I am biased.
I am a high-growth guy.
I believe in it.
Growth in life.
Growth in business.
It's not so much about achievement.
Although that tends to come with it.
In growth lies transformation.
You can transform from the old to the new. From the naive to the wise. From nothing to something. Those somethings can be many things. Some of them small. Some of them big. Some of them fleeting. Some of them everlasting.
There are a variety of reasons why I’m biased on growth.
I grew from struggling with learning disabilities and dyslexia as a child to becoming one of the first college graduates in my family, getting a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona. #BearDown
I grew my rough athletic abilities to land a place on the best Texas high school football team of the decade, starting at Noseguard as a 180lbs featherweight.
I grew my knowledge set and network to chart out a path as a young professional in New York City’s advertising business. Despite none of the big ad agencies ever giving me a chance, I’m now leading teams at one of the most innovative ad agencies in the world.
I grew from being a hobby runner to a marathon runner in 2023. Increasing my monthly miles average by +332% year-over-year.
As you can see.
I have first-hand experience with the transformational possibilities of growth.
To grow is to change. And to change one has to be open to operating differently than they did in the past.
This is a long-winded way to say changes (and growth) are coming to Move Fast, Thinks Slow in 2024.
Buckle up.
WHAT IS MOVE FAST, THINK SLOW?
When I started this newsletter nearly three years ago I had no idea what I was doing but I did know this: I didn’t just want to create another “hustle” newsletter. I wanted to make something a bit more dynamic.
I’ve stumbled through this the past few years but over the holiday break, I realized this: at its core MF/TS is about duality. New ideas and old wisdom. Sage advice and pro tips. I remember thinking if I’m going to be spamming people’s inboxes then I want to try my best to deliver premium value. Not just for your professional pursuits but the journey of life as well. I’ve stumbled my way through this the past few years. Thank you for coming on the trip with me. In 2024 it’s time to sharpen up the edges.
MF/TS 2024
Over the break, I dug into what I’m trying to get across with all the ideas I want to share in 2024. I’m updating the positioning and focus of the newsletter. Here it is:
A weekly newsletter on finding the adjacencies in life, performance, and brand marketing.
Fundamentally, I don’t think anyone can get to great work without being healthy in mind, body, or spirit. I also believe your health is more important than the hustle. When I talk about health in MF/TS I am aiming to share pro tips for you personally, but also for your collective team in whichever area of work you are in. I don’t believe we as individuals are magic makers, I believe high-trust / positive tribes are how great magic is made. It’s always a collaboration. Everything is connected.
“Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good. Play good, they pay good.”
I’d say to look good, you need to be as healthy as you can be. And looking good isn’t just what’s on the outside, it’s very much, if not more so, what’s on the inside.
On the hustle end of MF/TS I want to share the best ideas and business wisdom I’ve uncovered over the years. I’ve spent many hours studying brand marketing, creativity, innovation, and the best business leaders in the world. I’ve been fortunate to have led integrated advertising teams to produce campaigns for very successful companies. I was mentored by a CEO who started and operated multiple apparel businesses, one of which is even still around today 35+ years later. Some of these pieces will be focused on brand thinking. How brand marketing works. Ideas you should steal. And other items worth pinning to the board and using for yourself or your team.
THE 2024 DISPATCH SCHEDULE
You will receive an email every Thursday (or Friday morning). The key 2024 topics will be:
Performance & Health
Ideas & Strategies Worth Stealing
Brand Marketing Wisdom & Insights
Links to Make You Think
Op-Eds
Week 1 through week 4 will follow the flow outlined above.
Shout out to the Creator Guru / Content Coach / Soloprenuer Justin Welsh. His Content Operating System school gave me new ideas on how to make this newsletter hum. I’m challenging myself to write at a higher frequency now that I’ve learned his system. Wish me luck!
THE 2024 MF/TS (AND LIFE) GOALS
Some of these are FYIs. Some of them are meant directly for you. If any of them are of interest or if you have thoughts, just hit reply and let me know.
2024 MF/TS GOALS
Engage with the MF/TS community more: If you have any interest in giving me feedback or connecting to talk shop please reply to this note and we’ll figure it out. At the end of last year, I realized I’ve been so “heads down” caught up in work & life that I don’t get a chance to engage with my peoples. In 2024, I’m changing that.
Expand my little bubble: I want to synch up and meet with new people. Specifically, I want to advise a few young companies. The why behind that is for another time. If you are curious just email me about this and I’ll tell you more.
Growing MF/TS subscriber base: Not to get too caught up in the numbers but MF/TS doesn’t even have 100 subscribers yet. Es sad. That needs to change. So pass this on to a friend if you think of someone who would dig my chili, will you?
50+ Dispatches: I’ve averaged about one dispatch per month in the past few years. That’s 12 a year. Also, le sad. If I can do one per week, I’ll hit 50+ for the year. It’s time to raise the bar.
2024 LIFE GOALS
Running: Going to run the LA Marathon in March and take on NYC again in November. I won’t be satisfied until I break the 4:00:00 mark.
Plant-Based Diet: Everyone I speak with about this thinks I’m crazy because everyone is brainwashed into believing we need to get all of our protein from animal meat. Will write more on this soon but I can already tell, I’m less inflamed, and my recovery time from runs is speeding up. I feel like I have more energy too.
Photography/Shooting More: I was shooting a lot more before the little guy showed up. Now that he’s a bit older I want to get back out there a bit more. Goal: 3-4 planned photo shoots. Take out the camera more. Get a little weird with it too.
Write jokes: I have dreams of doing an open mic one day. But I need a five-minute set. Trying to write jokes or funny things weekly.
Practice Spanish daily: It’s time I finally pick up Spanish in a meaningful way. It’s kind of sad I don’t speak it already.
Schedule breathing work daily: Finding 10-minute windows to do breathing & positive self-talk exercises.
Schedule time to do nothing & walk: You read that correctly. There are a ton of wise words on how doing nothing has a lot of positive benefits. I recently read somewhere that Einstein used to get lost in his boat all of the time and when his friend offered to get him a motor so he could get back home when he got lost he turned it down. He told his friend getting lost was one of his favorite things to do. I want to do nothing more in 2024.
IMAGES OF THE WEEK
Elliot Erwitt recently passed away at 95. He’s a photography legend. His work spans a century. And his photos are some of the best visual art I’ve ever seen. These are a few of my favorites.
These were all shot on film. When technology didn’t let you cheat the system. Think about that. Rest in Power legend.
Go forth. Stay safe. Ride the wave.
-Mitch