Hi Everyone,

Happy Friday! Thanks for spending part of it reading The Lake Street Journal.

I hope you're all having a great week. These are a few of the things I've been thinking about, reading, and doing lately. Maybe one of them will catch you at the right time.

Sam Hinkie on Influence

The following is an excerpt from Patrick OShaughnessy's conversation with Sam Hinkie. It's an idea I think about often.

The way I think about coaching is very much how I think about parenting, and I think it translates in lots of other places, that your ability to drive change is about the quality of your relationship, not your hierarchy.

When your kids are two years old, you say, "Don't do this. Do this." You're hopefully a benevolent dictator.

But think out in the future...they're 25. How much authority do you have over them? Not that much. Much of your ability to influence them—and, isn't that what we all want, to be able to influence the people we care about, particularly for their own good—is about the quality of the relationship you've built up over time.

I think about it as pouring yourself into people you care about, so that they will call down the line, when they don't have to do what you say at all. When they're their own people but they still respect your opinion, and think, "he might be able to help, coach might be able to help me in this situation, dad might be able to help me in this situation." I think that notion is critical. So start investing in the quality of that relationship right now. It's never too late, but you better get going.

This is true in so many areas. The stronger your relationships, the easier it is to get things done. Investing in others is always a good bet.

Everything is More Annoying

This is kind of a junk food article, but I enjoyed it. The author argues how technology was making everything better in the early 2000s, and now that same technology has advanced to the point that everything is worse.

From booking a flight to shopping to watching TV to eating at Chipotle—it's all past it's peak. And maybe we're on to the start of another cycle.

If you've felt any recent frustrations with technology, I think you'll appreciate this article.

Harrison Bergeron

I was talking about short stories with a friend this week and was reminded of this Kurt Vonnegut gem from 1961.

If these lines speak to you, you'll enjoy the story:

The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.

Workout of the Week

I was traveling for work earlier this week, so I pulled out one of my favorite hotel workouts. I'm sure I've shared this before, but if you're hitting the road any time soon, this is a good one to have in your back pocket.

"Anytime Fitness"

EMOM 15 (every minute on the minute for 15 minutes):

• 5 burpees

• 7 situps

• 9 air squats

You should be able to complete all the movements every minute and still have 10-15 seconds of rest. Increase or decrease the reps accordingly.

Quote of the Week

"Humor is a way to show you're smart without bragging." - Mark Twain

Have a question or a comment? Respond to this email.

Talk soon,

Joe