RecomMONDAYtions ~ 2026.03.02

Recommended Article and Video

️⭐ What Does it Mean to Be Wealthy

In a recent session with business owners, I asked attendees to tell me the difference between “prosperity” and “profits.” The consensus: Profit is simply a measure of money; prosperity is about how you experience life.

I was thinking about that discussion when I saw this article by Ryan Holiday, author of The Daily Stoic: What Does It Mean To Be Wealthy?

Most of the ancient stoic phoilosophers were wealthy, but they didn’t view “wealth” as the goal. They were after something more. The article and the video below reveal what matters isn’t the size of your bank account, but your mindset toward it.

Recommended Music

🎶 “My Ideal” (Catherine Russell and Sean Mason)

When I was a kid, my dad took me to see Ella Fitzgerald live. She was old, nearly blind, and well past her prime. But still, I’ll never forget it.

Over the weekend, Melissa and I saw Catherine Russell sing jazz and blues standards (accompanied by the great pianist Sean Mason). This is the first time I’ve heard a singer who could give Ella a run for her money.

If you like jazz vocalists, you’ll love this…

Recommended Ring

💍 Oura 4

I bought my Oura smart ring in 2024 and have loved it since then… until the battery began to fade. I used it to track my sleep, heart rate, steps, and other health/exercise data. But lately, the ring hasn’t held a charge.

So I contacted customer support, bracing for one of those AI-powered chats-from-hell. Imagine my surprise when the bot looked up my ring’s “battery diagnostics” and immediately said I was eligible for a free replacement.

For many businesses, AI has made customer service faster, but worse. At Oura, the bot got to the right solution quickly.

I recommend the Oura because it’s a great product, and they back it up with a good return/replacement policy.

Podcast (The Story Power Marketing Show)

📡 How to Publish a Business Building Book Without Selling Your Soul or Losing Your Mind (with Everett O’Keefe)

Sean Everett O’Keefe is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and International #1 bestselling author and the founder of Ignite Press, a hybrid publishing company that helps entrepreneurs, business leaders, and medical professionals grow their authority and revenue through publishing.

His most recent solo book, The Power of the Published, explores how rapidly authoring and launching a book can transform a business — and a life. Over the years, Everett has helped create and launch more than 200 bestselling books for his clients. He speaks nationally on the power of publishing and is passionate about helping experts become the one who wrote the book — not just the one who read it.

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE

[00:01:00] Why Authorship Still Commands Authority

[00:03:00] The Rapid Writing Advantage

[00:05:00] From Blog to Book (Without Reinventing the Wheel)

[00:08:00] Using AI Without Selling Your Soul

[00:09:00] Traditional Publishing: The Hidden Tradeoffs

[00:13:00] Self-Publishing vs. Hybrid Publishing

[00:17:00] The Truth About Amazon Bestseller Launches

[00:20:00] Stop Chasing Royalties — Start Leveraging Authority

[00:24:00] The “Podcast Perk” Strategy

[00:26:00] Don’t Be a Secret Agent Author

[00:30:00] Own Your Intellectual Property

[00:31:00] The Unexpected Internal Shift

FULL EPISODE VIDEO: vimeo.com/1169545325

Listen on…

Apple | Spotify | Amazon

Words to Ponder

“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.”

– Dr. Seuss