For years, I've been connecting with interesting people and documenting insights that might help my clients and myself. What was once private is now (mostly) public.

People often ask: "How do you know all these people?" and "How do you connect these (re: random) ideas?" The answer is simple: consistent relationship cultivation and thoughtful note taking. My north star is trusting my instincts, my maps are the constellations in these reflections.

This approach to multidisciplinary networking has helped dozens of clients, colleagues, and friends strengthen their networks and unlock new opportunities. Find my Personal Archive on CultishCreative.com, watch me build a better Personal Network on the Cultish Creative YouTube channel, and listen to Just Press Record on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow me on social media (LinkedIn and X) - now distributed by Epsilon Theory.

You can also check out my work as Managing Director at Sunpointe, as a host on top investment YouTube channel Excess Returns, and as Senior Editor at Perscient.

Feel free to steal these ideas directly - that's what they're for! I can't promise you'll learn FROM me, but I guarantee you can learn something WITH me. Let's go. Count it off: 1-2-3-4!

Introducing... Lindsey Bell!

Do you know Lindsey Bell? She's a labor market strategist, TED Talk speaker, and board chair at BetterInvesting who sees economic shifts before they happen.

If not, allow me to introduce you. Lindsey has this incredible ability to spot workforce trends that are still brewing beneath the surface and translate them into actionable insights for investors and workers alike. I wanted to connect with her because she embodies something I value deeply: the courage to call out uncomfortable truths about where our economy is heading, especially when it comes to how we think about work and purpose.

Our conversation is LIVE now on the Just Press Record YouTube channel (and this Cultish Creative Playlist). Listen and you'll hear her predict the coming explosion of entrepreneurship among skilled workers, why the traditional W2 safety net is cracking, and how community will become the secret weapon for surviving economic fragmentation.

THREE: That's The Magic Number of Lessons

In the meantime, I wanted to pull THREE KEY LESSONS from my time with Lindsey Bell to share with you (and drop into my Personal Archive).

Read on and you'll find a quote with a lesson and a reflection you can Take to work with you, Bring home with you, and Leave behind with your legacy.

WORK: The Test and Learn Economy Is Here

Key Concept: We're witnessing the birth of what Lindsey calls the "test and learn economy" - where skilled workers aged 35-55 are being pushed toward entrepreneurship not by choice, but by necessity. These aren't wannabe influencers or gig workers; they're experienced professionals creating real businesses with products and services. The old safety net of corporate employment is fraying, but the infrastructure for independent work has never been stronger.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: I am regularly reminded of and amazed by how the part I was most drawn to in working as a music producer turned into some bastard skillset of listening to people to help them plot out and accomplish what they most want to express. Yeah, money is more boring than music and I know all that, but - the core skillset is the same and it’s cool and weird at the same time. Don’t tell 17-year-old me, he won’t get it, but 43 year-old-me is OK with it.

The “test and learn” idea Lindsey’s talking about is what got me here. It won’t get me wherever next is literally, but metaphorically, as a tool, it’s how I ended up with my website (almost 8 years ago), and then YouTube (just over a year ago), and who knows what next. The comfort level, once you’ve done it once, is enhanced when you experiment more and again. I’m not alone in this. Lindsey has the proof.

Work question for you: If your current job disappeared tomorrow, what real value could you create independently - and what would you need to test first?

LIFE: Finding Your Enough in a Fragmented World

Key Concept: The old model of endless growth and accumulation is giving way to something Lindsey sees as more sustainable: the "enough economy." This isn't about settling for less - it's about recognizing that deep satisfaction can come from serving a smaller, more engaged community really well. Kevin Kelly's "1000 True Fans" concept isn't just for creators; it's becoming a life philosophy for anyone building something meaningful.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: The internet introducing the concept of infinite shelf space sure did drive the commoditization of everything. But what it didn’t kill was meaning. We just, sometimes, forget how to find that meaning.

I remember getting my first iPod that could fit 10 albums on it. The upgrade to get 30 or 50 albums. Then, eventually, the one that could hold 1,000. The instinct was to fill it up. The instinct was to make the library infinite.

But the realization was, in practice, I’d still go back to my favorite artists and the most meaningful bits because I loved them. You can’t love infinity. You can only love… finnity? Finiteness - that’s probably the word, right?

I don’t know if as a society we all realize it yet, but I do believe we are coming around to it like Lindsey suggests. If you don’t need to be infinity, and you don’t want to be zero, you start to define what enough looks like - and whether that’s Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 true fans or something less, a more appropriate answer is out there waiting for you to fine-tune it (and lots of people are thinking about it now).

Obligatory music reference: "‘93 Til Infinity” by Souls of Mischief was one of those songs I would then, and still do today, always go back to.

Life Question For You: What would "enough" look like in your life, and how might that change the risks you're willing to take?

LEGACY: Community Is the New Currency

Key Concept: As the workforce fragments and more people work independently, community becomes both a competitive advantage and a human necessity. Lindsey sees this clearly in her work with BetterInvesting, where investment clubs succeed not just because of the education, but because of the face-to-face connection. The businesses that win will be the ones that create genuine community around their mission, not just transactions.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: Social media followers are the infinite shelf space problem applied to relationships. But you can't build real community with a bajillion people any more than you can truly love infinity. It's the Mitch Hedberg joke about rice - “Rice is great if you're really hungry and want to eat two thousand of something.” But community isn't about feeding hunger, it's about feeding connection.

It’s quality over quantity. And you get to decide the limiting factors around quality, which, in turn, help decide the quantity you require to have some standards.

Society is lacking standards right now. We might disagree on what those standards are, but I have a hunch we totally agree that something feels off. Refreshed definitions of “enough” and plans that deal with quality relationships - how is this not the future? I know it’s the future I want to live in.

Legacy question for you: What communities are you building or contributing to that will outlast your individual contribution?

BEFORE YOU GO: Be sure to…

• Connect with Lindsey Bell on LinkedIn and Twitter

• Check out her TEDx Talk: "How to Take Ownership of Your Career"

• Look into BetterInvesting if you're interested in investment education and community

• Take a moment to reflect on all these ideas!

You have a Personal Network and a Personal Archive just waiting for you to build them up stronger. Look at your work, look at your life, and look at your legacy - and then, start small in each category. Today it's one person and one reflection. Tomorrow? Who knows what connections you'll create.

Last thing: Don't forget to click reply/click here and tell me who you're adding to your network and why! Plus, if you already have your own Personal Archive too, let me know, I'm creating a database.