FS | BRAIN FOOD
Oct 18th, 2026 - #703 - read online - Free Version
Welcome to Brain Food, your weekly signal in a world full of noise.
Tiny Thoughts
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The voice in your head is your ego’s defender. It shapes the facts to make you feel right.
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"I don't use Artificial Intelligence."
A carpenter who refuses a hammer doesn't make the house any better. He has only made his work slower and harder.
Judge the work, not the tool.
***
We spend time chasing money, then spend money chasing time.
Most of what you want when you finally have money is cheap: a slow morning, a walk with no destination, a day without meetings.
Real wealth is time.
Insights
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Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius:
“Until death, all defeat is psychological.”
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Ryan Serhant on becoming the person you want to be:
“Don’t act like the person you used to be. Act like the person you’re going to become.”
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Edwin Land on the power of focus:
“My whole life has been spent trying to teach people that intense concentration for hour after hour can bring out in people resources they didn't know they had.”
The Knowledge Project
Being good at what you do doesn’t guarantee that people will notice your work, trust you, or choose you.
That’s what I wanted to explore with this week’s guest, Ryan Serhant, founder of SERHANT. and star of Netflix’s Owning Manhattan.
We talk about getting noticed, earning trust, and asking for what you want without pushing people away. These skills matter whether you’re building a business, pitching an idea, or asking someone to take a chance on you.
Ryan also tells the story of a prospective client who didn’t reply for five years—and why he kept following up.
I’ve gotten more texts from close friends about this episode than any recent one. They all say some version of: “I didn’t think I would like this episode, but I learned so much. I’m listening again.”
Listen to my conversation on YouTube | Spotify | Apple | X | Show Page
- Members have access to an extended version of this episode.
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Thanks for reading. I'll see you next week.
— Shane Parrish
P.S. This is incredible.
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