One Quote:

"I have something more important than courage. I have patience. I will become what I know I am." - Michael Jordan

The formula for success: Impatient with actions, patient with results.

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One Framework:

The 12 Laws of Karma

Karma is a central idea from Hinduism and Buddhism that effectively describes the give and take of your actions and reactions in the universe.

Most people understand karma loosely through the common trope when we see a bad person get what we felt was coming to them:

"Well, karma is a b****!"

But there is a lot more depth to the concept—specifically, there are 12 laws of karma that are worth understanding.

To be clear, these laws do not have any specific religious undertones—I'm not a particularly religious person—but are best thought of as a guidebook for living a life with positive energy. I have them all written out in my office and read them frequently to center myself.

If you internalize these 12 laws, I believe you'll start inviting more positivity, progress, and luck into your life:

Law #1: The Law of Cause & Effect

Whatever you put out, you receive back. You reap what you sow. This is also called "The Great Law", as it is the guiding law of karma and what most people think about when they think of the term.

Law #2: The Law of Creation

Life and progress require active participation. People who actively create for themselves and the others around them are more likely to receive in return. Aligns with my golden rule: Create value, receive value.

Law #3: The Law of Humility

The acceptance of our current state is the first necessary step to progress, growth, and change. Develop an understanding and acceptance of where you are, what you control, and what you cannot.

Law #4: The Law of Growth

The shift in our internal reality through progress, growth, and change creates a shift in our external reality. We only control our own daily actions, not those of the external actors in our lives. Focus internally to see progress externally.

Law #5: The Law of Responsibility

Take personal responsibility for your life. Look inward—not outward. We are all responsible for how we respond to the circumstances and situations that we encounter. That should be empowering, not frightening—no one can take that away from you.

Law #6: The Law of Connection

Everything in your life is connected in some way, shape, or form. All of your actions from your past have impacted your present, and all of your actions in the present will impact your future.

Law #7: The Law of Focus

The mind is only capable of deeply focusing on one thing at a time. Always seek to focus on a single point. When in doubt, make that focus a positive one. Multitasking is impossible!

Law #8: The Law of Giving & Hospitality

When you are called on to give, give generously and without reservation. If we have good fortune, we must walk the walk and give selflessly to those who may not.

Law #9: The Law of Here & Now

You cannot live if you are constantly bemoaning the past or worrying about the future. Be present in every single moment and focus on the daily actions that will contribute to a positive future.

Law #10: The Law of Change

History will always repeat itself unless and until you make a change to your actions. Change the inputs to change the outputs.

Law #11: The Law of Patience & Reward

Always be patient with results. Show up consistently, with energy and enthusiasm, and good things will come to you. It's hard to beat the person who just keeps showing up.

Law #12: The Law of Significance & Inspiration

We are all significant. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. We all have the power to contribute to a positive future.

Those are the 12 laws of karma. They have played a key role in my life, and I hope this new awareness of them sparks an improvement in yours.

I'd love to hear from you:

• Which laws of karma resonate most with you?
• Which laws of karma do you find the hardest to live by?

Tweet at me @SahilBloom and I'll do my best to get back to everyone!

One Tweet:

Every now and then, I see a video that is such a unique display of human creativity that I am simply compelled to share it.

This is one such example. I've watched this video at least 5 times and am still blown away by it.

One interesting trend: This creativity has always existed in humans, but we are living in the first moment in history where the internet has made it possible for creativity to instantly reach millions around the world with a single share.

The opportunity playing field is slowly leveling. What a time to be alive!

One Article:

​Your Career Is Just One-Eighth of Your Life​

Great article from Derek Thompson at The Atlantic with five pieces of career advice that are general enough to apply to almost anyone.

My two favorites:

• Explore, Then Exploit: I've always thought of this as the "T-shaped" career, where you start with breadth, and then focus on depth. The early exploration that comes from saying "yes" to new opportunities is incredibly important, because it helps you decide where you have the most leverage to go deep. This is all part of my perspective on the personal flywheel and the power of saying yes first, then no later.
• Establish Your Own Measures: Getting caught in the trap of measuring your success against someone else's measures is a common career pitfall. We each need to determine what we want and how we will measure success. This is one of the most important determinations in life—it's not for someone else to determine for us, it's personal.

Great article from a great writer. Well worth a few minutes of your time.

One Podcast:

The Founders Podcast: John D. Rockefeller

This is a really cool new podcast I discovered that goes deep on the lives of prolific founders and operators throughout history. It is essentially a distilled version of a biography—saves a lot of time and is very engaging.

This episode on John D. Rockefeller was filled with neat insights:

• Cost Center to Profit Center: Amazon has become the modern example of a company successfully turning cost centers into profit centers of the business (e.g. Amazon Web Services, logistics), but Rockefeller became famous for doing the same. Standard Oil's acquisitions were often specifically targeted at eliminating cost centers through vertical integration (with the obvious caveat that he did so in pre-anti-trust days...).
• Depth of Understanding: Rockefeller's mindset was that it is very difficult to control something that you don't deeply understand. He always sought to be the most knowledgeable of the players and variables prior to playing a game. He only played games he was uniquely well-suited to win.
• Intense Secrecy: He frequently communicated in code and maintained a veil of secrecy over all operations. Standard Oil was secretly the owner of a massive web of companies—this led to some ironic/hilarious moments where a competitor would angrily turn down Standard Oil's buyout offer, only to sell to a smaller local operation that was secretly owned by Standard Oil.

Whether you love him or hate him, this will be a fascinating listen. If you haven't already read it, Titan by Ron Chernow is an amazing book on Rockefeller's life as well.

Listen to it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.​

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