Today is not only the final day of 2025,
it is the closing of a Universal 9 Year.
A long collective chapter, which opened in 2017, is coming to rest.
Before the birth of the next cycle begins tomorrow,
may we pause long enough to feel what is ending.
May what these nine years have taught us live on in our bodies,
guiding us toward a liberation that forgets no one.
Àṣẹ
HABITS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE;
• Wake early - Win the morning
• Water first - Flush toxins
• Cold shower - Boost willpower
• Deep breath - Reset stress
• Walk daily - Clear your head
• Sunlight AM - Balance hormones
• No snooze - Build discipline
• Stretch every morning - Increase flexibility
• Phone off AM - Gain clarity
• Eat protein - Crush cravings
• Sleep dark - Boost melatonin
• No sugar - Feel clean
• Read 10 mins - Train focus
• Gratitude journal - Rewire your mindset
• Say "no" - Protect peace
• Smile more - Rewire your brain
• Fix posture - Boost energy
• Meditate daily - Calm your nervous system
• Eat slow - Aid digestion
• Hug someone - Raise oxytocin
• Hydrate - Feel alive
Save this for laterrrrrrrrrr
Everyone's trying to manipulate you.
The news. Advertising. Even your family.
A Secret Service agent just revealed how to stay in control when someone is trying to manipulate you on the latest Diary of a CEO episode.
After 30 years interrogating the world's biggest liars, here's what he said:
Desmond O'Neal spent three decades in law enforcement.
Corrections officer. Police officer. SWAT team. Secret Service. Polygraph examiner.
His job? Getting people who didn't want to talk to open up.
Not through force. Through connection.
Here's his framework for having any difficult conversation:
First, stop labeling people.
The moment you call someone a "narcissist" or say they "gaslight" you, you've made it easy on yourself.
You've placed all the blame on them.
And you've lost the ability to actually understand why they're acting that way.
Labels are shortcuts that kill curiosity.
Second, you need a PLAN.
P is for Purpose.
Why are you there? What's the actual goal?
Because when emotions run high, you'll get pulled off track fast.
If you lose your cool, you lose control.
Your mission keeps you anchored when things get ugly.
O'Neal once interviewed a serial kidnapper for 36 hours over 4 days.
The man was aggressive. Called him a liar. Questioned his integrity.
O'Neal never took the bait.
His purpose wasn't to prove he was smarter. It was to get information.
He stayed on mission. And he got it.
L is for Listen.
Here's the problem: Your brain processes 400-600 words per minute.
People speak at 120-150 words per minute.
You have too much cognitive bandwidth. So you drift. You start thinking about your response instead of actually listening.
Steven Covey said it best: "Most people don't listen with the intent to understand. They listen with the intent to reply."
If you're just waiting for your turn to talk, you're not connecting.
Controlling conversation comes from listening, not talking.
A is for Ask.
Research shows we only understand our significant other's headspace about 40% of the time.
And when the conversation gets emotional? That drops to 15%.
When your ego is on the line, your ears go offline.
So ask questions. Don't assume you know what they mean.
If your partner says "that was tough," don't assume you know why.
Ask: "What do you mean by tough?"
That's how you deepen connection.
N is for Next Steps.
How do you want this to resolve?
Ask them directly: "Do you think we can find a way forward where we actually enjoy each other's time?"
If yes, great. Work together on what that looks like.
If no, at least you know where you stand.
Now here's what to STOP doing:
1. Stop trying to be right.
2. Stop telling people "I understand."
You understand their words. You don't understand their headspace.
When you say "I understand," you're taking their moment and making it about you.
3. Stop giving unsolicited opinions.
Most people don't want you to fix their problems.
They want you to sit in the mud with them.
Unless they ask for advice, just listen.
One more thing about manipulation vs. influence:
Influence is nudging someone in a direction that's good for both of you.
Manipulation is nudging someone in a direction that's only good for you.
The difference? Honesty.
Manipulators lie. They take shortcuts.
Influential people are transparent. They build trust.
And trust is everything.
The biggest insight from 30 years of interrogation?
Your ability to build rapport is what gives you power.
Not tricks. Not tactics. Not manipulation.
Genuine connection.
Being present. Making people feel seen and heard.
That's how you stay in control.
Not by dominating the conversation.
But by understanding it....
Real Luxuries in Life
1. Living 10 minutes from work
2. Living 5 minutes from the gym
3. Having quiet neighbors
4. Having money left at the end of the month and investing it
5. Peace at home
6. Drinking coffee without rushing
7. Sleeping with a clear conscience
8. Laughing with people who truly get you
9. Traveling every year
10. Waking up naturally without an alarm
11. Enjoying a home-cooked meal with loved ones
12. Having time to read a book in one sitting
13. Finding joy in simple daily routines
14. Having a pet that greets you happily at the door
These are the things that actually feel rich.
Rich people collect fancy watches.
I collect useful mental models—timeless rules of thumb that simplify decisions.
12 most powerful (and dangerous) mental models I've found:
1. The Power of Walking
I'm a big fan of the "GPS Theory" when you miss a turn, your GPS doesn't judge you, it recalculates. No matter how many detours you take, it finds another way forward. Life works like that too. You'll make mistakes, but your destination doesn't vanish. The route just changes.
I’m seeing a lot of posts from self-identified Democrats and progressives who’ve recently gone down the rabbit hole of binge-watching Charlie Kirk videos—curious to understand who he really is beyond the headlines.
Their reactions are remarkably similar.
They’re often shocked to realize that the version of Charlie they were conditioned to believe in bears little resemblance to reality.
What they find instead isn’t a caricature, but a thoughtful, articulate young man—firm in his convictions, yet respectful in how he expresses them.
He’s not the villain they were told to expect. He’s curious, honest, and often gracious in debate, even with those who strongly disagree with him.
His greatest “crime” appears to be his willingness to engage in civil discourse.
If you’re one of the millions beginning to realize you’ve been misled about Charlie Kirk—don’t let the awakening stop there.
Start questioning everything you’ve been told about the issues that divide us.
Because, like the narrative about Charlie, many of those stories are built on outright lies.
Keep digging, and you’ll eventually discover that your true enemy is big media and those who fund and control the narrative.
Not your fellow American.
Share if you care…
“Very little is needed to make a happy life;
it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
~ Marcus Aurelius, 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
I'm hoping you have a wonderful weekend.♡
·
Watercolor by Mary-Louise Boardman
Read this one in silence.
Let it settle in you.
If consciousness is not personal,
if it's not yours or mine but the field we all arise from,
then what is there to be proud of?
Your talent? Your intellect? Your "spiritual journey"?
These are just waves on the ocean. The ocean doesn't get proud of a wave, it just flows.
Pride comes from the illusion of ownership: "I did this. I became this. I know this."
But if you look closely, even your thoughts arise on their own.
Even your desire to evolve isn't fully yours.
It's the same consciousness playing a different game through you.
So what's left?
Not pride.
Not shame.
Just a quiet respect
for the mystery that moves through all of us..
not mine, not yours,
just the Being itself
wearing your name for a little while.
~ Ketu
If it drains you, it's too expensive, no matter the cost.
Holding onto something out of past investment only keeps you stuck.
If it's taking more than it gives, it's time to walk away, no matter how much you've already put in.
~ Ketu Wisdom