The Propeller - 💥 Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica. 💥 - 6-29-2025

Entrepreneur / Life: What The Bear Can Teach Us About Life and Business

If you haven’t watched The Bear yet, you’re missing one of the most intense, heartfelt, and brilliantly crafted shows on television. Set in a chaotic Chicago kitchen, the show follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a world-class chef who returns home to run his late brother’s sandwich shop. It’s raw, emotional, and surprisingly inspirational. Season 4 just dropped, and it continues the trend of powerful storytelling, complex characters, and important life lessons.

One of the most compelling aspects of The Bear, especially highlighted in Season 3, is Carmy’s list of 27 non-negotiables. These are principles that aren’t just rules for a kitchen, but timeless values we can all use in our personal and professional lives.

Here’s a closer look at each one, and how they translate beyond the kitchen:

1. Respect everyone in the kitchen

Whether it’s a bustling kitchen or a boardroom, mutual respect sets the tone for a healthy environment. Everyone brings value, and recognizing that builds trust and teamwork.

2. No shortcuts

In business and life, cutting corners often leads to bigger problems. Excellence takes time, intention, and full effort. Integrity means doing the work the right way, not the fast way.

3. Quality over everything

Whether you’re shipping a product or having a conversation with a loved one, doing it with care and high standards reflects your values. Mediocrity is easy, quality is a choice.

4. Own your mistakes

Accountability builds character. Owning up when things go wrong shows maturity and earns the respect of your peers. In business, it can even lead to unexpected opportunities.

5. We’re all in this together

Life is a team sport. Collaboration and shared purpose fuel progress, whether you’re working on a startup or raising a family. No one succeeds alone.

6. Cleanliness is crucial

An organized workspace or living space improves focus and reduces stress. Clean environments reflect a clear mind and respect for your surroundings.

7. Be on time

Punctuality signals discipline, respect for others’ time, and reliability. Being consistently late undermines trust in both personal and professional circles.

8. Clear communication is key

Misunderstandings derail projects and relationships. Say what you mean. Listen with intention. Clarity prevents confusion and sets everyone up for success.

9. Always break down boxes

Literally, it’s about maintaining cleanliness. Symbolically, it’s about handling the little tasks with care. Small disciplines stack up to big outcomes.

10. No cell phones in the kitchen

Be present. Whether you’re in a meeting, on a date, or working with your team, distractions erode connection and performance. Focus is a superpower.

11. Details matter

The small things, like how you greet someone, check your work, or finish a task will often make the biggest difference. Attention to detail separates good from great.

12. Pursuit of excellence

Strive for greatness in everything, not perfection but growth. The pursuit itself makes you better, stronger, and more fulfilled.

13. Stay organized

Structure breeds freedom. Knowing where things are, what needs to be done, and how you’re tracking it keeps chaos at bay and boosts efficiency.

14. Be patient

Not everything happens on your timeline. Whether you’re building a business or learning a new skill, patience allows for growth and resilience.

15. Maintain a positive attitude

Energy is contagious. Positivity lifts teams, defuses stress, and invites better solutions. It doesn’t mean ignoring problems, but facing them with hope.

16. Prioritize safety

In business, safety translates to risk management and emotional security. Protect your team, your assets, and your peace of mind.

17. Be adaptable

Things change. Markets shift. People evolve. The ability to pivot and adjust is essential to thriving in today’s world.

18. Stay focused

Avoid multitasking overload. Whether you’re coding, cooking, or strategizing, deep focus gets results. It’s the antidote to distraction.

19. Take initiative

Don’t wait to be asked. Step up, solve problems, and go the extra mile. Leaders are made through action, not titles.

20. Collaborate effectively

Synergy is powerful. Working well with others means better ideas, shared success, and fewer blind spots. Know your role and play it well.

21. Support your team

Business and life are about relationships. Be the one who lifts others up, offers help, and shows up when it counts.

22. Follow protocols

Systems and structures exist for a reason. They protect quality, consistency, and safety. Know the rules before you try to break them.

23. Keep learning

Growth never ends. Stay curious. Read, observe, ask questions. The most successful people never stop being students.

24. Show commitment

Do what you say you’ll do. Commitment builds momentum, reputation, and deepens relationships. Show up fully.

25. Practice humility

Ego gets in the way. Humility invites learning, connection, and trust. It’s okay not to have all the answers.

26. Be proactive

Don’t just react to life; anticipate, plan, and act. Taking the lead, even in small ways, makes a big difference.

27. Stay passionate

Your why is your fuel. Passion adds fire to your work, draws people in, and keeps you going when things get tough.

The Bear isn’t just about food or family drama, it’s a study in discipline, leadership, and heart. Carmy’s non-negotiables aren’t just rules for a kitchen; they’re a blueprint for thriving in any environment. Apply even half of these in your daily life or your business, and you’ll see a difference.

And if you haven’t yet, carve out some time to binge Season 4. Keep a notebook handy.

Tech: 17 Hours a Week – Why You’re Always “Too Busy” and What to Do About It

The average person spends 2.5 hours a day on social media. That’s 17.5 hours a week. Nearly a full day scrolling through curated photos, hot takes, viral nonsense, and other distractions.

And yet, those same people will say they “don’t have time” to write a book, start a side hustle, learn to code, hit the gym, or even just get outside for a nice hike.

Let’s be real for a second:

It’s not a time problem. It’s a priority problem.

Before you tell yourself you’re too busy, take a hard look at how you’re actually spending your time.

How much of your day goes to passive scrolling versus doing something that actually moves your life forward?

If you want different results, you need different habits.

Here are a few alternatives to social media that build you up instead of burning time:

Learn a new skill: Websites like freeCodeCamp or Khan Academy can turn wasted hours into personal development.
Read books or long-form articles: Apps like Pocket or Instapaper let you save real content for intentional reading.
Start a journaling habit: Reflect on your goals, write your thoughts, or document what you’re learning.
Build something: Start that blog, paint a room, launch that online store, open up Figma and sketch out an idea. Creating something feels infinitely better than endlessly consuming.
Move your body: A walk outside can clear your mind more than any dopamine hit from a like or a comment ever will.

Everyone gets the same 24 hours.

The difference between those who move forward and those who feel stuck isn’t luck or talent. It’s how they use those hours.

So before you open another app today, ask yourself:

Is this helping me or just numbing me?

You don’t need more time. You just need to spend it better.

Finance: You Can’t Time the Market, so Stop Wasting your time Trying

Let me tell you a story.

Years ago, before I hit financial independence that allowed me to not rely on the 9-to-5 grind, I used to sit at my desk and refresh my Fidelity investment app like I was watching the stock market version of Netflix. Green day? I was a genius. Red day? Full existential crisis. You know the cycle.

It took me way too long to realize the truth:

You. Can’t. Time. The. Market.

Not me. Not Warren Buffett. Not that guy on YouTube with the ring light and the Lamborghini in his thumbnail. And definitely not your coworker Steve who just read The Intelligent Investor and now won’t shut up about his Tesla options.

The Double Punch: Greed & Fear

Here’s the deal: the two emotions that wreck more portfolios than bad stocks are greed and fear.

Fear makes you sell at the bottom.
Greed makes you buy too much at the top.
And both make you second-guess every decision in between.

Even if you’re smart enough to skip the individual stock-picking circus and stick with a solid, boring, beautiful ETF like ITOT, greed and fear can still sneak in.

You’ll catch yourself saying things like:

“If only I’d sold right before the drop.”
“What if I wait just one more week before I invest… I think a dip is coming.”
“This rally looks shaky. Maybe I should hold cash for now.”

I’ve been there. I’ve told myself those exact things. But here’s what I’ve learned on the road to early retirement:

Trying to time the market is like trying to predict the plot twist in a movie you’ve never seen, with your eyes closed.

It doesn’t work. It never has. And it never will.

Time In the Market > Timing the Market

What actually works is this: putting your money to work as soon as you can, and letting compounding do the heavy lifting.

When I started investing regularly by just dumping money into index funds month after month, no matter what the headlines said, the real magic began. It was boring. It was automatic. And it worked.

Did I invest on a few “bad” days? Yep.
Did I also ride out a few big crashes? Absolutely.
Did I eventually build enough to never work for someone else again? You bet I did.

Because time in the market beats timing the market every single time.

If I had waited for the “perfect” time to invest, I’d still be waiting.
Instead, I jumped in. I stayed in. And now, well… I have more time for flying planes, working on passion projects and volunteering than watching CNBC.

TL;DR: Stop Waiting. Start Investing.

If you’re still sitting on the sidelines wondering if now is the right time, here’s your answer: It was yesterday. The next best time is today.

The market will go up. It will go down. Sometimes it’ll go sideways just to mess with you. But your job is simple: keep investing anyway.

Want to retire early? Want freedom? Want your time back?

Then stop trying to predict the unpredictable and start building your future. One boring, beautiful index fund purchase at a time.

Quote of the Week

“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”
— George Bernard Shaw

On the Fourth of July, we celebrate independence, not just as a nation, but as individuals. Shaw’s quote reminds us that freedom isn’t just about fireworks and flags; it’s about taking ownership of our actions, our time, and our future. In tech, liberty is the ability to build what we imagine. In finance, it’s the power to make choices that lead to independence, and the discipline to live with those choices. True freedom isn’t handed to us. It’s earned, maintained, and protected through responsibility.

Let this upcoming July 4th holiday be a reminder that the best kind of independence is the kind you create: with your mind, your work, and your values.

Have a safe July 4th Holiday!

This is re-published from the weekly email sent by Leonard Mack entitled The Propeller. To subscribe, visit https://www.LeonardMack.com/subscribe and read it every Sunday evening.

This intellectual nourishment is intended for informational purposes only. One should not construe anything herein as being legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

My rule is this – I have no advice to give, only experience to share. I have no interest in being a guru or telling people what they should do. Rather, I share my own experience because there is no right or wrong. Your mileage may vary.