The Vibe: The Commodity Curse 🧐

In the daily grind of running a business or pursuing a career, it's easy to get lost in the weeds. We focus on meeting deadlines, hitting targets, and keeping the wheels turning. But when was the last time you stepped back and asked yourself: if my business disappeared tomorrow, would anyone really care?

This question might seem jarring at first, even a bit uncomfortable. After all, we pour our hearts and souls into our work, often sacrificing time with family and friends, hobbies, and self-care. We want to believe that our efforts matter, that we're making a difference. And in many cases, we are. But if we're honest with ourselves, a lot of what we do each day—the meetings, the emails, the reports—doesn't move the needle in a meaningful way.

Consider this: if your company closed its doors, how long would it take for a competitor to fill the void? A week? A month? In today's fast-paced, hyper-competitive business landscape, probably not very long. That's a sobering thought, but it can also be liberating. If what we're doing is so easily replaced, maybe we should be focusing our energy elsewhere.

Now, I'm not suggesting that everyone quit their jobs and start a non-profit (although if that's your calling, by all means, go for it!). But I am proposing that we all take a step back and reevaluate our work through a different lens. Instead of just asking if we're meeting our goals, let's ask if we're making a real, tangible difference in people's lives or the world at large.

Take the world of energy drinks. If one brand disappeared from the shelves, would anyone really care? Doubtful. Consumers would just reach for the next flashy can promising a quick boost. The void would be filled before the last drop of carbonation fizzled out.

Or consider the humble car wash. If your local scrub-and-shine suddenly closed up shop, would you be devastated? Probably not. You'd just drive down the street to the next one, and your car would be clean before you could say "wax on, wax off."

And dare I say… even many real estate agents and brokerages are operating on borrowed time. If one disappeared from the scene, would the market grind to a halt? Hardly. Clients would simply move on to the next name on the list, and deals would keep on closing.

The harsh reality is, if your business isn't offering something truly unique and valuable, you're on shaky ground. You're just another cog in the machine, easily replaced and quickly forgotten.

But it doesn't have to be this way. The businesses that will thrive are the ones that dare to be different—the ones that offer something clients can't easily find elsewhere. These are the companies that would leave a real void if they vanished, the ones that people would truly miss.

Of course, it's not always easy to see the impact of our work. A teacher might not realize the seed they've planted until a student writes to them years later. A small business owner may never know how much their products or services brightened someone's day. But if we approach our work with the intention of creating value, of solving real problems and meeting real needs, the impact will follow.

So how can we put this into practice? Start by taking an honest look at your business or job. Ask yourself:

• What problem are we trying to solve? Is it a real, pressing issue or just a clever marketing angle?

• Are we creating something of lasting value or just contributing to the noise?

• If we went away, would our customers or clients truly miss us? Would their lives be worse off without us?

• Is there a way we could pivot or evolve to have a greater impact?
  

These aren't easy questions, but they're necessary if we want our work to matter. And if the answers aren't what we hoped, it may be time for a change—whether that's a shift in strategy, a new product line, or even a complete career overhaul.

The point is not to disparage the work we're doing, but to ensure that we're using our talents and resources in the most meaningful way possible. Because at the end of the day, we all want to feel like our time on this earth counted for something. We want to know that we made a difference, even if it was just in one person's life.

So let's challenge ourselves to do work that matters, to create something that can't easily be replaced. Let's strive to be the company or individual that people would genuinely miss if we were gone. It won't be easy—anything worth doing rarely is. But it will be fulfilling in a way that chasing metrics and profits alone never could be.

In a world full of noise and distraction, let's be the signal. Let's be the ones who are remembered not just for what we did, but for the lives we touched and the positive change we created. That's a legacy worth pursuing.

Artificial Imagination 🪐

In this vision I brought to life in MidJourney, an astronaut is caught mid-waltz with a cosmic storm. As someone who loves finding ways to blend art and science, I aimed to capture the universe as a canvas where the wildest dreams of the cosmos play out. The swirl of nebula-tinted clouds around our interstellar explorer adds a layer of dreaminess, making you wonder if they're floating, falling, or a bit of both. The line between reality and fantasy is as blurred as the edge of a galaxy, and the viewer is invited to leap into the astral abyss of imagination.

This is not an actual photo, but one that was totally A.I. generated using a prompt that I created with MidJourney 🤯

Vibe Hack ✍️

Need to sign a PDF on the fly? Your trusty smartphone has your back! Android users can flex their signature skills with Google Drive's annotation tools, while iPhone aficionados can leave their mark using Apple's nifty Markup feature. To access these features, simply open the PDF, look for the edit or annotation options, and then select the signature or text box tool to add your John Hancock. Just remember, for those extra-complicated forms, you might want to break out the big guns (a.k.a. a dedicated signing app on a grown-up screen).

My Weekly Vibe

• Music: Udio is an impressive new AI music generation app that will truly revolutionize the industry. I had an absolute blast using it to create hilarious love songs for Rachel. Some of my best work is as follows— Rachel by the Window, Rachel's Rhapsody, and Rachel in the Sky with Diamonds— she wasn’t so amused 😂. In all seriousness, Udio's capabilities go far beyond that. I was also able to craft awe-inspiring epic film scores that would make John Williams weep tears of joy. While the generated songs are relatively short, the quality and breadth of customization options are simply mind-blowing. It’s free (for now), so go have some fun!
  

• Food: When it comes to pantry purging, nothing motivates quite like the cold, hard facts. That's why Yuka is my new best frenemy. Just scan the barcode on any food or personal care product and prepare for a truth bomb about the sketchy ingredients hiding inside. Discovering how many of my pantry staples were actually health hazards made me ready for a massive clean out. Give it a try—unless you'd rather not know. Ignorance is bliss, right? And I have to give a shout-out to our friend Lizz for recommending Yuka—because of her, my trash can is now overflowing with my former favorites. Really appreciate it, Lizz—keep the great tips coming 🙄.
  

• Comedy: In his latest stand-up special Crazy Good, Neal Brennan takes his signature smirk-inducing commentary in a surprisingly introspective direction. Between riffing on crypto bros and social media clout chasers, the comedian gets candid about his own mental health journey and the link between greatness and madness. Brennan's ability to find the humor in even the darkest corners of the human experience is what makes this special so good. He reminds us that sometimes the best punchlines come from punching through our own pain. So if you're in the mood for some wit and wisdom that hits close to home, be sure to tune in.
  

• Banking: When my buddy Grant told me his startup Crescent could help grow my business capital, I thought it sounded too good to be true. But after diving into the details, I'm fully on board the Crescent bandwagon. By providing FDIC insurance on cash balances and automatically investing excess cash to earn high interest, Crescent is like putting my money in a superhero suit to keep it safe and working hard 24/7. The fact that it integrates seamlessly with my existing financial tools is amazing. If you're an entrepreneur looking to level up your cash management game, definitely check out Crescent. With the peace of mind and extra earnings it provides, you can focus less on your bank account and more on world domination.

Crazy Good | 📸 cred: Netflix

Weekly Muse

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." -Albert Einstein

Real Estate

The real estate world has been abuzz with news of the American Real Estate Association (AREA) gaining serious momentum as a potential challenger to the long-reigning National Association of Realtors (NAR). As someone who believes a bit of healthy competition is good for any industry, I find this development really exciting.

For what seems like forever, NAR has been the dominant voice and power player when it comes to all things residential real estate. While they've done some good, the lack of any viable alternative trade group has allowed some questionable practices and policies to persist over the years with limited pushback.

The rise of AREA, spearheaded by celebrity agents Mauricio Umansky and Jason Haber, threatens to shake up that monopoly. Attracting marquee brokerages like R New York with its 800 agents is a huge get for the fledgling group. Suddenly, they've got some serious membership numbers and clout.

From my vantage point, this new competitor seems perfectly timed. The recent scandals and antitrust issues for NAR have cast a harsh light on many of its potential shortcomings. Consumers and many within the industry are understandably calling for more accountability, fresh perspectives, and policies that prioritize their needs over long-entrenched interests.

Enter AREA promising to be a more innovative, member-focused alternative. Their grassroots origins and vocal support from fed-up real estate pros shows just how ripe the industry was for disruption. Regardless of whether they can truly rival NAR's dominance, I believe their presence alone will force positive changes.

I'm optimistic that AREA's ascent could catalyze a revitalization for the whole industry—one with more voices at the table, more consumer-centric practices, and more incentive for everyone to keep evolving. Competition breeds innovation, and innovation is key for any field to stay relevant and effective over time. The winds of change are blowing, and I'm eagerly awaiting the positive disruption to come.

In the voice of the great Danny DeVito… "Yo, dis place is ridiculously ova da top! It's like someone took da Taj Mahal, Buckingham Palace, and Graceland, rolled 'em all togethah into one gargantuan monstrosity that even Donald Trump would call excessive. Between da indoor basketball court, enough garage space to stable a buncha prizewinning racehorses, and a wine cellar that could double as a bomb sheltah, dis pad makes Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion look like a dog house!" (courtesy of Washington Fine Properties, LLC) Disclaimer: this is a lovely listing and clearly just a bit of satire, so loosen up and enjoy.

Interesting Find

In the world of technology, few figures loom as large or as controversially as John McAfee, the brilliant and erratic founder of the McAfee antivirus empire. From his early days as a pioneering programmer in Silicon Valley, McAfee's life took a series of wild turns that would lead him down a path of paranoia, power, and ultimately, tragedy. His story reached its apex in the lush jungles of Belize, where McAfee had retreated to live out his days in a fortified compound, surrounded by guns, drugs, and a pack of loyal dogs. But paradise was shattered when McAfee's neighbor was found dead under mysterious circumstances, and the eccentric millionaire found himself at the center of a murder investigation that would force him to go on the run, sparking a global manhunt filled with disguises, deception, and a daring escape to Guatemala.

This is not an actual photo, but one that was totally A.I. generated using a prompt that I created with MidJourney 🤯