Daily Thought for Change

Too optimistic for your own good?

“You know, my blind spot might be being too optimistic,” a client, an accomplished business owner, told me recently.
“And I’m not sure it’s always working out well for me.”

"Should I invite more critical feedback from my team? Ask them to voice doubts more often?

Maybe.

Actually, something else might work better,

A premortem.

“A premortem is a risk management practice where a team imagines a project has already failed and then works backward to identify the reasons for that failure. This proactive approach helps teams surface hidden risks and develop strategies to avoid them, saving the business from potential big losses”

Not postmortem. Pre.

A client was happy and was ready to move on with the insight.

But insight isn’t action. Many people get all the insights and ... nothing changes in the way their life or business go.

As a coach, I’ve seen this before, insight without a system to follow through: no cue, no clear process, no reflection loop - nothing changes.

I always remind myself, when staring at multiple to-do items to work on to make progress towards complex goals – resistance is often a lack of clarity.

This is the process I use now, incorporating different coaching, habit and behavioral psychology schools of thought - to ensure our aspirations become our better futures.

From “I should” to “I did”

The 8-Step Practice Loop

1. Define the behavior that’s not working anymore (Not just I want to be less optimistic, how does it look? If I were to videotape it, what would I see?).

2. Define the starting point and your winning state.

3. Identify the system that’s currently producing the problem (Every system is optimized to get the results it's getting now).

4. Choose the practice that bridges the gap between now and the win.

5. Design systems that support the practice, and block what’s not working.

6. Set up a way to track whether it’s working.

7. Schedule regular reflection and adjustment.

8. Win🏆

Clarity crushes procrastination.

When I find myself staring at a pile of “messy work” delaying action - proposals, strategy, outlines - it’s not laziness. It’s lack of clarity.

Once I reset my North Star (why this matters), define the next step, and choose how to proceed today step-by-step, motivation replaces inaction.

So yes, I’ll hand over a premortem process draft to my client soon.
But more importantly, we’ll build the system to turn insight into our future.

Now over to you.

Think of one area of personal growth, one habit, one attribute, are you using a process like this?
And what’s one adjustment you can make this week to improve it?

PS Would love to hear your thoughts if you have them. Comment below.

“You cannot change your life until you change something you do every day.” – John Maxwell

You can’t change your business.

Not your fitness. Not your relationships. Not your future.

Anything you want is on the other side of a behavior change. (Even changing the world)

Success depends on two things:

1. Knowing what behavior needs to change.

2. Designing your "pressures", the circumstances around you, so that change becomes inevitable, consistent, repeatable, measurable, and adjustable.

Yesterday, I started a course on applied behavioral science. One of the first lessons included this graphic below, and it hit the core of what I'm selling to companies who want to win the future,

Every goal, every product launch, every cultural shift, every strategy, requires behavior change.

Behavior change from customers.
From employees.
From leadership.
From partners and suppliers.

But behavior doesn’t change by itself.

As systems thinking teaches us: every system is perfectly designed to produce the results it's currently getting.
If you eat poorly and haven't worked out in months, there's a system behind that.
Your fridge. Your routine. The way you shop. What feels easier after a long day.

Same with business.
Culture.
Innovation.
AI adoption.
Even parenting.

Behavioral science helps you redesign the system so that the behavior you want becomes the path of least resistance.

Want innovation? You don’t just preach creativity, you make experimentation safe.
Want health? You don’t just read labels, or decide to go keto, you make better food the easiest choice.
Want execution? You make progress visible, rewarding and satisfying.

And when you want to scale that behavior, organization or world-wide - you build in tech, processes, and rituals.
Maybe even AI.
Not more willpower. Better architecture.

After 17 years coaching, I learned this is where most people and teams go wrong,

• They don’t clearly define which behaviors lead to the result they want.

• They don’t ask: “Am I truly willing to do that work?” (Am I willing to pay the price)

• And they skip evaluating, “What is currently making me do the opposite and how do I shift that system?”

Same applies to you and me.
To multinationals and app developers.
To toddlers refusing broccoli.

So…
Where could you use this knowledge today?
Where is your current system winning at producing the wrong result?

Why don’t we do the right thing even when we want to?

When I work with clients on nutrition, the first thing I try to understand deeply isn't what they should be doing, but what they’re doing now. What makes their current choices the easiest, most automatic, most preferred?

Because most people, when given the opportunity, will actually do the right thing.

My job is simply to help them see and create more of those opportunities.

We often assume change means adding more - more knowledge, more recipes, more motivation.
But often, the faster way forward is subtraction, removing what's in the way:
What’s in the way of doing the right thing already?

Why isn’t the right choice the easiest one?

Usually, it comes down to small "design flaws" in your daily routines.
Where do you already get your food?
What’s the default at your coffee shop, your fridge and supermarket, your calendar?

So many times clients would say, "Yeah, I want to eat healthier but I end up eating ice-cream each night."

My question is then, "What does that ice-cream do in your fridge to begin with?"

We all spend time, attention, and energy every day somewhere.

We all do things.

The problem isn’t that we aren’t acting. It’s that our environment is nudging us toward actions that don’t align with what we actually want.

Better health, stronger relationships, deeper focus - these aren’t always about doing more.
They’re often just about designing your life so that the better choice becomes the easiest one.

Motivation is a great spark.
But if you want to sustain a change, consistency comes from design.

And so the most transformational question often is,
What if the right choice became the only available option?

Would you read a restaurant menu if you weren’t hungry?

That’s the question I keep coming back to when I think about attention - mine, yours, our audience's.

When I scroll through my email I notice - I won't open it unless it speaks to THIS exact need I have at THIS exact moment. (Reminds me - don't be clever, be clear - the end of a fluffy email title)

Your audience isn’t ignoring you.

They're just not hungry for what you’re offering at that moment. They aren't willing to spend their "cognitive capital" on what you have to say.

This idea comes from Matt Wallaert's book Start at the End. He talks about “cognitive budget” - how people, consciously or not, allocate their mental energy during the day. That budget is tight. People don’t spend it lightly. The brain is VERY stingy with energy. Now more than ever.

Take me, for example. I’ve got an absurd capacity to obsess over the design of behavior change programs, tech for transformation, or why most change fails when it does. Also: niche podcasts and HBR book launches. Any Tim Ferriss, Andrew Huberman, Finding mastery fans? A Trekkie? Performance data. Learning methods. And, weirdly, chocolate.

(Did you know there’s an “elite” cacao bean called Criollo that makes up only 0.01% of all cacao? Tastes like heaven. I tried making it in a chocolate business once.)

But most things?

I don’t care.

I don’t spend my cognitive budget on car brands, new phones, the latest shows, celebrity gossip, or what anyone wore, or makeup. If you're trying to sell me on any of that, I’ll skim, scroll, or delete. Doesn't matter what great copy you have!

If you try to pitch me a five-course food journey at some prime Michelin restaurant with poetic descriptions and food from every corner of the world... I'd rather you just tell me, “It’s healthy. You’ll feel good after.” Or: “You’ll need to eat again later.”

Because I don’t care.

But if I do?

Oh, then I want all the detail, the full breakdown, the nerdy rabbit hole.

Relevance is the gatekeeper to attention. Timing is the key.

What are you willing to obsess about no matter how much time it takes?

If you're a creator, entrepreneur, or leader trying to get someone to open your email, buy your offer, attend your event - ask yourself,

• Do they care about this at all?

• Do they care about it right now?

• How much cognitive capital are they willing to spend on it?

You don’t just need the right message.

You need the right message, the right moment, delivered in the right dose, with the right depth, to the right people. Not after my workout when all I care is food. Not when I'm rushed to finish the day. And not EVER for politics or what's latest on Netflix.

In today’s noisy world, “cognitive budget” is tighter than ever. Context is everything. Knowing who you are speaking to is essential.

Are you speaking to someone who's ready to listen?

One word: habits.

One habit at a time.

You might be juggling a full-time job, running a business, raising a family, and still trying to squeeze in fitness, reading, or learning AI.

Ambitious?

Yes.

Overwhelming?

It doesn’t have to be.

Your brain has a built-in shortcut, fine-tuned by evolution - it's called habits.

"automatic behaviors resulting from the strengthening of neural pathways in the brain, particularly within the basal ganglia, through repeated actions and reinforcement. These behaviors are triggered by specific cues and executed with minimal conscious thought, becoming increasingly ingrained with repetition. Habits develop as the brain shifts from relying on conscious decision-making to relying on established routines."

They're the original "automation software." No Zapier required.

This is why you can cook, brush your teeth, drive, or scroll Instagram without much thought. These actions are low-friction. They feel like “no work” because they’ve become habits, no-thinking automatic behaviors.

Want to pursue multiple goals at once?

Build systems to build habit loops. Not just a denser, multi-colored calendar.
Each automated habit needs a cue → behavior → reward structure. That’s the wiring diagram for your 🧠 brain’s automation system.

Let’s say you want to lose weight. Stop thinking - start automating.

• Set your rule: Three meals per day.

• Design a simple structure: Half a plate veg, ¼ carbs, ¼ protein.

• Adjust the habit wherever you are at home, in the airport lounge, or grocery shopping.

Want to learn AI?

• Decide on a 30-minute daily block.

• Set up your environment: reminders, course plan, clear “start” cue (something you'll actually notice).

• Track your progress through a system that works for you.

• Keep it boringly consistent. That’s what builds neural automation.

Habit Amplifiers:

Want to go pro? Add these 3 science-backed boosters:

1. Implementation Intentions (If–Then Plans)
   “When I finish dinner, I’ll do 30 minutes of AI learning.”
   Write them like recipes. Follow them like rituals.

2. WOOP Method (Wish–Outcome–Obstacle–Plan) - for when life's schedule changes
   “I want to learn AI to future-proof my career.
   When I get home late or miss dinner, I’ll study right after I shower.”
   Anticipate resistance. Pre-plan your response.

3. Habits on Fire (aka Dopamine Loop)
   Celebrate right after you complete the habit.
   Acknowledge the win.
   Feel the pride.
   That releases dopamine and locks in the habit faster.

Want to grow in multiple areas all at once?

Then install systems that don’t require thinking. One habit per goal. Stack them slowly. Make the cues automatic, repeated and visible. Make the friction low. Make the wins felt every time.

That’s how transformation becomes your automation.

Have you tried this? What’s the habit you’re installing this month?

PS Based on brilliant research by Ann Graybiel (MIT), BJ Fogg (Stanford), Gabriele Oettingen (NYU & Hamburg).

Everyone talks about the magic moment -

When you find your calling.
When your work finally aligns with your purpose.
When you wake up energized, inspired, alive.

And then you do.

And somehow, you’re still bored on Wednesday.

No one warns you about that part.

The long hours of dull admin.
The endless tweaks.
The content that flops.
The pitch that goes nowhere.
The days when you question if it’s even worth it.
When you aren't lost… just tired of doing the reps.

What I’ve learned from watching remarkable entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, even monks,

Even purpose gets boring.

What separates those who grow, those who build something meaningful, from those who give up?

It’s not clarity. Or talent. Or even passion.

It’s,

They have a plan for the boring days.

They understand that mastery isn’t built on motivation.
It’s built on repetition.

Not the thrilling days.
But the Thursday afternoons when no one’s watching.
When your brain says, “Why does this even matter?”
And you do the work anyway. Even when no one is paying you to show up.

That’s when it starts to count.

That’s when something deeper starts to grow, not just the skill, but the self who’s becoming resilient, consistent, grounded, not giving a damn about others' opinion and measuring sticks.

The reps shape the result.
But they also shape... you.

So, what’s your plan for the boring days? How do you show up when excitement is gone? 

And how do you train your mind for that?

“What would I do today if motivation wasn’t part of the equation?”

And then do just that. One thing.
Show up. Just for the rep. Not for the grand meaning.

Because the joy, the purpose, the momentum?
They often come after the reps, not before.

I recently took a Generative AI course from Allie K. Miller, one of the clearest, boldest voices in AI right now.

She opened not with tech talk, but with James Clear.
Yes, the “habits guy.”

Because before you master prompts, tools, or strategies, you have to train your mindset to receive, absorb and learn.

It reminded me of this Brendon Burchard quote,

“You haven’t lost your motivation. What you’ve lost is the practice of looking at things that matter to you on a consistent basis and reminding yourself of them.”

Mindset isn't a mystery. It's a stack of invisible mental habits,

• The questions you ask yourself

• The thoughts you let stick around

• The stories you rehearse in your head

• The lens you choose to see through

At first, it's a choice. Then it's automatic, it's a habit.
And that’s where either magic (or mediocrity) happens.

Your mindset, AI-first or AI-last, isn’t neutral.
It will shape how you show up, what you notice, what you build, and what you... miss.
And unfortunately but true, the people who show up late to the AI bus won't get the best seats.

This world isn’t slowing down.
Opportunities are multiplying.
But how many of them you see, and seize, depends on your mental habits.

So pause and ask,
What are your current AI-mindset habits?
Are they designed for thriving and getting ahead, taking some good seats, or falling behind in an AI-first world?

P.S. The course is free on LinkedIn. Take it.

Maybe you're better than me, more disciplined, less curious about everything, less likely to sign up for every newsletter, webinar, masterclass, and tool you might want to explore if time was infinite.

Or maybe, like me, your inbox is a graveyard of good intentions and unbounded curiosities. A reminder that there are more options than hours. More noise than capacity. There's a whole river of water and I can only drink 2L a day.

That is where the saving grace of my hand-written goal list for this month, and my checklist for what makes a good day become very obvious. Like a compass in a content storm.

I routinely ask myself, looking at it,

• Who do I want to become in 3–5 years?

• What do I want to build?

• What projects are moving me toward that?

The rest?
It can wait.
Maybe forever.

At some point, I created a simple internal test,

Will I be okay if I never do this?

If the answer is yes, I delete, unsubscribe, decline. Sometimes joyfully. Sometimes with a little FOMO. But I move on.

Because in a world of infinite choices, most of them good (really good), the challenge isn’t choosing between what you want and what you don’t.

It’s choosing between what you want… and what you want most.

That’s not easy. Not for a curious, ambitious, full-of-ideas, afraid to lose and miss out human.
But it’s necessary.

So what’s YOUR filter to sift through the stream?

So that you end up with the right stuff, not just a bunch of stuff.

What if the part of your job that makes you irreplaceable is the part you haven’t practiced enough?

We all fear being replaced. By AI. By automation. By someone faster, cheaper, more optimized.

And yet, the parts of work that are staying human, the ones that won’t be automated, the ones that require YOU, are you working on getting better at them, figuring them out?

I'm on a trip to Russia to renew my passport.

There’s an online system to process the documents, it didn’t work. So, like many others, I had to show up in person to fix what the system couldn’t.

Eventually, they’ll probably patch the tech. Make it seamless. Remove the human altogether.

But… should they?

While I waited in line, I noticed a stream of older people confused, frustrated, overwhelmed. They weren’t just battling forms, they were battling fear. Uncertainty. Systems that weren’t designed for them, for their world understanding, their skillset.

They needed someone who could help, not just click buttons. Someone who could see them as fallible humans.

That moment triggered another.

At an ATM in Cape Town, a younger guy in front of me stood still, looking lost. I thought he was just slow… until he turned and said, “Can you help me?”

I was confused, what could I help him with?

He didn’t understand how to make a deposit. Not because he wasn’t smart. Because the interface was unfamiliar. The pressure of messing it up was real. And there was no one around to ask. No human.

Yes, AI could’ve helped. Maybe.

But it can’t always understand what you are too ashamed to say out loud. The hesitation. The fear of clicking the wrong thing. The quiet panic when it still doesn’t work after you follow the steps. Plus with real money on the line and the machine that can "eat it"

Back in Russia, my situation turned out to be a “special case”, I didn’t fit the dropdown menu. That’s how I ended up in a queue to speak with a person. A human. Someone who could say, “Ah, okay, I see what’s happening.”

That moment made me ask, in a world where systems keep getting better, faster, more automated…

What’s the part of my work that won’t be replaced?
And am I getting better at that part now before it’s the only part left?

P.S. I created a post on LinkedIn curated by TOP AI voice (2M followers). If you want to explore your human edge before the world decides it for you, check it out,

“6 Career-Design questions to use with chatGPT to help you win with AI (while others are being replaced).”

Your brain wants easy. Your life needs systems.

“The law of least effort, also known as the principle of least resistance, suggests that organisms and systems will naturally choose the path of least resistance or the option requiring the least amount of energy to achieve a goal. This principle is observed in various fields, from evolutionary biology and information science to everyday decision-making. Essentially, people tend to find the easiest way to accomplish tasks, even if it means taking a less optimal route or using less efficient methods”

Translation?
We’re wired to go for “easy". Even when it's wrong, harmful, or self-sabotaging.

In a manmade world of engineered temptations, nature won't save you. You must design systems to protect yourself from yourself.

My sister asked, “Why does nature let us eat ourselves to death? Shouldn’t there be a shut-off mechanism?”
My response, “Nature didn’t see the modern supermarket coming.”

Nobody ever ate themselves to death in apples. Not a single person got super overweight eating bananas🍌

It's the ultra-processed food, engineered by humans, food that’s been designed to make you eat more of it. Why are we surprised it does just that?

It’s not just food.

It’s phones that hijack our attention.
Cities and Netflix that override our natural sleep rhythms.
Work cultures that reward busy over meaningful.

We’re great at inventing new things.
We’re not always great at installing the guardrails to protect ourselves from those inventions.

Yes, we’re getting better.
There are more tools than ever to help us stay focused, grounded, healthy, and aligned.

But are you choosing to use them before it's too late? What systems protect you from ... you?

Nature won’t stop you from binge-watching garbage or scrolling past your life.
Nature won’t close the fridge or silence your notifications.
That’s your job.

You have to build the right systems:
– systems that make it easy to eat well, move, sleep, and think.
– systems that make it obvious to do the work that matters.
– systems that put friction around distraction.

Same with AI.
It can sharpen your genius or dissolve what's left of it into nothing. 
It’s not the tool, it’s your systems.

So ask yourself today,

What systems have you built to keep you well, focused, and working on what makes your life meaningful?

Cause if you have none, nature won't save you.