Hi Reader,

I can't believe the kiddos start school this week. But let's be honest, a little structure probably ain't a bad thing.

Speaking of fatherhood, I often wonder if I'd be a better parent if I was less ambitious.

Hear me out, I know my drive has created a wonderful life for my family.

But I can easily tip into the land of unhinged ambition - and then become distracted and disconnected.

My friend Jeff Hittner (who wrote this week's essay) is organizing a free workshop for Ambitious Dads looking to develop new tools to deepen our connection with our children.

Am I a bad dad?

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Today's essay is a guest post written by Jeff Hittner. Jeff's an entrepreneur, executive coach, husband, and father (rarely in that order!), the founder of Ambitious Dads and an ambitious dad himself. Ambitious Dads is a resource for fathers inspired to lead in their careers AND at home with their children.

He threw food, screamed and smacked his little brother upside the head.

Yup, my 5-year old was having his Will Smith moment.

That’s when I lost it.

I grabbed him from his seat, arms wailing in the air and brought him to his bedroom.

I channeled my inner Stone Cold Steve Austin and body slammed him onto his fluffy duvet.

And slammed the door behind me as I left. 

This made everything worse, of course.

My son’s emotional meltdown was met with my equally worse dysregulation. 

It immediately bubbled up my insecurities about fatherhood. 

And I wondered, “Am I a bad dad?”

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Here are this week's top reads:

// one

How ‘coaching’ became Silicon Valley’s hack for therapy

2 minutes | New York Times

Everyone seems to be a coach today... ahem. Is coaching snake oil? And how does it differ from therapy and its strict qualification standards? This is a long read that goes into incentive structures of therapy and the capitalist motivations to always be improving one's self.

→ Read the article​

// two

A few laws of getting rich

7 minutes | Collab Fund

It’s been drilled into our heads that money can’t buy happiness. Yes, money can make our lives easier, but that doesn’t paint the full picture. Morgan Housel explains 13 “downsides” to being rich, like: admiration may actually be envy and it’s hard to let go of worry when you’re rich.

→ Read the article​

// three

Remote workers are about to get a rude awakening

5 minutes | Business Insider

With the rise of remote work, many professionals moved out of big cities like New York and San Francisco looking for a better lifestyle. But is that decision sustainable in over the long term? Or is it going to harm their potential for future professional growth?

→ Read the article​

This Week on The Examined Life Podcast

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This week's episode: How to overcome envy​

Below the Fold
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LAST WEEK'S MOST READ

• ​Burn all the ships (and go for gold) (RadReads, 461 clicks)
• ​Retirement: Freedom or free-fall? (Tom Pendergast, 378 clicks)

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And finally, a Gen Alpha son explains rizz, skibidi toilet and Ohio to his Millennial mom.

With gratitude,

Khe

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