For the next 5 minutes, let’s elevate your career.

In today’s email:

  • 3 ways to use silence

  • Stillness

  • Intensity

  • Glide

  • Tim Cook’s career wisdom

ON YOUR CAREER

3 ways to use silence

  1. Negotiation. Silence is useful after we have stated our terms or price. Any more words might weaken our position. Others often agree with us because of their discomfort with silence.

  2. Focus. We don’t need to be part of every discussion or debate. Many topics are outside our domain of expertise and better left to others. We don’t want to be distracted from our priorities.

  3. Recovery. We manage our energy by giving ourselves a break from noise. We can walk or sit without music, podcasts, and phone calls. Not every moment needs to be optimized for more information.

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It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgments.

— Marcus Aurelius
COMMUNICATION

Stillness

Nelson Mandela was renowned for his calm, dignified presence. He could sit still and listen. Mandela communicated with his body language that he was present for his audience. This drew others to him. It was part of his charisma.

Before any significant meeting, still yourself. Stillness is the state where you can model the energy and emotions you choose. Don’t fidget when you are listening to others. Being still communicates you are treating their interests seriously. This will draw people to you.

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It's what I learn from the great actors that I work with. Stillness. That's all and that's the hardest thing.

— Morgan Freeman
PRODUCTIVITY

Intensity

Cameron McEvoy won the 50m freestyle in 21.25 seconds at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In March 2026, he broke the 17-year-old world record by swimming 20.88. McEvoy did this in a regular swimsuit. The earlier record was set in the now banned polyurethane supersuit.

McEvoy studied physics and mathematics at university. He applied his knowledge to optimizing power in the pool. Rather than swimming the traditional 30km each week, he only swam 1km to 3km. His swimming was sprinting at race speed supplemented by power sessions at the gym.

McEvoy demonstrates the power of intensity.

Are there any projects you could apply intense energy to complete?

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It’s never about getting in the pool with the intention of beating everyone else. It’s all about expanding the radius of what I think I can reach.

— Cameron McEvoy
1 MINUTE TO SERENITY

Glide

Swimming reduces sensory load. We see, hear, smell, and taste less when we are immersed in water. Our brains become quiet. This is similar to when we meditate.

Gliding in water brings serenity.

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The body, immersed, feels amplified, heavier and lighter at the same time. Weightless yet stronger.

— Leanne Shapton
CAREER WISDOM

Tim Cook

Tim Cook (1960 — ) was born in Mobile, Alabama. He graduated from Auburn University with a degree in industrial engineering and from Duke University with an MBA. Cook worked at IBM for more than a decade, then held senior operations roles at Intelligent Electronics and Compaq.

Cook joined Apple in 1998 and became leader in the company’s global operations and supply chain. He served as Apple’s COO then became CEO in 2011 after Steve Jobs resigned. As CEO, Cook has overseen Apple’s expansion in products, service, and profit.

Some of Cook’s career wisdom:

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For the most important decisions in your life, trust your intuition, and then work with everything you have, to prove it right.

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Fearlessness means taking the first step, even if you don't know where it will take you.

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The time is always right to do right.

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