thoughts
Post of the Day
This running post by Jaret Grossman dives into deep topics you may find eye-opening and valuable. The goal is to help you ladder up—from sparking new insights here, to downloading the 365 Series to connecting on a 1-on-1 call, to exploring the Invincible Mind program, and even partnering together on an idea or concept we bring to life.
Aging is a biological process but in reality it’s a thought based process. What comes first – chicken or egg? David Bowie had an interesting quote on aging: “Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.” There are certain people when you think of them you view an older version of them. Like Anthony Hopkins. He seems like the same type of person for the last 30 years. Could you imagine a younger Hopkins? For me, not really. I think the pinnacle of his form is that older white haired look. It worked for David Bowie in a sense, but not everyone enjoys the aging process. Maybe their essence or pinnacle is a younger version. Regardless, there is truth to what Bowie says. Aging for many people is becoming a wiser, more advanced person. But we lose our bodily function. It’s a trade-off in one sense. Our bodies can’t handle simple things like alcohol like it used to, or recover from injury as quickly or even as effectively. Even drinking coffee on an empty stomach affects me in a way that it didn’t when I was younger. The question remains – is it a biological process that leads the way? Or, is it some cosmic process of thought that experiences itself in the body. Do our bodies get older because our minds understand the concepts of risk more, and like a self fulfilling prophecy, our bodies become more fragile? Or even, wisdom just ages us. Maybe it’s a bit of both, but it’s not so simple as the body degenerates because cells deteriorate over years. There might be more at play with thought patterns dictating the end result, at least in my opinion. It’s both.
Mount Nebo is a famous place where Moses was allowed to see the promised land. However, we are told often, he was not allowed to enter the promised land. Moses is widely considered the greatest prophet in Judaism and is one of the most important figures in Christianity, Islam, and other Abrahamic faiths. He was entrusted with leading the slaves from Egypt, and the all important task of being the scribe of the first 5 books of The Torah. He delivered the 10 Commandments. And yet, he was punished because of a critical moment. Leadership is important and leaders are entrusted. However, let’s have a different interpretation. Moses was able to see the view of the Promised Land. The Promised Land is a continual work, something that wasn’t necessarily going to be achieved in Moses’ lifetime. He was granted the gift of seeing the Promised Land Canaan where his people would be set free and where Canaan would be a “slave” to its people. Why would the greatest prophet not be able to enter The Promised Land? Moses, who performed miracles and helped the Almighty achieve his tasks, didn’t always perform perfectly. In life, sometimes we disappoint. He possibly disappointed in a critical moment, which would show awesome power and holiness. Maybe it wasn’t as severe a punishment as we think. However, he was able to see the Promised Land from a certain vantage point that was only given to him. Maybe he got a glimpse of what the promised land would look like when completed many years in the future. He was given a view reserved for him, that can only be viewed from that mountain. Maybe it was a vision only granted to him, not of what it looked like on that day, but what it would look like when everything was complete. We all get dreams and visions. Maybe his vision was a clear depiction of the Promised Land, once fully built. Maybe, his work was done. And he was needed elsewhere. We too have to have faith our dreams and visions will be fulfilled one day, even if we won’t be a part of it in the realm we think.
Saw a bunch of birthdays recently—Jon Paxson, Kerr, keys to Jordan’s greatness. Cary Tagawa—Mortal Kombat wouldn’t have been the same. Ian McShane is underrated—Hollywood circles and fans know, but he hasn’t always gotten the lead roles he deserves.
We’re all cogs in the system, even if we think we’re unplugged.
Imagine if there weren’t the World Wide Web, a computer, the tools your profession relies on, or even the Dollar. Talents need platforms, many of which haven’t been invented yet. Our system is imperfect.
Einstein’s family doesn’t get a check every time his equations get used. Beethoven should have had a music deal equal to all top artists combined. Did the inventor of email get paid properly?
Innovation and systems always lag behind genius.
Goal: reward and incentivize the talent you want to see replicated, and value people who help you. Let the negatives spark counteracting inventions and systems within you—or support those driving a meaningful difference…with the wallet or creative means.
Shoutout to all the unsung heroes—those part of the machine, often underpaid and under-appreciated.
Success is from “tilling the soil” but isn’t realized in a vacuum. Well-capitalized markets, payment transfer systems, roads, internet, schools, cell phones, electricity, on and on—the vessel we operate in exists thanks to countless unknown unrecognized underpaid people we’ll never meet, in this or past generations.
The Oracle in The Matrix says it best:
“We’re all here to do what we’re all here to do. I’m interested in one thing, Neo, the future. And the only way to get there is together.”
All we can do is what’s in front of us.
Cause and effect—and time itself—aren’t as linear as we perceive.
Even if your work isn’t rewarded today…the spiritual energy of stress and effort that creates something of value can’t be destroyed—it lives in your codex, in the ether of the universe, to receive in the future.
The home run that changed everything…
Do the Yankees have the same dynasty if not for this pivotal moment?
Down 0-2 in the series, down 3-6 in the game, 8th inning, on the road…What an at bat.
Similar to the Patriots, Oakland game a la the tuck rule with Vinatieri’s clutch gene in the snow.
Shows how one play can spark a great team. In life all we need is one thing to go our way to give us a breakthrough and set us up.
Always have faith the next breakthrough is around the corner.
And on the flip side, dynasties aren’t always here to stay. The Braves probably thought they were creating their own with that remarkable pitching staff. Sometimes we can have flash in the pan moments so to speak, and it’s all the more reason why we have to capitalize on the opportunities we get – but momentum is a very real thing – upward or downward, courage to get on the wave and ride the wave.
Watching this evokes a lot of emotion to understand one swing here really did launch an unbelievable run.
Whether it’s pressure of the whole world on your shoulders or just let it rip nothing to lose type mentality here, or a combination of both…remarkable how some people can pull through in big moments.
I recommend watching the whole at bat if you can, on youtube…gives a different perspective of the whole situation and how he battled in the at bat before rocketing that one.
Wow, I remember waking up in the morning and my dad telling me what happened. I stayed up too late for many games in the past but this wasn’t one of them, unfortunately lol. Thank you Jim Leyritz – I doubt we go on the same type of run without your postseason heroics and you are sometimes a forgotten hero.
Saw The Breakfast Club recently and reminds me – Movies aren’t what they used to be. Not just nostalgia — apples to apples I feel the writing and the acting nuances just aren’t the same.
We have an endless amount of superhero movies.
Over-the-top action/CGI/sci-fi trickery…It’s like a comedian thats not that funny, that has to default to excessive cursing. Everything has its place (trust me, I was the biggest Arnold / JCVD fan).
… But Two hours, five kids, a few adults, somehow you understand every single one of them at depth, like a psychologist wrote the dialogue (John Hughes was definitely in another league from most).
There’s plenty of good stuff to watch—I’m not here to bash everything. Lots of good shows, especially, and plenty of movies the last 25 years I love even a superhero movie or two.
But it’s good to give some older movies the attention they deserve, and you’ll see the art form preserved at a much higher rate. It’s not just the classics like a Godfather, or Forrest Gump (most top 100 movie lists are overwhelmingly pre-2000, working with smaller talent pools / less technology / smaller budgets, and Christopher Nolan who seems like an old soul throwback carries a lot of the post-2000), it’s the mid-tier movies also. The character development just was woven more deeply into the fabric of the everyday stories, and the acting had to line up to that deeper nuance.
The chase for the dollar and the social media quick fix changed the art (or love) of good old storytelling, an actor/actress who had to tell their own story with less gimmicks / tricks to hide them … or the good scripts just stay buried because it won’t get ticket sales (or a streaming deal).
Rough start for NY football.
The 1-2 to 0-3 swing is the biggest in sports. At 1-2, one win gets you to .500. At 0-3, now you need three. Postseason killer. Momentum matters. Because Psyche matters. 1-2 feels hopeful. 0-3 feels like panic—and unfettered panic is detrimental to a focused game plan. Falling behind early makes it difficult to catch up – definitely similar to life.
The Jets’ two losses lol—down to a last-minute field goal, including a 60+ yard career long in the Meadowlands wind. Can’t make it up haha. One play doesn’t define a season, just like one email or call doesn’t define a business or career. But it shows how fine the line is to win. But there’s always next year, too, as a silver lining.
The meaning of a fan—or entrepreneur/employer/employee—is you gotta stay hopeful during downturns.
I remember back in ’09 -’10 (I believe), the Jets were teetering on missing the playoffs—Rex even thought they were mathematically eliminated at a press conference lol. They ended up in the AFC Championship, one good half away from the SB. Giants teams have won Super Bowls while squeaking into the playoffs but hitting their stride at the right time. Not saying this year will be the same—but good perspective, both as fans and in life when it seems like things aren’t going right.
I hope J-E-T-S can do what the best athletes do: forget the last play and focus on the next one. Easier said than done of course, but the key is extracting the wisdom from the loss/missed chance and NOT dwell on the 20/20 hindsight (something we all can probably get better at haha). Sports are measurable; life’s more gray – still, parallels. What usually works for us won’t always; need to switch gears and pivot through cycles, especially when under pressure. The next play/venture/call/decision/email/game is what counts.
Well, at least we got Playoff Yankee baseball as a sure thing!
Happy New Year to all who celebrate! Shana Tova
A couple interesting things felt worth sharing. Why fall vs winter? The Gregorian calendar (our everyday one) is an impressive solar calendar shaped by the Ancient Egyptians, Julius Caesar, and refined by Pope Gregory XIII—Caesar even chose January 1 (mid-winter) as the start of the year. The Hebrew calendar is older, balancing both lunar months (~29.5 days) with the solar year (~365.24 days). What began as an observation system was later refined by Hillel’s calculations. Both incredible marvels.
A good nudge for me is that the clearest visions—the ones we’ll eventually wonder how we ever lived without— require planning, strategy, adjustments, and countless rounds of refinement before they truly click into something fully formed and even pay dividends for us.
This season also flips the script a bit with the 10 day strech: fasting and atonement come at the end, not the start. This puzzled me a bit thinking to myself isn’t it work first, reward later. The sages teach us however this is about beginning with hope, joy, and optimism— and that even the Almighty 
may trust us we’ll rise to the challenge. The work will come, but so will the next celebration (
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may trust us we’ll rise to the challenge. The work will come, but so will the next celebration ().Maybe the takeaway is that quality things often take much longer than we expect, and new beginnings are best started with optimism—with faith the process might be more joyful vs what we may expect. 
Current events remind us to honor the courageous who voice studied wisdom we, too, believe— unlocking what’s inside.
When words bring death, sorrow remains. A free-thinking debater refines arguments, awakens the reserved, and evokes discernment. As iron sharpens iron, ironically all sides suffer. Is every phrase perfect—who is? One false note is a speck if a hundred truths follow.
Many of the best examples of genius and value, I find, are often the quietest in public — the soft-spoken quietly minding their business — driven by a deep internal conflict not to offend — The Quiet Majority.
…Give yourself the permission of expression.
Doesn’t need to be on social media.
Doesn’t need to be political or convince, influence, or prove anyone right or wrong.
Courage to express — a metaphysical muscle like everything else.
The United States is a land built on the free exchange of ideas and on ordinary, capable citizens from all walks of life rising to high positions. Yet when a public good is driven less by responsibility and more as a vehicle for generational wealth, corruption and moral decay inevitably follow. But a sleeping giant wakes too.
Many things in my life—and in yours—are better left unsaid. Often, we must trust the mysterious fabric of life, let things unfold, and accept that we work with imperfect or incomplete information—resisting the urge to intervene or speak prematurely. One mouth, two ears.
“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”
But when something you’ve deliberated on should be said or done—when silence costs you your dignity or your essence—lift the filter. Speak up. Do. Let the Quiet Genius have its light.
Consider this: It’s easy to think one is insignificant if not in a position of power. Yet, the smallest deed repairs brokenness allowing Divine Light to enter the physical world. A mystical ripple effect with cosmic significance and a rising tide that lifts all boats to tip the scales in favor of good.
Beautiful tribute for a father — we all carry ‘the part of me that can’t let go.’ — “Everything I Own” by David Gates (Bread)