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... Morgan Ranstrom (Again)!

Remember Morgan Ranstrom? Stone Arch Rivals lead guitar player, Trailhead Planners Chief Visionary, and resident LinkedIn video creator extraordinaire? Well, he's back for round two.

If you missed part one, go back and find it. But here's the thing about Morgan that keeps drawing me back: I wanted to connect with him again because he embodies something I value deeply: the courage to create in public despite feeling perpetually late to every party.

Our conversation is LIVE now on the Just Press Record YouTube channel (and this Cultish Creative Playlist). Listen and you'll hear us dive deep into the revolutionary concept of building in public, the creative flywheel, and why starting now beats never starting at all.

THREE: That's The Magic Number of Lessons

In the meantime, I wanted to pull THREE KEY LESSONS from my time with Morgan 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: You Don't Get To Feel Early - Just Go Anyway

Key Concept: The feeling of being "late" to any creative endeavor, business opportunity, or networking initiative is universal - except for those rare few who were genuinely early. Morgan's insight cuts through the paralysis of perfectionism: everyone feels behind, so that feeling isn't a valid reason to delay. The real question isn't whether you're late, but whether you're willing to start compounding now rather than wishing you had started ten years from now.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: I was accidentally early to podcasts. I remember hearing about them, probably on NPR or somewhere like that, and then I went to a weird section of iTunes, and next to radio (which I never clicked on), there they were. NPR music had interviews and concerts on their podcast episodes. I found EconTalk and WTF and some other stuff there in time too, just from poking around.

This was all somewhere in the 2005-2010 era. Pre (modern) smartphones, I would have to manually download each episode and then transfer the files to my iPod. It was kind of annoyingly inconvenient, but - I loved the format. I remember thinking, “I could do this.” Especially with the less than NPR produced stuff like WTF and even early EconTalk.

What I didn’t do was START. I just consumed. Passively too.

All that ate away at my soul when in 2022, probably 15+ years AFTER I thought it was a good idea, and well into the period of feeling like “everybody is already doing this, what am I even attempting here,” when I started podcasting.

Was I late? Absolutely. Am I enjoying it? Absolutely. Did being late matter? Not at all - and look, here I am talking to Morgan about it now, so how cool is this?! Starting the podcast and YouTube stuff is by far one of the most fun things I’m doing these days. I wouldn’t have had it any other way (OK, I would have started sooner, but at least I’m going now).

Plus, getting to have conversations like this one with Morgan - connections I never would have made if I'd stayed paralyzed by being '“late" - these are priceless to me.

Work question for you: What project or initiative are you not starting because you feel "too late" to the game?

LIFE: The Discomfort Test For Authentic Creation

Key Concept: Morgan identifies discomfort as the litmus test for authentic creative work. When we use AI or other tools to make our output feel "safe" and "expert-level," we lose the vulnerable, human elements that create genuine connection. The rawness of not being the expert yet, of exploring ideas in real-time, is exactly what makes content worth consuming. It's the difference between auto-tuned perfection and the crack in your voice when you get emotional on stage.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: I don’t want to see my first podcast episodes. I could. I know where they are. You could too. Look and don’t tell me about it if you want.

I had to figure out a bunch of technical tools. I had to figure out what filler words had crept into my non-recorded speaking habits. I had to know it was going to really (really) suck for a while and get comfortable with the obscurity I was releasing it into.

Just because those episodes aren’t as good (or good, I can take it) doesn’t mean they weren’t worth doing. They still have some redeemable qualities, but most of all, they represent me getting my reps in. You can’t trade playing out of tune and learning how to fix it on stage under pressure for never knowing what that experience is like.

The discomfort is a feature not a bug. It’s hard to seek it out. But it’s essential we seek it out.

Life Question For You: Where in your life are you choosing comfort over the raw authenticity that creates real connection?

LEGACY: Give Yourself Up To Uncertainty And Randomness

Key Concept: The most meaningful creative and professional experiences come from surrendering control and embracing collaborative uncertainty. Like the difference between a solo performance where you control everything versus a band where each member influences the others in unpredictable ways, building in public means accepting that your ideas will evolve through interaction with others. This humility - admitting you don't know where your work will lead - is actually what allows for the most extraordinary outcomes.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: An early podcast experience I had was how many people had A. never been on one, and B. were confused by the format in the post-COVID (re: work from home) world I was starting out in.

Could everybody just flip on a webcam, press record, and be good at this? (No.)

The weird little opportunity I saw when I started was exactly what Morgan talks about with surrendering control - the more variables you could let hang, and the more you could make sure people were appropriately comfortable with those unpredictable details (like not having an outline, or knowing who you are about to show up and be matched up with), the more open you could get people to be if you got the vibe right.

We have a problem surrendering control. I spent a lot of time on stages and in setting where you had to win over the room and sometimes even your own bandmates. That practice has a purpose now. If I know how to let the chaos be comfortable, and if I can get others to be ok with it in a small feeling moment with big potential reach, that’s a magic I want to put my energy into.

Legacy question for you: How might your life's work compound differently if you embraced more uncertainty and collaboration?

BEFORE YOU GO: Be sure to…

• Connect with Morgan on LinkedIn (Morgan Ranstrom, CFP) and at all the other places via his personal site (MorganRanstrom.com)

• Check out Stone Arch Rivals on Spotify and support local music

• Take a moment to reflect on what creative project you've been avoiding because you feel "too late"!

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.

***Speaking of which - this post itself is exactly what Morgan and I are talking about. I'm building my Personal Archive in public, sharing half-formed thoughts about creativity and connection, not knowing exactly where these ideas will lead. That's the practice. That's the flywheel. And now you're part of it.***

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.