1: Ben Horowitz had been set up on a blind date by his friend and high school football teammate Claude Shaw.

It was the summer of 1986, and Ben had just finished his sophomore year of college at Columbia University and was living in Los Angeles with his father.

This would be a double date, and Ben and Claude decided to prepare an elaborate dinner for Claude’s girlfriend, Jackie Williams, … continue reading

1: Researchers at Harvard and MIT analyzed the moods and behaviors of 28,000 smartphone users.

What did they learn?

“When people felt down,” Rachel Barr writes in How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend, “they tended to seek out activities that promised instant gratification, like watching TV or drinking wine.”

When the participants were in a good mood, however, “they leaned toward more productive activities,” Rachel notes, “that … continue reading

1: Ever eaten every French fry in the bag, even though we knew from the first bite they weren’t very good?

Me, too.

Turns out chasing pleasure isn’t always the key to feeling good.

“That’s not a moralistic perspective; it’s a neurobiological one,” Rachel Barr writes in How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend: A Neuroscientist’s Guide to a Healthier, Happier Life.

“To understand why, let’s go beyond … continue reading

1: Psychologist John Gottman can predict who will eventually get divorced a stunning 94 percent of the time.

In a pioneering 1992 study, John and his team interviewed fifty-two married couples.

They asked each couple “a variety of questions about how they met, why they decided to get married, and what changes their relationships had been through and observed them as they took part in a fifteen-minute discussion about a … continue reading

This week and next we are exploring Sahil Bloom’s concept of “Social Wealth” as outlined in his book The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.

Today we turn to a list of “Social Wealth Hacks I Wish I Knew at Twenty-Two” which Sahil put together with Arthur C. Brooks, social scientist, Harvard Business School professor, and number one New York Times bestselling … continue reading

1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.

Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations.  On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.

Searching for a bit of wisdom as we push to end 2024 on a strong note and start 2025 with a bang.

“You’re standing in front of an elevator. The … continue reading

1: “What is your greatest fear?” 

Rosa read the question before looking across the kitchen table at her husband, Henry.  

“Now in their 70s, Rosa and Henry had lived in this house and sat at this same table together on most mornings for more than fifty years,” Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz write in The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.

A pot of … continue reading

1: “Most of what we know about human life we know from asking people to remember the past,” Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz write in The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.

The only problem with this approach?

People’s “memories are full of holes,” the authors write.”  Just try to remember what you had for dinner last Tuesday, or who you spoke with on … continue reading

1: There are two types of people in the world, David Brooks writes in his book How to Know A Person.

There are “Illuminators.”  Who possess “a persistent curiosity about other people,” David writes. “They shine the brightness of their care on people and make they feel bigger, deeper, respected, lit up.”

And then there are “Diminishers.”  “Who make other people feel small. Often, they are so involved with … continue reading

1: “It was a typical diner,” Jeffrey Fox writes in How to Become a Rainmaker.  “There was a counter, booths, and tables.”

The waiters were primarily high schoolers working for the summer. 

“One customer was upset about something,” Jeffrey writes.  “He was angry with one of the young waitresses. He was loud, rude, and nasty.

“Perhaps she had made an error on the bill, or there was not enough … continue reading