Vol. 1 Ed. 14 August 10, 2025 What Every Pharaoh Would Give for This

You are richer than 93 percent of people. Not in money, but in time. - James Clear, Atomic Habits

Dear Brilliant Community,

This week, I’ve been thinking about time.

According to James Clear, over 108 billion people have ever lived—and 93% of them are dead. That means just by waking up today, I’m richer than kings and queens, pharaohs and presidents, CEOs and saints. I have something they would give anything for: Today.

Time is the most precious gift we have.

Whew. That one hit me hard.

I’ve been doing a lot of work lately—inside and out—but this time it feels different. More intentional. More grounded. More rooted in the fact that I’m not just working on projects. I’m working on me.

I’m not saying I’ve suddenly become a morning person with a flawless routine, but I’ve started noticing the small things that signal care. I’ve been making the bed. That might sound minor, but in our house, whoever gets up first usually decides the fate of the blankets. For most of our 15-year marriage, if I got up first, the bed got made. If my husband did, it didn’t. Or maybe he’d come back later and make it. I wasn’t the “make-the-bed” partner, and he never complained.

But recently I’ve been doing it consistently. Not out of guilt or pressure—out of intention. It’s one small thing I can do that adds ease to our home. He’s even noticed and given me a thumbs up (he’s particular, so that thumbs up holds weight!).

I’m also deep in the weeds—cleaning out the junk drawer, both literally and metaphorically. Clearing space in my home, my mind, my schedule, and my soul. Because every bit of space I free up makes more room for what I’m building with Brilliant Corners… and with this life.

None of this is about perfection. It’s about presence.

✨ So I’m asking myself this week:

• What habits honor the time I’ve been given?

• What does it look like to be a person of increase in my own life and in others’?

• What could I do today that my future self would thank me for?

I’m not rushing. I’m not hustling. I’m just choosing. One small thing at a time.

Let me know what you’re working on. Or what you’re clearing out.

I’m listening.

With you in the field,

Soyini