🧠 It's never been a better time to be curious

Spring is when nature itself unleashes its curiosity.

Photo by Hasse Lossius on Unsplash

Spring is finally hitting New York and the most curious things are up in the air, quite literally.

After months of hibernation, the city’s wildlife is suddenly bursting back into the frame.

The robins are nosy, the squirrels are fearless, and every street feels like it’s hosting a TED Talk in pigeon. Don’t get me started about the rats.

And us? We’re coming out too. Warmer days don’t just lighten the mood—they fire up our brains.

🌤️ In fact, sunshine makes us take bigger risks on the stock market. Research shows that sunny weather leads investors to jump head first in comparison to colder days (Hirshleifer & Shumway, 2003).

Another study found that higher temperatures increase helpfulness and generosity, even with strangers (Cunningham, 1979).

Spring doesn’t just make flowers bloom. It makes curiosity contagious.

So if you’ve been waiting for a sign to dig deeper, read more, or try that thing you've been putting off?

This is it.

Let the season do its work.

You don’t need to hustle.

You need to wonder.

📘 A book to read

Inspire: Unlocking the Hidden Dynamics of Leadership by Adam Galinsky

Adam Galinsky, professor at Columbia Business School, visited my executive education class at Harvard not long ago.

He didn’t just bring the slides.

He brought stories.

And left the room inspired, not just informed.

Galinsky's work breaks leadership down into two paths: you either inspire or you infuriate.

And what makes the difference you aske?

Practice. Intent. Curiosity.

Here’s what stuck with me:

• Inspiration isn’t a trait. It’s a behavior. Learnable. Repeatable. Missable if you don’t pay attention.

• Leaders inspire when they expand what's possible, not just in them, but in those around them. Leadership is you-centric.

• The best communicators don’t talk louder. They frame smarter.

🧠 Worth your time: Inspire: Unlocking the Hidden Dynamics of Leadership (Amazon link)

Bonus: Adam’s “Am I Inspiring” assessment is worth a click or two as well.

---

🎟️ A thing to do

Winning x Purpose: An Exclusive Conversation with Suzy Welch and Coach Bill Belichick
📍 Paulson Auditorium, NYU Stern
🕔 Tuesday, May 6, 5–6 PM
🎓 Hosted by NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing

What do six Super Bowls and a purpose-driven life have in common? We'll find out once my colleague Suzy gets her hands on Bill Belichick next month!

As Suzy would surely agree this chat is more than football. It’s a masterclass in what deliberate practice looks like, when it’s applied to both performance and meaning.

👉 Register here

---

💭 A thought to have

What’s the hard thing you’re avoiding?

Angela Duckworth calls it deliberate difficulty. Psychologists call it desirable difficult, those tasks that make you feel slower in the moment but lead to stronger, longer-lasting learning.

Add to that the science of forgetting as a feature, not a flaw (Bjork & Bjork, 1992), and suddenly our most annoying mental habits start to look like the engine of real mastery.

You don’t get better by doing what’s easy.
You get better by wrestling with what you’re about to quit.

So, what’s that hard thing you are avoiding right now?

Write it down.

Then go flirt with it. Gently, until you might find yourself pulled in to finally get it done.

---

🧠 A nut to crack

Pinocchio says: “My nose will grow now.”
If he’s lying, it will grow. But if it grows, then he was telling the truth—which means it shouldn’t have grown.
But if it doesn’t grow, then he was lying…

🤯 What happens?

Reply with your theory. Winner gets eternal bragging rights and a sneak-peek of the current draft of my upcoming book’s chapter on how to get better ideas.

---

✍️ Recent writings on Forbes and beyond

• Latest: Why Struggling (the Right Way) Helps You Learn

• Want to Make Better Decisions? Copy the Slime Mold

• Your Brain Was Built to Forget—Make It Work For You

• The Case For Terminal Optimism In An Unpredictable World

• The AI Coordination Revolution You Haven’t Heard About Yet

I am currently conducting a study on range and how it impacts people’s career trajectories. Ten questions and name will get you on the hall of fame as we pump up the n on the study. Link below - thanks for considering

You’ve reached the end - thanks for scrolling all the way down!

Curiosity is best when enjoyed in great company. Refer this issue and grab a chance to get a case of Half Day ice tea whose founder story you’ll learn more about next month.

A fun duo with a great story and a tasty product to boot. You didn’t ask, but I’ll say it anyway - the raspberry flavor is the way to go.

And naturally, subscribe yourself if someone shared this issue with you.

And the next time you see them, give them a hug.

See how much they care about you and that wonderful brain of yours!