Own The Cow

Why you should focus on the sauce over the numbers

Well this was certainly quite the week. Of waiting. Of another round of faulty predictions. Highlights the fact that we can often miss signals. Misdiagnose a situation. I have no knowledge of how to predict political winners but I wasn't counting on a landslide. I did exhale over

What movie are you starring in?

"I don't come from data. I come from stories." - Jane Goodall A few things this week collided to expand my thinking on positioning, branding and what I'm uniquely qualified to offer. It would be amazing to connect the dots looking forward, but sometimes

From boiling frogs and cool brands to the top job skills for 2025

"Change breaks the brittle." – Jan Houtema I saw this quote via Paul Graham and like it. It's Short. Pithy. Meaningful. When I went to learn who Jan is as I always want context around a quote, all I found were references to this quote, mostly from

How everyone can be wealthy if they choose and are you tattoo worthy?

We're two weeks away from the election. If you are like me, you hope to breathe a collective sigh of relief when it's over. I am sure we all know the cacophony of political noise and fear mongering won't vaporize. It'll morph

Beyond 10,000 hours, coaching and can you handle the truth?

How often have you looked at someone in your circle, or someone famous you admire and think, "damn, if only I could have what they have. Then I'd make it?" Or insert whatever excuse the buffet serves up to satiate your lizard brain, whether it'

The 85% rule, being consistently good, and a couple of principles for success.

How many times have you heard someone say, "Now if I had a crystal ball, I'd be super rich"? What would you do if you had a crystal ball? Would you be bored? Lazy? Isn't the struggle part of reward for figuring work out?

Brain equity, the truth about focus, and escaping competition.

It's the end of September. The skies have cleared. The sun is out again. Changing seasons is always a moment to take stock of the last quarter and look to the next. It's hard to believe we're in the fourth quarter. At least I&

The power of no, why it pays to be unpopular and what beats experience.

What a week this was. Last Monday I posted about the smoke from the wildfires in the west and where Portland enjoyed the world's worst air quality. The Carbon Monoxide outdoors was 35. Your indoor monitor goes off when it hits 50. And this was outdoors where it

A look behind Nike's "Just Do It" campaign, how that connects to your personal brand, and the relevance of relativity.

For those of you on the west coast, the fires and smoke we're experiencing are heart wrenching. On top of a pandemic and economic hardship, it's a test of resilience. And a call to action for all. This image is from Sunday, September, 13th across from

The jet ski versus the aircraft carrier, getting emotional plus a helping of Newton

Welcome to September. Last week I talked about designing your personal flywheel, and the importance of food for a healthy mind. I saw the power of food firsthand Sunday. I didn't eat well: oatmeal with pepitas for breakfast, three protein snack bars for lunch during the day. And