👋 Welcome to the 139th issue of Open Loops, a weekly newsletter on clarity, growth, and building a life that feels like yours.
My name is Reza and each week, I sift through 100+ books, articles, podcasts, and (way too many) tweets to bring you the best in this newsletter.
You're not failing too much.
You're not failing enough.
The richest people lose the most money.
The most connected people get rejected the most.
The most successful people fail the most.
This isn't coincidence.
It's arithmetic.
More swings. More misses. More hits.
Your ceiling isn't set by talent.
It's set by how much uncertainty you're willing to handle.
The person who wins isn't avoiding rejection.
They're collecting it.
Stop protecting yourself from failure.
Start accumulating it.
Your success is hiding on the other side of attempts you haven't made yet.
📝 Get my Annual Review template
The year you don't examine is the year you're destined to repeat.
As 2025 comes to a close, now is the perfect time for a deeper look back.
Every year, I sit down with 35 questions across different life areas to capture the moments and experiences that shaped the last 12 months.
If that resonates with you, I've put together a simple template to guide you through your own reflections and help you set meaningful intentions for 2026.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Everything else is secondary...
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Chasing obsession is the fastest way to become a high performer.
Raise your standards so high people think you're a psychopath. Screw being average.
Never follow the conventional path. It's full of boredom and has the most competition.
One of the clearest signs of intelligence is being able to hear an opinion you disagree with and not act emotionally.
No one who climbs the corporate ladder is happy. It's a trap. Choose freedom.
If you have 8 hours a day to work a boring job, you have 1 hour in the morning to invest in yourself.
Avoid being busy. It means you don't know how to focus and it's a sign of low status.
Exercise every day, preferably in nature. It'll keep you younger for longer.
Flow states are more important than productivity.
The clock is ticking, but panic is optional.
The Deadline Candle transforms your most dreaded moments into sacred ritual.
Because who among us doesn’t need a good kick to remind us how little time we have on this rock?
Burn time: 3-4 hours.
The Deadline Candle is a limited-edition merch drop from sublime.app
The older I grow and the more I abandon myself to God's will, the less I value intelligence that wants to know and will that wants to do; and as the only element of salvation I recognize faith, which can wait patiently, without asking too many questions.
Till next time 👋
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My curated list of the 33 books that shaped how I think about identity, direction, and building a life that feels like your own.