Do you like apples?

Well, there are a few changes in store & a lot more content. How do you like them apples?

Will Hunting: I look at a piano, I see a bunch of keys, three pedals, and a box of wood. Beethoven, Mozart, they saw it, they could just play. I couldn't paint you a picture, I probably can't hit the ball out of Fenway, and I can't play the piano.

Skylar: But you can do my O'-Chem paper in under an hour.

Will: Right. Well, I mean when it came to stuff like that... I could always just play.

Like Will, I am a terrible artist and have zero musical ability—though I do encourage my family that Tuesdays are for expressing ourselves in song. Thursdays are for dance. (Rarely does anyone heed to my wishes).

Unlike Will, I may have been able to hit it out of Fenway at one point. A bit of a poke, but I like to think that I was at least capable…once upon a time.

But I’m no genius like Will Hunting. Yet I am capable of a lot of things, good at some, excellent at others.

My brain is somewhat math-y, but I can’t just look at an equation and come up with a mathematical proof for it.

Nevertheless, I was doing calculus a good four years before most of my schoolmates.

In school, I was “advanced” in math, but never really GREAT at it. I didn’t particularly care about math, but I did the work and I got by. A’s and B’s.

Long story short…whatever I am good at is because I care about it and because of hard work. Ten thousand hours type stuff (even though I am not so sure of that theory).

Whatever I’m not so good at: I either lack the aptitude or the fortitude.

For instance, I was a great taxicab driver in Portland, Oregon for a few years—kind of a "skinniest kid at fat camp" accomplishment in retrospect—because I cared about what I did and because I worked hard at being the best guy on the job.

Ahh…the good ol’ days. Then it sucked...pretty bad for a while...by little fault of my own.

The platform changed.

There’s a lesson here or a “pro tip” (for any job—or class in school, for that matter): shower, shave, haircut, collared shirt, muted colors and you will immediately launch yourself into "the top 1%." Ditch the ballcap and the avant-garde fashion.

For social gatherings I have pretty much the same rules, but I encourage a range of colors.

Ted Williams, the great Boston Red Sox slugger, is said to have noted that “great hitters are not born, they’re made.” I’ve also heard this attributed to Hall of Fame second baseman Rogers Hornsby and others.

Point is, you gotta work at it.

Will Hunting is a work of fiction and the rest of us operate in the real world.

I love me some Good Will Hunting, though.

Good Will read a lot of books. Enough to get him a $150,000 on "an education for $1.50 in late fees at the public library."

I read constantly. My library is robust, yet not totally overflowing as of yet.

When I’m not reading, you’ll often catch me listening to audiobooks or podcasts (and, of course, tending to the needs of my family).

But as for my own podcast and this here series of epistles via the Substack platform, I am going to be changing it up soon. I’ve been teasing it for a couple of weeks now, but starting soon, if you are on my list, emails will be coming directly from me.

No need to change anything on your end.

I am getting ahead of the game in case the “platform” changes on me unexpectedly like it did when I was a cabdriver. I went from making good money to sometimes “paying to work.”

I like to think the school of hard knocks has helped me realize that I need several platforms for the emails, podcasts, and other online enterprises that I participate in.

I’ve heard it said many times from many people that “One is the most dangerous number in business.” Can’t have just ONE of anything.

So, instead of stepping away from Substack, I’m going to still be using it—and perhaps even more than I do right now. But, we’re going to change up the email game soon.

Also, we’re going to get twos, and threes, and perhaps dozenss…where there may have been only one before. I’m talking platforms and delivery methods.

All a little cryptic, perhaps, but just hold tight. Like I said, no need to change anything on your end. Strategies adjust and tactics change.

So, if you like what you get from us on a regular basis, please consider supporting us so we can continue to do the work.

Substack makes it easy. Press the button and subscribe to a paid subscription if you want.

I also have a link for Buy Me a Coffee where you can contribute as much or as little as you’d like.

More content and better delivery methods are coming soon. Count on that.

As for our podcasts, expect a lot more in the near future (today, tomorrow, etc.). Some folks out there are freaking out that I haven’t released anything in two days. Bear with us.

Lots of ins and lots of outs over here.

That being said, the best place I’ve found to listen to podcasts on a mobile device is the Fountain.fm app.

Earn bitcoin as you listen. It’s pretty cool, and bitcoin has lately been shooting up in value compared to the dollar.

Click the link below and your bitcoin journey is underway …

As always,

Brian O’Leary