Kane's Blog on Kane G. Anderson

How Do Others Perceive You Regarding Leadership?

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:33:47 +0000

Today I had a conversation with an engineer in my company with who is working on self improvement. He wants to build his leadership skills, although he is currently an individual contributor at our company. He enrolled in an online course full of videos and journaling exercises. Seems like it’s entirely self-led which paradoxically both proves you can lead yourself, and also falls short insomuch as it misses the human relationship part of leadership. Where is the sympathy, coaching, mentorship, and emotional intelligence? How can he learn to lead if that portion isn’t modeled for him? Key elements of leadership include but are not limited to:

J.W. Marriott on Leading

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:08:39 +0000

Listened to Shane Parrish on the Knowledge Project podcast, as he spoke about J.W. Marriott, the founder responsible for the Marriott international hotel brands. It’s a member-only episode, so you’ll have to join to get access. I really like this series, so I feel it’s worth the money. Check it out at https://fs.blog/

Something that stuck out to me were Bill’s business and leadership principles. 3 concepts and 15 rules that he outlined for his son.

I Asked Claude to Roast My AI Prompting

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 01:54:04 +0000

I’ve been a paid Claude user for about a year. Before that, ChatGPT — and I’ve been consciously writing my Google searches more like prompts to nudge Gemini in the right direction. So I’m not a beginner. But “not a beginner” doesn’t mean “not leaving value on the table.” So today I ran an experiment: I asked Claude to evaluate me.

Me:

I’m trying to optimize my usage of this chatbot. using whatever you know about me from our chats, please suggest tips for me to improve my throughput using ai to help me accomplish my tasks (mostly coding, but also bouncing ideas and doing investigating). Please give me no more than 10 helpful tips. Be harshly honest if I’m doing anything dumb.

.claudeignore

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 15:57:52 +0000

Claude just told me about a cool feature .claudeignore. You put in there directories where Claude shouldn’t look or touch. Sounds great!

Is there a way to configure GitHub to flag modifications to certain files as illegal? I have a little bit of third party code we bought and want to make sure nobody (I’m looking at you Claude…) touches it. I’d prefer the administrative controls to be in the GitHub level if possible.

Claude Access to Jenkins MCP Server

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:50:48 +0000

Spent some time getting my claude code agent hooked into our Jenkins CI/CD MCP server.

Just put your username in plain text, and convert you api token to base64.

Documentation is here: https://plugins.jenkins.io/mcp-server/

It’s kinda handy asking Claude to review a failed build and plan a fix for the it.

Steve Wozniak

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:54:17 +0000

I just listened to a biography podcast of Steve Wozniak by Shane Parish at The Knowledge Project. I loved the episode, and Wozniak is one of my new heroes.

Check out the podcast here https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xtDFvUwvEHcw2piq8JInE?si=fXiQMq_jQ0mxemG9ekTWOg&t=2357&pi=3OYLrq7LTUaSA

Proton Mail

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:31:45 +0000

Proton is end-to-end encrypted, meaning that your emails are private and secure. I believe in internet privacy and think this is a good product. I’m not affiliated in any way with Proton, I just like it.

Use my referral link to and we’ll both get a small credit for our subscription fee. https://pr.tn/ref/3ACM5K07

Heroic Activation 2026-01-10

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:32:14 +0000

Are you interested in personal development? Make 2026 your greatest year ever. Kick it off with a workshop on Heroic Clarity and Confidence. https://go.heroic.us/kane-anderson-2xtu .

Off Balance

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 17:52:44 +0000

Off Balance

Getting Beyond the Work-Life Balance Myth to Personal and Professional Satisfaction

by Matthew Kelly

One Quote

I don’t have balance. The good news is I now know that I don’t want balance. What I do want is satisfaction. Both personally and professionally I have a very satisfying life. Am I completely satisfied? No. I don’t mind telling you that I am both deeply satisfied and turbulently dissatisfied at times. But even my dissatisfaction drives me toward greater satisfaction in the future. The truth is, I work more than anybody I know, but I lead a tremendously satisfying life.

Want to buy me a coffee?

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 14:57:44 +0000

buymeacoffee.com/cliuqlkh45

The Surrender Experiment

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 05:35:59 +0000

The Surrender Experiment

my journey into life’s perfection

By Michael A Singer

One Quote

All this exposure to intensely powerful people and situations was having a profound effect on the psyche I watched so diligently. I had never been exposed to this powerful lifestyle. Nothing in me got off on it or wanted anything from it, but it did make me deal with parts of my being that I would not have faced otherwise. If I saw any weakness, fear, or anxiety come up, I just deeply relaxed back into where I was watching from. I simply kept letting go of whatever came up. This is where life had taken me, and I used all these situations as a way of letting go of myself. It was definitely working. I kept being pushed into strongly positive and negative situations, and I increasingly found myself in a very clear and undisturbed state. It seemed that the more challenges life put me through, the less my inner energy flow was affected by outer conditions. What years of willful meditation had not gotten rid of, life’s situations and challenges were rooting out of me. As long as I made getting rid of myself my only goal, every situation was a fruitful experience. If I’d had any other goal, I think the constant pressure would have been overwhelming. I found that I actually got more peaceful inside as I dealt with the ever-increasing magnitude of challenges. Life was molding me each day to become who I needed to be in order to handle tomorrow’s tasks. All I had to do was let go and not resist the process.

Lay a Foundation of Humility - Saint Augustine

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 15:08:02 +0000

“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” – Saint Augustine

Keep Yourself - Marcus Aurelius

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 15:07:09 +0000

Keep yourself simple, good, pure, serious, and unassuming; the friend of justice and godliness; kindly, affectionate, and resolute in your devotion to duty.

Marcus Aurelius

The Fisherman

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:14:56 +0000

In the prologue of Matthew Kelly’s Off Balance, he tells a familiar story about an investment banker and a fisherman.

A powerful, wealthy man, worn thin by stress, visits a small coastal village in Mexico to rest. One morning he notices a fishing boat returning early. Curious, he walks to the dock. The fisherman has several large tuna.

“Why come in so early?” the banker asks.

“This is enough for my family,” the fisherman says. “We’ll eat some and trade the rest for what we need.”

Heart Health 2025

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 15:20:21 +0000

Since reading Outlive this year, I have been more convinced about the importance of making healthy diet choices. It also got me curious about my heart health, since Dt. Attia talks about several tests he uses to check his patient’s heart health, and he recommends the reader to get done. So I followed his advice. During my annual checkup I requested several tests, and the doctor was kinda shocked. She was like… “how come you’re asking me this?”. She said I was more on top of my health than most doctors she knows. Cool - I’ll take it!

The Last 8% - High Performing Teams

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 13:38:31 +0000

I read an article by JP Pawliw about creating an organization of high performers. Check out the article here: https://hbr.org/2025/09/the-secret-to-building-a-high-performing-team.

The article points to a multi-year survey of 34,000 people which says that employees are comfortable enough discussing 92% of what they want to say. The last 8% is what they leave out, which may be just the thing that needs to be talked about to bring the org into the realm of ‘high-performance’. It’s the same with risk taking, and with difficult decisions that managers are not comfortable making because of fear.

Inspired

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 23:56:56 +0000

INSPIRED

How to create tech products customers love

By Marty Cagan

One Quote

Let’s start by exploring the root causes of why so many product efforts fail.

I see the same basic way of working at the vast majority of companies, of every size, in every corner of the globe, and I can’t help but notice that this is not close to how the best companies actually work.

Let me warn you that this discussion an be a little depressing, especially if it hits too close to home, so if that’s the case, I’ll ask you to hang in there with me.

About Kane

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 12:15:08 +0000

About Kane Anderson Kane Anderson is the Electronics Engineering Lead at Q-PAC, where he heads the Watt Wizards team. With a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering and a background in physics, Kane has spent nearly two decades designing and building complex systems — from satellite-connected IoT devices to distributed HVAC controllers in critical environments like hospitals and labs.

Throughout his career, Kane has led interdisciplinary engineering teams across hardware, firmware, mechanical and software domains, championing a pragmatic, high-accountability approach to technical leadership. He’s fluent in tools like Altium, C, C++, and C#, and has shipped production systems involving embedded networking, RF, BLE, and control firmware. He’s also deeply interested in how engineering excellence intersects with clarity of thought, discipline, and personal growth—a topic he explores occasionally as a certified Heroic Coach and writer at kaneganderson.com .

21 Days - No Complaints

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 11:59:14 +0000

21 days. No complaints. What I learned surprised me.

I just completed a 21-day challenge of not complaining, gossiping, or criticizing. It took me five months of resets to finally make it, but the impact has been huge. The practice helped me reduce barriers to gratitude and shifted how I show up with presence and warmth. My favorite part? Inspiring my 6- and 8-year-old kids to take on their own 2-day mini-challenge (yes, ice cream was involved). I found it through Heroic , but the idea comes from Will Bowen’s book A Complaint Free World. The challenge began with a simple bracelet you switch wrists each time you complain, resetting the clock to Day 1. Millions have tried it since—and I can see why.

Electronics Testing and the Pareto Principle

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 20:34:59 +0000

This article showcases how Q-PAC tests Fan Controllers, presents a framework for thinking about product testing, and discusses the highest leverage test opportunities to get the most bang for your buck.

TL;DR

Q-PAC thoroughly tests Fan Controllers. We use the 80/20 principle to design tests that have the highest ROI to catch the most defects, as early as possible, for the least investment. There are 4 categories of tests, and they can be summarized by these quick taglines:

Outlive

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 11:45:02 +0000

One Quote

The majority of people reading this book can expect to die somewhere in their seventies or eighties, give or take, and almost all from “slow” causes. Assuming that you’re not someone who engages in ultrarisky behaviors like BASE jumping, motorcycle racing, or texting and driving, the odds are overwhelming that you will die as a result of one of the chronic diseases of aging that I call the Four Horsemen: heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, or type 2 diabetes and related metabolic dysfunction. To achieve longevity - to live longer and live better for longer - we must understand and confront these causes of slow death.

C and C++ interop in embedded systems

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 01:06:54 +0000

Note: this content is best viewed on ChatGPT or Q-PAC’s Confluence page if you can. The code formatting didn’t copy over very nicely.

https://chatgpt.com/share/e/6852002a-d1b4-8005-91a8-0f7e5df32c0e

https://teamq-pac.atlassian.net/wiki/x/bIA87

I had a great chatGPT session where I learned a lot. Thought I would document it and share in case it can be helpful to any fellow wizards.

Our Fan Controller has a firmware architecture that splits the code base into statically linked library layers. There are 5 layers:

Cynicism and Hopefulness - Nick Cave

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 13:11:33 +0000

I read this in the 2025-06-05 weekly “3-2-1 email” from James Clear.

Musician Nick Cave on cynicism and hopefulness:

“Cynicism is not a neutral position — and although it asks almost nothing of us, it is highly infectious and unbelievably destructive. In my view, it is the most common and easy of evils. I know this because much of my early life was spent holding the world and the people in it in contempt. It was a position both seductive and indulgent…

Cicero on Epicurus

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:33:32 +0000

Today I wondered if Lorem ipsum meant anything. Turns out it does! It’s an excerpt from something the philosopher Cicero wrote in 45BC. Source: https://www.lipsum.com/

Here’s a translation of Cicero’s text: https://epicurus.net/en/finibus.html

Interesting read - check it out.

Rose Blumkin

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 12:45:12 +0000

I listened to a podcast episode that I really loved. It’s the story of Rose Blumkin, the business owner behind Nebraska Furniture Mart. The podcast transcript can be found here, https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/outliers-rose-blumkin/

Here’s an excerpt, that sounds like a move tag line, which sums it up:

In a world where MBA programs teach complex business strategies and consultants sell elaborate frameworks, one woman built an empire by taking three simple ideas very seriously: “Sell cheap, tell the truth, don’t cheat the customer.”

Make Better Decisions Faster

Mon, 19 May 2025 00:19:19 +0000

In an episode of the Best Places to Lead podcast, guest Clint Rusch shared his decision making framework. I thought it was neat, so I made this little flow chart.

Reposting to my blog from a 2 year old LinkedIn post.

Your kids' burden - Carl Jung

Mon, 19 May 2025 00:10:36 +0000

The greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of the parents.

Carl Jung

Time Affluence - Brian Johnson

Sun, 18 May 2025 23:59:53 +0000

Having enough money to take care of your basic needs is an important variable in constructing an optimal life.

And, of course, nice things are nice.

But…

Research shows that after a certain level of basic financial well-being, there’s a diminishing return such that more money doesn’t necessarily make you happier.

You know what kind of affluence DOES strongly predict your level of well-being?

TIME affluence.

A sense that you have enough time to do the things you want to do and enjoy the process.

Looking at things - Dyer

Sun, 18 May 2025 23:51:45 +0000

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change

Wayne Dyer

For Want Of a Unit Test

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:29:34 +0000

I read something in Sahil Bloom’s Curiosity Chronicle. Great newsletter - check it out if you haven’t yet. Here’s my referral link .

As Sahil writes,

“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.

For want of a horse, the rider was lost.

For want of a rider, the battle was lost. For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost. All for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Minute of passion

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:41:01 +0000

Here is the recipe for a twist on another cocktail, like the mango minute but more passionate

1/2 oz of passionfruit juice
2 oz. brandy
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. simple syrup
1 dash of angostura bitters
1 dash of lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice, serve with ice. Use a chunk of passionfruit for garnish.

Sapere Aude

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 15:01:52 +0000

Today in Sahil Bloom’s Curiosity Chronicle, I read the following.

Sapere Aude

Sapere Aude is a Latin phrase meaning Dare to Know.

The phrase originated with the Roman poet Horace in his Epistles, where he wrote, “Dimidium facti, qui coepit, habet: sapere aude, Incipe.”

Translation: “He who has begun is half done: dare to know, begin!”

Originally penned as an inspiring call-to-action, the phrase was adapted by philosopher Immanuel Kant in a 1784 essay entitled, What Is Enlightenment (emphasis mine):

Self-imposed immaturity - Immanuel Kant

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:58:45 +0000

“Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one’s understanding without guidance from another**.** This immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another. Sapere aude! Have the courage to use your own understanding!”

Immanuel Kant in a 1784 essay entitled, What Is Enlightenment

Big Goals

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 11:56:21 +0000

Big Goals - The Science of Setting Them, Achieving Them, and Creating Your Best Life

Caroline Adams Miller, MAPP

One Quote

It’s hard not to wonder where we might be today if Follett and Gilbreth had had their way 100 years ago, and the workplace had become a place where pursuit of profit was balanced with a positive approach to hiring, retaining, and training workers. What if goals had been more collaboratively set with worker autonomy in mind? What if CEOs had not pushed for bottom-line profits to enrich themselves and their cronies, and had instead used some of that money to invest in workplace learning and research so that they could be prepared for the future? And what if goal setting had had a proven science - not SMART or OKRs - attached to it that included measurement of the softer skills that Follett and Gilbreth had recommended, like curiosity and collaborative decision-making? And what if that science could incorporate the types of useful research on individual differences in character strengths, mindset, willpower, priming, and gender impact that could ensure that current goal strategies are cutting-edge, streamlined, and optimized for the twenty-first century?

Mooncast wireless power

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 13:07:18 +0000

Crazy idea popped into my head last night.

I was reading a newsletter from this company called Powercast . Cool stuff. Imagine a wireless charger for your phone, except the phone doesn’t have to touch the charger. It can be delivered from farther away.

Anyways, my insane idea was that there could be some insane nuclear power plant on the moon, and transform the ‘Earthward side’ (is that a word?) into a giant wireless power transmitter. Then energy harvesting devices could be placed around the surface of the Earth, and at night they would charge up. It would be like the electrical grid recharges at night. Kinda like how humans recharge at night! It could also power satellites orbiting the moon and Earth.

Learned Excellence

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 02:57:42 +0000

Learned Excellence

one quote:

The best performers in the world are not born excellent – they learn excellence. They practice the principles we have outlined in this book so they can get better at their craft every day. They start with deeply understanding their identity: What are their values? What motivates them? My clients codify this in their personal credo, which they use to help make decisions.

They set big goals across six aspects of their lives: work, relationships, health, spirituality, hobbies, and legacy. What do they want to be true in each of these areas in one, three, and six months? They develop action plans to bring those goals to fruition.

2024-11-25

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 04:51:19 +0000

Disjointed Thoughts

Please forgive the disjointed thoughts. This is more or less a brain dump therapy for me, not really intended for anyone else to read. Sometimes just putting things down helps air them out. The following paragraphs came out, and have almost no relation to each other.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the bigger picture. Zooming out and taking the view from above. Ken and I came up with a couple of cool new patent ideas in the last few months, and we’re engaging our lawyer for one. We should have another provisional patent filed soon. This could be huge for the HVAC commercial high volume fan industry. Another (more fun) patent I’ve been thinking on and journaling about is a product of my own imagination. Ken seems equally invigorated by this idea too. It has to do with AI, and it could be huge. It could also have the potential to bring a lot of smiles to the world. I promised LeBaron in a coaching practice session that I’d journal on it until the end of the year, but I’ve almost reached the end of what I can journal without being redundant. I wish I could start my own company and pitch this idea, I really love the idea.

Certified Heroic Coach

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:05:19 +0000

Just a quick update - things have been insane lately with our new microcontroller project being late for release. It feels like 9 months of ‘crunch time’. It’s finally coming to a head, and we’re releasing for real this time. Dec. 1. That’s the big day. We’re ready. Today we finished our production firmware MVP draft.

But this post isn’t about work - that was just my weak excuse for being absent on my blog. This is a celebration of my recent achievement! I completed the 300 day Heroic program, and earned this bad boy (see the image). Go me! I’m excited to use my coaching skills to help my team and my kids reach their full potential.

My Heroic Enchiridion

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 04:53:29 +0000

Preamble

Last November (2023), I listened to a podcast I like called Front Row Dads (thanks Tom W). The guest was Brian Johnson, and he was on a podcast tour promoting his book, “Arete” (pronounced are-uh-tay). His message instantly resonated with me. Sometimes there’s a profound truth you can physically feel (somehow). I could feel it deep down - Brian was on to something important. He was talking about stuff I had studied in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations (my favorite book). He was making connections with CBT (which I learned when I was a kid). He was talking about changing (a profoundly sick) society from victims into heroes, starting with you and me. I was attracted to his company Heroic like a compass is drawn to North. So I downloaded their app, plugged at the end of the podcast. From there I got on their email list, where I learned about their coach training program. As somebody who leads a team every day, I knew that upgrading my coaching skills would be directly applicable to my effectiveness with my team. So I convinced my HR director to foot the bill.

Sept 2024

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 01:04:36 +0000

Product release crunch time pressure.

I find myself capable and confident.

Late night coding.

Fuel: Coffee, whiskey, hotdogs, Nita Strauss https://open.spotify.com/album/6v472xKTGoBedRClrXfY45?si=6-sEqHK-T7ujECcs2n3VlQ .

Product Roadmaps

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:15:39 +0000

Product Roadmap Musings

A great product roadmap provides value up and down the company hierarchy.

Executive Level: Setting Expectations

At the top, for the executive officers, the roadmap sets expectations. Officers influence what gets priority and funding. With a 10,000 ft view, they can see how product developments impact the market and company revenue.

Product Managers and Product Owners: The Vital Link

For the product managers and product owners (see Product Ownership ), the roadmap is what you eat, sleep and breathe. They will collaborate with other different departments, trade horses, and make the magic happen. They serve as the crucial link between where we’re going and how we get there.

Product Roadmaps

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:14:23 +0000

Product Roadmap Musings

A great product roadmap provides value up and down the company hierarchy.

Executive Level: Setting Expectations

At the top, for the executive officers, the roadmap sets expectations. Officers influence what gets priority and funding. With a 10,000 ft view, they can see how product developments impact the market and company revenue.

Product Managers and Product Owners: The Vital Link

For the product managers and product owners (see Product Ownership ), the roadmap is what you eat, sleep and breathe. They will collaborate with other different departments, trade horses, and make the magic happen. They serve as the crucial link between where we’re going and how we get there.

Product Roadmaps

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:13:01 +0000

Product Roadmap Musings

A great product roadmap provides value up and down the company hierarchy.

Executive Level: Setting Expectations

At the top, for the executive officers, the roadmap sets expectations. Officers influence what gets priority and funding. With a 10,000 ft view, they can see how product developments impact the market and company revenue.

Product Managers and Product Owners: The Vital Link

For the product managers and product owners (see Product Ownership ), the roadmap is what you eat, sleep and breathe. They will collaborate with other different departments, trade horses, and make the magic happen. They serve as the crucial link between where we’re going and how we get there.

3-3-3 x 3

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 14:31:44 +0000

My Daily 3-3-3 x 3 Journaling Practice

Inspired by The Curiosity Chronicle , and by Heroic . This journaling practice has been a great tool for me. It take about 5-10 minutes from my morning. I write down my day’s 3-3-3 x3 on an index card, to focus myself. Here’s an overview:


						—	—	—	—		3h deep work focus:
						—	—	—	—		Character

3-3-3: Tasks

What’s something you’ll focus on for 3 hours today in deep work? What are 3 shorter tasks you’ve been avoiding? What are 3 maintenance tasks you should do keep-up work on today? Or 3 items fixed in your schedule like regular meetings.

Homeless

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:13:38 +0000

While my family’s new house is finishing construction, with a tentative possession date of August 9th, we have allowed our lease to expire on our rented home. So for the next month or so we will be homeless. My wife and I decided that now is the perfect time to do a Canada visit, since it’s been a while since we visited, and will be broke for the foreseeable future after our monthly expenses increase. I’m writing this from my in-laws’ dining room table, where I’ll be working remotely for the next few weeks.

2024 Father's Day

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 18:11:50 +0000

We had a great Father’s Day weekend this year!

Happy hour at our friends’ garage bar (see also: Bourbon Sweet Love ). Swimming lessons with Mrs. Bubbles. My darling’s first 25m swim, my boy crushing it as usual (unlimited energy), demonstrated another 25m + 60s tread. Super cute ballet recital . Packing with excitement for our new home . Grilling / smoking a roast.

Thank you to my amazing wife and family for all the love you create in our home, and for the gifts.

My Favorite Colors

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:57:56 +0000

Here are my favorite colors!

light: https://colorhunt.co/palette/f8f8f8b180f037b5b6222222

dark: https://colorhunt.co/palette/07133737b5b6b180f0f7bb7f

Kane's Favorite Colors

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:39:11 +0000

Here are my favorite colors!

https://colorhunt.co/palette/07133737b5b6b180f0f7bb7f

https://colorhunt.co/palette/f8f8f8b180f037b5b6222222

Mango Minute

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 01:07:27 +0000

Here is the recipe for another cocktail I invented. It’s nice.

3 chunks of mango, muddled
2 oz. brandy
1 oz. triple sec
1 oz. simple syrup
1 dash of citrus bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice, serve with ice. Use a chunk of mango for garnish.

Bourbon Sweet Love

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 23:23:33 +0000

Here is the recipe for one of my signature cocktails. Invented in Florida May ‘24. It’s called the Bourbon sweet love.

3 pcs cantelope muddled
1.5 oz. Bourbon
1 oz. Simple syrup
0.5 oz. Cinnamon whiskey like Tennessee fire or fireball

Shake with ice

1 pc cantelope garnish

Serve with ice

The Three Facets of Product Design

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 17:57:42 +0000

The Three Parts of the Human Experience

I like the number 3. It might be my favorite number. My colleague Ken was chatting with me about how our company’s product needs to serve three facets: construction, performance, and control. If our product can win in all three domains, then sales will follow. I liked the idea, and it made me think about the analogy of the trichotomy of the human experience as body, mind, and spirit. I also wrote a journal entry about how resilience is tripartite . There’s a theme also in Heroic that the good life has three components - energy, work, and love. Optimize those three, and you can optimize your life. So I decided to think about the product in this context and fill out the analogy.

No Pressure No Diamonds

Thu, 30 May 2024 12:46:07 +0000

It’s been a while since I put anything here. Things have been a bit hectic in my life (in a good way). Here goes:

Heroic

I’ve been training to become a Heroic Certified Coach (class XX), and I attended Heroic Workshop Instructor Training (class I). As part of that training, I ran my first-ever Spartan race. I completed a 5K race with 20 obstacles, finishing 18 of them. If anyone is interested in Heroic (it’s for you; it’s for everyone), please use my referral code: Heroic Referral Code . If you are interested in Heroic coaching or workshops, please get in touch with me.

The Four Agreements

Wed, 08 May 2024 13:22:17 +0000

The Four Agreements

https://www.miguelruiz.com/the-four-agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz

One Quote

“There are thousands of agreements you have made with yourself, with other people, with your dream of life, with God, with society, with your parents, with your spouse, with your children. But the most important agreements are the ones you made with yourself. In these agreements you tell yourself who you are, what you feel, what you believe, and how to behave. The result is what you call your personality. In these agreements you say, “This is what I am. This is what I believe. I can do certain things, and some things I cannot do. This is reality, that is fantasy; this is possible, that is impossible.”

The War of Art

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 10:23:11 +0000

Two Quotes

Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance. Have you ever brought home a treadmill and let it gather dust in the attic? Ever quit a diet, a course of yoga, a meditation practice? Have you ever bailed out on a call to embark upon a spiritual practice, dedicate yourself to a humanitarian calling, commit yourself to the service of others? Have you ever wanted to be a mother, a doctor, an advocate for the weak and helpless; to run for office, crusade for the planet, campaign for world peace, or to preserve the environment? Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is… Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet. It is the root of more unhappiness than poverty, disease, and erectile dysfunction. To yield to Resistance deforms our spirit. It stunts us and makes us less than we are and were born to be. If you believe in God (and I do) you must declare Resistance evil, for it prevents us from achieving the life that God intended when He endowed each of us with our own unique genius. Genius is a Latin word; the Romans used it to denote an inner spirit, holy and inviolable, which watches over us, guiding us to our calling. A writer writes with his *genius;*an artist paints with hers; everyone who creates operates from this sacramental center. It is our soul’s seat, the vessel that holds our being-in-potential, our star’s beacon and Polaris. Every sun casts a shadow, and genius’s shadow is Resistance. As powerful as is our soul’s call to realization, so potent are the forces of Resistance arrayed against it. Resistance is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and harder to kick than crack cocaine.

The Republic

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 15:10:27 +0000

One Quote

Justice, therefore, we may say, is a principle of this kind; its real concern is not with external actions, but with a man’s inward self, his true concern and interest. The just man will not allow the three elements which make up his inward self to trespass on each other’s functions or interfere with each other, but, by keeping all three in tune, like notes of a scale (high, middle, and low, and any others there be), will in the truest sense set his house to rights, attain self-mastery and order, and live on good terms with himself. When he has bound these elements into a disciplined and harmonious whole, and so become fully one instead of many, he will be ready for action of any kind, whether it concerns his personal or financial welfare, whether it is political or private; and he will reckon and call any of these actions just and honorable if it contributes to and helps maintain this disposition of mind, and will call the knowledge which controls such action wisdom. Similarly, he will call unjust any action destructive of this disposition, and the opinions which control such action ignorance

2024-Mar/Apr New PCBs

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 20:56:05 +0000

Over the last few days, my team received our new PCBs. This represents the culmination of around 9 months of effort from a team of 5 people. It feels great to see them coming to fruition and seeing the board bring up happening. I’m relieved that many of the functions are working right the first time. Whoa. Seriously. We are a bit of a junior team, and the company has never produced a design before this in Altium. I am so grateful for my team and all the long hours they worked to make this a reality. I hope that we can deliver on time in July :).

Criticism, Condemnation and Complaints

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:38:31 +0000

I finished reading Plato’s The Republic this week, notes on that coming soon. Around the same time, I listened to Brian Johnson’s summary of How to Win Friends and Influence People, where he quotes Benjamin Franklin saying “I will speak no ill of any man, and speak all the good I know of everybody. Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving”. This resonated with me.

Heroic Social

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 04:06:08 +0000

Hey just throwing it out there! If you all haven’t tried this app called Heroic.us yet, do yourself a favor and get it!

When you do, add me as a buddy or follow me on the social part of the app.

https://link.heroic.us/3ump

Never Split the Difference

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 02:29:55 +0000

The main point of the book is that most human interactions in life are a negotiation. The author usually refers as whomever you’re talking with as your “counterpart”. While other negotiation teachers will call them an adversary, Voss argues that they are not really an enemy but a partner - the situation is the enemy. Using some time-tested techniques outlined in the book, you can learn to interact with others in a way that puts empathy and listening as the first step to reaching a favorable and valuable outcome, and getting the deal done.

Play Bigger

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 02:28:01 +0000

Here are some notes I took while reading Play Bigger by Kevin Maney, Christopher Lochhead, Dave Peterson, and Al Ramadan.

Matt recommended me to read Play Bigger so I would be on the same page when it comes to category design, and understanding what he means when he uses certain phrases around me. I’m really grateful for the book recommendation, this was a really great book. I would put it up on my list along side Good to Great or The First 90 Days. This book was inspiring and eye opening. It changed my view of marketing forever.

Heroic Vocabulary

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 13:17:57 +0000

In my heroic coach program, Michael sent out an email saying “we often get feedback that it takes a little time to get used to the terminology we use in the Heroic Coach program”… “take a stab at defining the following terms for YOU in your own words”.

Here goes nothing.

1 - Eudaimonia: “good soul”. This is a state of being when you’re living in integrity with your highest ideals. 2 - Arete: It’s another word for virtue, but with an added connotation. When you close the gap between who you could be and who you are being, you live with arete. This is a moment-to-moment decision, in the space between stimulus and response. 3 - Daimon: your inner genius. Your conscience, your higher self. Inside you have two voices, your daimon, and your demon. The demon is a.k.a. part X. Your daimon is a vision of your best self. 4 - Hero: A protector who has the strength for two. A hero’s secret weapon is love. A hero goes on a journey, faces challenges, and returns victorious with a boon. 5 - Virtue: Traits and characteristics that are noble and admirable. There are 5 universal virtues that lead to flourishing, and we each have a unique top 5. Mine are self-regulation, love of learning, leadership, honesty, and love. My most important one and deepest held value is commitment. 6 - Wisdom: One virtue, of which the others are said to be an expression of. Wisdom is the knowledge of how to live well. 7 - Discipline: Self mastery and the ability to be in control of your thoughts, actions, words, and ultimately your life. The ancient philosophers called it ’temperance’ but it goes beyond just moderation in eating and drinking. It’s the practice of living the way you decided to live (rather than defaulting to your impulses). 8 - Courage: Doing what needs to be done, regardless of how you feel (weak, tired, lazy, afraid, uncomfortable). Just get it done. 9 - Love: The ancient philosophers called it Justice. This represents what is fair and right. Love can have different scopes… self-love, romantic love, family love, plutonic love, loving your work, loving micro-transactions, and ultimately amor fati - loving all that is. 10 - Hope: Hope has 3 parts. A belief that the future can be better than the present. A sense of agency, that you are capable of influencing the future. And multiple pathways or plans that you can use to exercise your agency. 11 - Gratitude: The quickest way to improve your emotional outlook is to keep a gratitude journal. Even better you can do a gratitude meditation where you just let gratitude “flow”. You focus on any stream of things you’re grateful for. Just let the river flow. 12 - Curiosity: The virtue that helps you seek more wisdom. Curiosity spurs you to discover more. It is the aroma of the pie in the cartoon. The mesmerized cat will float like a ghost in the direction of that heavenly scent. Just as you will be drawn to know more about the things your curiosity is leading you to. 13 - Zest: The number one indicator of emotional well being. Your zest is the tendency to want to move. To energize. 14 - Antifragile: The opposite of fragile. There’s fragile, resilient, then antifragile. The more you get kicked and beaten the stronger you get because OMMS. Fall 7 rise 8. 15 - Confidence: Extreme trust. Not trust in the future working out. In yourself to deal with life’s challenges. 16 - Protocol: Your protocol is the procedure you’re committed to. If-then type stuff, where you have predetermined the response you’ll take to a foreseen action or event. 17 - Response-ability: The ability to respond. The belief that you can choose your next step, go between stimulus and response, and be the one accountable for taking action. 18 - Emotional Stamina: The level of punishment you can take and still get back in the boxing ring. The amount of resolve you have. Determination and willpower to keep going when similar challenges might deplete another person’s emotional reserves. 19 - Exonerated: The time when you get excused from obligation and challenges. The time when life gives you a free pass. You will never be exonerated. 20 - Challenges: Challenges are fuel for the fire. The inevitable difficulties that come as part of your life. You can either avoid challenges or you can face them. BRING IT ON!

Atomic Habits

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 16:09:56 +0000

One Quote

“changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years. We all deal with setbacks but in the long run, the quality of our lives often depends on the quality of our habits. With the same habits, you’ll end up with the same results. But with better habits, anything is possible… In the pages that follow, I will share a step-by-step plan for building better habits - not for days or weeks, but for a lifetime. While science supports everything I’ve written, this book is not an academic research paper; it’s an operating manual. You’ll find wisdom and practical advice front and center as I explain the science of how to create and change your habits in a way that is easy to understand and apply…The backbone of this book is my four-step model of habits - cue, craving, response, and reward - and the four laws of behavior change that evolve out of these steps… In total, the framework I offer is an integrated model of the cognitive and behavioral sciences. I believe it is one of the first models of human behavior to accurately account for both the influence of external stimuli and internal emotions on our habits. While some of the language may be familiar, I am confident that the details - and the applications of the Four Laws of Behavior Change - will offer a new way to think about your habits.”

Top 10

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 04:01:35 +0000

I recently got really interested in Brian Johnson. I first discovered his stuff because he was on a podcast I listen to called ‘Front Row Dads’. I loved what he had to say. Then he appeared on another of my regular podcasts, ‘Learning Leaders’. I’m hooked. Everything this guys says resonates with me. I’m all in. I picked up his new book that just dropped Arete and so far it’s great. I joined his heroic.us app as well. I just kept on getting deeper and deeper - I’m kind of obsessed. All of this took place over the last few weeks, and I convinced my workplace to invest in my training by signing me up for Brian’s heroic coach program while it was on sale for Black Friday and 51% off.

Clear Thinking

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 17:17:42 +0000

One Quote

How can we get better at reasoning? Why do people make bad decisions? Why do some people consistently get better results than others who have the same information? How can I be right more often, and decrease the probability of a bad outcome when lives are on the line?

…

If you’re like me, no one ever taught you how to think or make decisions. There’s no class called Clear Thinking 101 in school. Everyone seems to expect you to know how to do it already or to learn how on your own. As it turns out, though, learning about thinking – thinking clearly – is surprisingly hard.

Failure

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:03:01 +0000

You find some trouble and stall Victim life’s difficult Won’t own a mistake, just moan It’s carved on your grave stone

At first I didn’t succeed I tried and tried; still believe What I control focused in mind Stumbling blocks a stair to climb

What Do You Live By?

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 13:22:42 +0000

As in, what are your principles? What are the Ten Commandments that rule your life? What’s the animating force behind why you do things the way you do them?

What’s your leadership philosophy? What do you live and lead by?

Each person must, as the retired Marine general and former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has said, “Know what you will stand for and, more important, what you won’t stand for.” Mattis advises leaders to “state your flat-ass rules and stick to them. They shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.”

Why Do You Do What You Do?

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 05:39:35 +0000

What Drives You: the Fear of Failure or the Thrill of Mastery?

On The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish , episode #181, the guest Gio Valiante said something about asking people “why do you do what you do?” He was talking about finding out whether they’re motivated by ego vs motivated by mastery. When somebody is motivated by mastery, they get super curious. They take failure as an opportunity to learn. If they are motivated by ego, they just want to look good to other people. They take failure as an embarrassment. What about you? Do you feel embarrassed after failure? Or are you invigorated? In another recent episode of the same podcast, the guest recalls proving Daniel Kahneman wrong. This got Kahneman super excited and happy. The guest was dumbfounded… who gets this happy about being wrong? Kahneman said that being proven wrong means you can learn something!

Think And Grow Rich

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 05:37:46 +0000

This is, to me, what Tyler Cowen calls a ‘quake book’. It shakes your ideas of the world and opens your eyes to a new way of thinking. In the opening chapter the author offers that the Carnegie secret to wealth can be uncovered by those ready to receive it. The secret is not easily described, and which the author named the ‘master key’. I will not do you the injustice of paraphrasing my own short description. You will be better served to read it yourself, and God willing you receive the alluded understanding. You will have an awakening of desire and adopt (or further develop) a definite purpose.

Backburner

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 12:39:02 +0000

Today’s article in the daily stoic leadership course says:

In a piece in The New Yorker titled, “The Myth and Magic of Generating New Ideas,” Rockmore shares anecdote after anecdote of mathematicians having a breakthrough when they weren’t worrying about the problem. Most problems are solved, he says, when you aren’t directly pointing your thinking at ideas for solutions, when the mathematician steps away from the whiteboard. “An initial period of concentration,” Rockmore writes, “need to be followed by some amount of unconscious processing…the key to solving a problem is to take a break from worrying, to move the problem to the back burner, to let the watched pot boil.”

Movember

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 03:19:20 +0000

First she was happy, then unimpressed. A flat stare, her displeasure laid bare.

A part of me she loved, now shorn away. And with it, my sex life this month - no good deed goes unpunished these days.

The world has need of men who are good. Even, wise, brave, and just as they should.

In it’s place, something new and bold grows, A defiant symbol she thinks is gross.

To Begin, You Must Study the End

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 12:00:08 +0000

A great chess player, José Raúl Capablanca said to begin, you must study the end.

When it comes to decision making, get the whole picture and plan to the end - before you act.

⁠That’s the point of the ‘requirements phase’ of an engineering project, where you gather up requirements in many categories. Compliance, merchantability, functional, user experience, cost, manufacturability, test, quality assurance, etc. All of them are important, and they represent an engineer thinking it through. Normally you want to iron out these requirements before you begin. Ideally you want to get stakeholder buy-in, and agree with everyone on what you’re delivering.

Reading Wish List

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 19:18:58 +0000

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/account/wishlist.jsp?giftlistId=gl62046223808

Faramir

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 20:24:14 +0000

I grew up on Lord of the Rings. So when I was thinking about changing negative experiences into opportunities to practice virtue, a silly thing popped into my head.

A chance for Faramir, captain of Gondor to show his quality…

How do you reframe the negative experience or bad luck into a chance to practice virtue? It can be difficult in the moment. It might not feel like much of a chance.

Habits of Resilience

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 01:38:23 +0000

On the Daily Stoic community platform, I’m delving into a course focused on leadership. The aim is to apply Stoic principles to management. Today’s lesson deals with life’s challenges. The key question is:

How are you managing daily inconveniences rather than hypothetical, monumental adversities? These minor setbacks can serve as a litmus test for your overall resilience.

While bad driving or an incorrectly placed toilet paper roll may irk me, I don’t lose composure. Drivers are outside my control; fussing about them is futile. A toilet paper roll can be easily corrected. The biggest thing I tend to get upset with is my kids behavior. Sometimes I wonder where they learned such petulance and obnoxiousness. And no matter how many times I ask them to pick up after themselves it just doesn’t happen. It’s in that gray area of a thing I can/can’t control. I can and will try my best.

Leadership Scorecard

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 03:24:51 +0000

Here is a Google Form that I’m going to use for scoring leadership:

https://forms.gle/F8hyFhHZk6xQx3Ph7

This is a combination of things I’ve picked up from J-Mac, Square, and Napoleon Hill.

FYI this is anonymous. I could see the responses but not the email addresses. If you fill it out, you’ll be sent a copy of the responses. You can be vague in the “who’s this regarding?” field.

Annual Self Assessment

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 03:01:00 +0000

Here is a link to a self-assessment which you can do.

https://jianajavier.github.io/annual_self_review/

This is based on Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.

Here is the link to my personal google form to fill. This links to a google form which is anonymous (I won’t know whoever fills it in but I’ll be able to read the responses). As long as you are signed in to google, you’ll receive a copy of your responses, so this may be useful to you (whoever you are reading my blog).

Teaching Perseverance In Parenting and Programming

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 01:17:12 +0000

Yesterday, I asked my 6-year-old son to put away some Lego pieces. We’d been constructing a robot set he received for his birthday. He dutifully went looking for his Lego bin. When it wasn’t in the very first place he expected it to be, he said, “I can’t find it.” His response triggered a thought—why do we give up so quickly when obstacles arise?

⁠This is not an isolated event. Whether it’s bike riding or reading, my son’s readiness to quit if not immediately successful is concerning. Yet, the path from beginner to master is one of consistent practice and dedication, echoing Ryan Holiday’s insight in “The Obstacle is the Way” that the obstacle isn’t just the way; it’s the only way. I feel my son needs to just keep going, but when I’ve say that to him, he shuts down emotionally.

Be Strict With Yourself, Lenient With Others

Sat, 14 Oct 2023 13:56:29 +0000

Be Strict With Yourself - Lead by Example

Carve out time to focus on high priority tasks
Take extra care to do things the proper way, with discipline, so that your work is done well and delivered with the confidence that you did your best
Talk about your day and what you did with your kids. You always ask them what they did and they resist you on it. Maybe if you take more time out to talk about yourself, they will follow suit.

Be Lenient With Others - What Behavior in Others Infuriates You?

Complaining! It’s particularly vexing to hear persistent complaints from others.

The Enchiridion

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 19:03:43 +0000

Epictetus

This a distillation of Epictetus’ teachings, as recorded by Arrian who attended Epictetus’ school in the stoic philosopher’s later years - probably around 125 AD. Arrian recorded all of Epictetus’ lectures, and those are available in Discourses in Four Books. The Enchiridion has 51 passages - nuggets of stoic thinking.

This book is short and sweet. 51 quick arguments / rules / facts. I decided to create titles for each of the passages as shorthand for my own quick recall. I’ll list those.

Who Do You Want to Be?

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 18:14:53 +0000

“Fight to be the person philosophy tried to make you.” - Marcus Aurelius

Here’s who you want to be:⁠

To be cheerful, humble, truthful, brave, clean, reverent, equanimous, moderate, considerate, thoughtful, present, curious.

⁠Not to lash out, envy, or lust. Not to be greedy, ambitious, deceitful, and petty.

To do what’s right. To stand by your convictions. To judge according to reality, and not delude yourself or give praise where it isn’t deserved. To be social and friendly, taking time to enjoy life. To never mourn the loss of anything.

The Ultimate Sales Machine

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 17:23:29 +0000

Why This Book Matters to Me

I picked up this book ahead of its author’s daughter, Amanda, visiting my workplace. My primary aim was to understand her perspectives before she delivers her keynote speech. I wasn’t disappointed. The book offered insights particularly relevant to my role as a middle manager. My key takeaways are below:

The Power of Pigheaded Discipline

The author asserts that success is rooted in relentless dedication. His metaphor—learning karate by daily practice with a hanging baseball—drives home the concept of compounding gains. Mastery, he argues, comes from practicing one technique relentlessly rather than dabbling in many. This aligns with Bruce Lee’s saying, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

The Art of Context Switching: From Computing to Consciousness

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 10:44:41 +0000

In computing, context switching occurs when an “interrupt” demands immediate attention. Either triggered by external inputs or scheduled by the operating system, the active program relinquishes control, enabling another to execute.

Perfect Machines, Imperfect Minds

Ironically, if humans operated like computers, emotional residue from prior experiences would be non-existent. A workplace conflict wouldn’t affect your demeanor at home; a domestic argument wouldn’t linger during office hours. As professionals, particularly high achievers, efficient context switching is invaluable. One moment you’re in “recruitment mode,” assessing candidate suitability; the next, you’re the “troubleshooting guru,” resolving field malfunctions that cost thousands.