi I spoke about this on a new episode of AlignedLife recorded just yesterday, and I can't wait to share it with you. I have this belief that if we all were able to live our Authentic Lives, the world would become a perfect place–heaven on earth. I know that is not possible for several reasons, but that doesn’t mean we, on an individual level, can’t strive to do our part to move the world one person...
3 days ago • 1 min read
I was inspired by Chris Williamson’s Christmas episode of Modern Wisdom, where he and a few friends share their favorite “hacks” from the year. While I was listening, I started making my own list in my head, then decided to write it out and even record a video, hoping to put you on to at least one new company or idea for the new year. Apple Podcasts Spotify None of these recommendations are sponsored by the companies–I’m not “big” enough to have sponsorships, lol. I’m making these...
4 days ago • 11 min read
I hope you had a great holiday week and weekend! Here's this week's Notes... 📝 this week's Daily Notes 12.23.25 #1073 momentum into the new year 12.24.25 #1074 counterproductive habits 12.26.25 #1075 what went well for you? 12.27.25 #1076 lessons from Siddhartha 12.28.25 #1077 strength from letting go 📝 The Omens Irrational '26 A preview of my word for 2026--more to come. 2025 Faves A list of a few of my favorite things from this year. See you next week (or tomorrow) and keep pursuing, JC
5 days ago • 1 min read
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” -Herman Hesse When I opened my O-p-e-n app to use the timer for my morning meditation, I was greeted by this quote from Herman Hesse. It’s a great quote as we continue to prepare for a new year, which can act as a great time to make changes–a fresh start with the new year. But the quote's message isn’t the only reason I shared it. If you remember, yesterday I wrote about re-reading Siddhartha and shared a few...
5 days ago • 1 min read
I was rereading Siddhartha this week, and some new passages jumped out at me this morning as I reached the part of the story where Siddhartha begins to shed the version of his Self that was rich, lustful, and materialistic. I won’t spoil the plot and how Siddhartha arrives at the understanding of his new Self--it’s a short and quick read that I highly recommend, but I wanted to share a few of them with you: “I praise you, Siddhartha, after so many years of foolishness, you have once again had...
6 days ago • 1 min read
What went well for you in 2025? It drives me crazy when I see posts about how “2025 was a year (not meant positively),” and it’ll drive me crazy in February when I see posts about how 2026 feels like a year, only a couple of months in. No doubt some things did not go your way in 2025, and no doubt some things will not go your way in 2026. But why do we let these define the year? I’m sure there were far more things that went RIGHT in 2025 than went wrong, if you really paid attention. And are...
8 days ago • 1 min read
From Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: Thoughts and habits not conducive to the work: Believing you’re not good enough Feeling you don’t have the energy it takes Mistaking adopted rules for absolute truths Not wanting to do the work (laziness) Not taking the work to its highest expression (settling) Having goals so ambitious that you can’t begin Thinking you can only do your best work in certain conditions Requiring specific tools or equipment to do the work Abandoning a project as soon as it...
9 days ago • 1 min read