Matt’s blog about people, culture, & impact.
AI, This is the line in the sand.
The headlines say AI is coming for your career, but they’re missing the entire plot. If you define expertise purely by what can be automated, you’ve already lost. There is a sharp line where the machine completely fails—and it’s exactly where your competitive advantage begins.
AI and Jobs…The Fear is False
The headlines say layoffs. The corporate memos say “restructuring.” But if you think AI is just coming for the data entry jobs, you’re missing the entire plot. We are sitting on the edge of a shift with a scope we haven’t witnessed since the dawn of agriculture. But the panic selling is wrong. The fear…
Decisive, Fast, Intense. At a cost.
You’re decisive, you move fast, and you don’t make random changes just to make someone feel better. That’s not aggression — that’s a builder’s mindset. It’s the same energy that makes you good at what you do. It means your driven. You’ve seen what doesn’t work, and you don’t like wasting time toying with what…
Stillness & Clarity in the Age of AI Speed
The post discusses how a small boutique retailer’s attempt to automate with AI led to a loss of customer engagement and brand identity. By pausing automation, the owner refocused on core customers and values instead of speed. The lesson emphasizes that to maintain clarity and identity amidst rapid automation, businesses must prioritize meaningful engagement over…
Planning Paralysis and Building for Flux
Discover why rigid strategic roadmaps are a liability in 2026. Learn how to use AI agents and “Velocity” to build marketing systems designed for flux and rapid pivots. Planning Paralysis vs. Building for Flux.
Risk Amplification, It’s all in your mind.
The post emphasizes the importance of re-evaluating how we perceive risk and opportunity. Jeff Bezos’ insight urges us to overestimate opportunities and underestimate risks while planning goals. I share a few personal experiences that highlight the value of taking risks and learning from failures, advocating for bold action in 2026.
Somehow Travel is not Enough
Five years ago, I left a traditional life to pursue sailing, seeking freedom and adventure. Initially enjoying blissful travels, I soon realized the need for deeper cultural immersion. Instead of rushing through destinations, I embraced longer stays, allowing me to truly understand and appreciate the diverse rhythms and traditions of each place.
AI Decision Errors: The New Navigator’s Mindset
Small business owners should replace rigid business plans with a flexible compass for navigating the ever-changing market. Relying on average, public AI data leads to mediocre results. Instead, they should use unique, first-party data to accurately calibrate their direction, ensuring tailored strategies that reflect their specific business needs and market nuances.
The Drag of Over-Planning: When Your Map Anchors You
It’s a great feeling when things go as planned, isn’t it? The perfect roadmap, the seamless execution, the predictable outcome. The satisfaction of hitting the bullseye. And when things don’t go as planned? Well, it’s just not a bullseye. But what if the very act of meticulously planning is the force that prevents you from…
When Plans Don’t Matter: The Ultimate Constraint is Time
It’s a great feeling when things go as planned, isn’t it? The perfect roadmap, the seamless execution, the predictable outcome. The satisfaction of hitting the bullseye. And when things don’t go as planned? Well, it’s just not a bullseye. But what if none of it actually matters? See, a plan is only an idea of…
Navigating the New Canvas: AI, Thinking, and the Art of Doing Business
The landscape of work, creativity, and strategic growth is shifting beneath our feet. Artificial intelligence isn’t just a new tool; it’s fundamentally reshaping how we think, create, and lead
The Growth Canvas: Designing Your Next Breakthrough
Small Business Owner, you’ve done remarkable work. You’ve navigated the early days, built a team of 3 to 20 dedicated individuals, and scaled your small business to a significant milestone – perhaps hitting that $1 million mark, or even pushing towards $5 or $10 million.
The Classroom Canvas: Designing Learning in the Age of AI
The rise of AI isn’t just about new tools for students; it’s demanding new “design methods” for teachers.
Prompt Engineering: The Art of Asking, Not Just Doing
Prompt engineering isn’t about rote commands; it’s about the sophisticated thinking skill of asking the right questions, akin to scientific inquiry or crafting an essay. The “human thinking” is still paramount, even as the “mechanics of producing words/designs” shifts to AI. The advent of AI doesn’t diminish the need for human questioning; it elevates it.…
Beyond the Brushstroke: How AI is Reshaping the Designer’s Canvas
What It Means to Be a Human Designer Now. Speed, agility, and responsiveness are no longer aspirational — they’re becoming the new baseline.
The Inner Architect: Building a Happy Mind
How often do we look outside ourselves for happiness? For that next promotion, that perfect vacation, that new gadget? We chase it like a distant mirage, convinced it lies just beyond our grasp, tethered to external circumstances. See Also: Never Truly Satisfied But what if the blueprint for a truly happy life already exists, not…
The Unruly Seas: Finding Strength When the Forecast Changes
Strength lies not in stopping external challenges, like storms at sea, but in mastering our response to them. A seasoned sailor illustrates this: despite meticulous planning, unforeseen chaos arises. The key is to focus on what can be controlled—our mindset, decisions, and actions—finding calm amid turmoil.
The Blank Canvas: A Symphony of Questions
Life is Art, What Questions are You Asking Your Canvas?
The Algorithmic Echo Chamber: AI’s Quiet Influence on Critical Thinking
The rise of AI has significantly enhanced efficiency and access to information but also raises concerns about diminishing critical thinking. Studies show increased reliance on AI correlates with decreased cognitive engagement, especially among younger users. As AI shapes our intellectual processes, it’s vital to maintain independent thought and discernment in using these tools wisely.
Do you need a break?
Half times in sports signify crucial resets for rest and strategy. Similar to a deload week in weight training, which includes lighter workouts followed by intense training phases, this concept applies to all areas of life. Planned breaks help prevent burnout, promoting appreciation of life’s simple joys and rejuvenating our spirits.
Your Curated Persona
I recently published an article on the benefits of merging AI with personality tests. While writing the article, I began thinking about a quote I once read. “Personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald In a time long ago, before social media — circa 2005, we primarily expressed our personalities…
Aspirational Authenticity: Navigating the Complexities of Growth and Vulnerability
I have an experiment to share, but first the concept…The Paradox of Aspirational Authenticity.
Moving Beyond Your Mistakes and Shortcomings
Sailing the oceans gives a certain perspective. It also provides way too much time to contemplate things, so I end up writing blog posts like this one (and this one about learning to live in flux), LOL. When you’re out on the ocean, you constantly have an unobstructed view of the horizon both in front…
Embracing the Flux: Lessons from Life at Sea
As creators, organizational leaders, or business owners, we often strive for stability and predictability in our businesses and personal lives. However, the reality is that change is the only constant. Living on land, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that things are permanent and unchanging. We surround ourselves with structures that have…
Rethinking Success: Alternative Metrics for Measuring Achievement
As I navigated through the dense fog of the Gulf of Maine this summer, sailing from Boston to Maine, I found myself enveloped in a surreal bubble. The wall of fog surrounding me created an intimate, isolated space, prompting introspection. I began contemplating success, ambition, and happiness. In that eerie silence, I realized that traditional…
Never Truly Satisfied (with Life and Work)
Mick Jagger sang, “I can’t get no…” Satisfaction. Can we truly ever be satisfied? You probably know the extremes. Someone who is 100% content. Maybe their day evolves around the couch and the TV. Then there’s the other side of the spectrum, someone who is 0% content. They push, drive, and stay busy 23 hours…
Work, Leisure, and Everything in Between: How AI is Transforming Our Lives
Imagine a world where machines handle the mundane, freeing us to pursue passions, explore creativity, and redefine what it means to “work” and “play.” The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) promises such a future, one that fundamentally transforms our time and identity in ways we can only begin to imagine. I’ve used artificial intelligences such…
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