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Excellent at Life

Joseph Gerstel

I write about living a wise life. There are no shortcuts. Folks tell me they cry when they read my newsletter or they read it at the dinner table to their family. Life is a skill and we can excel at it. What could be more important? Join thousands of readers and get weekly insights on living wisely.

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Featured Post

EAL #29 — You've Got Some Thorns in You

No. 29 - Friday, August 18 - 3 Minute Read - Audio Version Here You've Got Some Thorns in You Quirky Brains and Stale People Our brains are quirky things. IMHO they’re a bunch of poorly integrated biological systems cobbled together. You can reverse engineer the parts to work together reasonably, but it takes a lot of work and understanding, understanding which was not accessible to most throughout the course of history. If that's not the case, explain to me why humans can't seem to live...

8 months ago • 4 min read
President Donald Trump

No. 28 - Friday, August 4 - 3 Minute Read - Audio Version Here The Trump Button I’m Boring (and Honestly, You’re Probably Too) I've decided I'm kind of boring. I catch myself in the same arguments again and again, the same tired viewpoints rolling out of my mouth as if on their own. I'm gonna guess that you're boring too. That you do the same thing that I do, repeating yourself ad nauseam and rehashing the same arguments for decades on end. It's kind of dull if you think about it. Like why...

9 months ago • 4 min read
orange leaf

No. 27 - Friday, July 28 - 3 Minute Read - Audio Version Here A small favor — I'm about 30 subscribers short of 1,000, so if you're enjoying the letter, I'd so appreciate if you shared it with just one more person who might enjoy it. Easiest way is to hit forward and say "I really enjoy this newsletter. You can sign up for it at excellentatlife.com." Or click here to share it on Twitter. Spouses are good targets — they love when you try to change them 😉 The Clench A Technical Problem with...

9 months ago • 4 min read

No. 26 - Half a year's worth! - Friday, July 21 - 2 Minute Read - Audio Version Here EAL Paid Subscription — You can now become a paid subscriber to the letter. Right now there's nothing special for paid subscribers, so it's just donative. (I've read that usually about 3% of subscribers voluntarily support creators. Let's see.) Living Wisely Kids Pod — My kids and I have released the third episode on Living Wisely, our story podcast summer project. Our goal is to release 10 episodes and hit...

9 months ago • 3 min read

No. 25 - Friday, July 14th - 3 Minute Read - Audio Version Here Need a Lawyer? I run a large group of >400 lawyers if you need a referral. I also have my own firm representing buyers or sellers of small businesses (think dental practice, coffee shop, therapy clinic etc.). This is probably attorney advertising. Excellent at Life Podcast — You can find an audio version of this newsletter here on the pod. I'm currently releasing three weekly episodes, one being the newsletter. Living Wisely Kids...

10 months ago • 4 min read
rope on hole

No. 24 - Friday, July 7, 2023 - 3 Minute Read Two New Podcasts: Excellent at Life Podcast | Living Wisely Podcast for Kids You can listen to an audio version of this newsletter here on the new Excellent at Life podcast. Your kids can listen to the first story on my new Living Wisely podcast, Stories and Lessons for Kids (and the adults listening in the background). Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment, but I've also figured out how to create these quickly. Both podcasts are experiments and I...

10 months ago • 4 min read
selective focus photography of blackberry fruit during daytime

No. 23 - Friday, June 30 - 1 Minute Read The Grapes of Sorrow Have you seen a vintner running from his grapes? A man running from his sorrows? The things you avoid are the sugar that will turn you into wine. The presence that you bring to them, the barrel within which they will age. What you believe is a thorn in your side, is a spigot waiting to be opened. Your heart lies near to the things that bother you. If you will find your way back, the path is blazed. You think the roads are dark, but...

10 months ago • 2 min read
a statue of a man with a sword

No. 22 - June 23, 2023 - 3 Minute Read Entrepreneurial Lawyers Meetup in NYC, Thursday, July 13th I’m hosting a meetup in NYC on Thursday, July 13th at 6:30 PM for legal professionals interested in all things entrepreneurial (broadly defined 😊). You can grab a ticket here ($25 to attend, first ten folks to use code "entrepreneur" get a $15 discount), there are 50 tickets total and a number have sold already. If you’d like to sponsor, please get in touch. The Most Humble of Men Old Roots,...

10 months ago • 4 min read
sun light passing through green leafed tree

No. 21 - June 16, 2023 - 4 Minute Read A Tree Finds Its Roots – Letting Go of Resentment Many of you know I come from a rather traditional Jewish background. (If you didn’t, now you do.) The particular microculture I grew up in was a poor fit for my quirky mind and emotional sensitivity. As a young adult I grew very angry towards my childhood environment. I resented its insularity, its dogmatism, its insistence on a very scripted form of life that felt like I was a tree squished into a box. I...

11 months ago • 4 min read
waterfalls near cave at daytime

No. 20!!!! - June 9, 2023 - 3 Minute Read Next Legaltech/Lawyer-Founder Startup Pitch Session is Next Thursday The next startup pitch session is this week, Thursday, June 15th, at 5 PM EST, on Zoom. Focus is on legaltech or lawyer-founded startups. 8 startups will be pitching to 7+ venture capital firms and loads of people will be watching. You can register here if you want to attend, but please do so soon so I know if I need to increase the Zoom size as registration is pretty high. What is...

11 months ago • 4 min read
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