Dear Friend, (5 min read)

People are magic.

The right person at the right time can be a hinge. They swing open a door you thought was a wall.

The right encouragement at the right moment can carry you through a low you weren't sure you'd ever climb out of.

The world needs a healthy you. But a healthy you isn't built in a vacuum.

But I can hear you pushing back.

"Why so optimistic? People hurt me. My biggest scars came from people. The things I wanted most and then lost? People. Things must have been easy for you. That's why you think this way."

Wrong.

I came to this belief BECAUSE I didn't understand people. (and was hurt by them)

Let me tell you about Vicky.

I was in 8th grade. I was at my neighbor's house playing Call of Duty, and I sent a good friend of mine, Vicky, a question over text. It felt so small at the time. (my friends were saying come on Daniel start playing again)

That text was misunderstood.

We never spoke again. There was never a chance to make it right. To this day, I haven't talked to her since that last text.

Something broke in me that day. I lost a friend simply because I (clearly) didn't understand people.

So I made a decision. That would never happen to me again.

For years, I wouldn't text. I called. Every time. I couldn't risk another friendship ending by accident. It took a business writing class in college to finally build the confidence to text people without the fear of being misunderstood.

Most people are. But I absorb accents, attitudes, and mannerisms, and I absorb them fast.

I started playing drums at 13. And yes, I liked hitting the cymbals. It was fun. But it went deeper than that.

My dad played drums. It gave me something in common with him.

There was a guy named Aaron Soto who played drums at my church. I thought he was cool. I wanted to be like him.

And there was a girl named Katelyn. I thought, "Maybe if I become a great drummer, she'll like me."

(It also helped that we had a drumset sitting at the house. Not exactly a common thing to have lying around.)

Later I picked up ultimate frisbee. I was athletic and decent at most sports. But the real reason I started? My brother. He loved it, and it gave us something to do together.

Over the last 5 years, I've visited 15 countries and been on 4 mission trips, 3 of them to Central Asia. Most of those trips happened because a friend invited me. This year alone I went to Brazil, Switzerland, DC, and Hawaii. Why? Because I had friends there.

That's a lot of time. A lot of money. I could spend it on something else.

So why do it?

Because understanding people matters.

My oldest brother said something to me on a walk when I was 16 that I've never forgotten:

"If you understand how someone grew up, you'd understand why they're making the choices they are today."

That one sentence changed how I see people. Especially the people others write off as "stupid."

It moved me from judgment to curiosity. A choice that looks dumb from the outside usually makes sense once you see the options that person knew about and the resources they had.

And it's one thing to visit a country as a tourist. It's a completely different thing to be invited by someone who grew up there. To have them show you the places that shaped them. To eat their food. To stand in the neighborhood where they dream of buying a home one day. I’ve had the gift of doing that In DC and in brazil and switzerland this year.

Why share all these stories?

To show you one thing.

I have been shaped by people.

Early in life, it was people I didn't choose. It was unconscious.

Today it's different. Today I know the people around me will form me. They'll either pull the best out of me or create the worst version of me.

How do I know?

Because I've lived it.

From 2018 to 2026, I've had the gift of living in the same home. That came after moving 5 times in the 2 years before.

People underestimate the power of psychological space. A stable home base is something very few young adults get in their 20s. I did. And it taught me that you take risks best from a place of safety.

What looks risky to some people isn't risky for me. Why? Skill, plus knowing I have people who are for me before I ever make the first move.

Here's where it gets practical.

If you have the right character, meaning you intentionally build up the people around you and you do what you say you'll do, you have the capacity to radically change your life and the world around you.

Action and community.

Why does it work? Reciprocity. When you invest in people and are thoughtful toward them, human nature wants to return it.

I don't make the rules of human nature. I'm just here to share them with you.

Reciprocity is powerful. Use it for good. Do the most good you can for the most people. Not because you have to. Not because you'll get something back. Because it's who you are.

Invest your time, money, energy, and network to build things for other people. with no expectation of return. If you do this for 12-24 months you will have a completely different life.

I had a phone call with a friend about this yesterday. If I can say yes to a new experience, I'll try almost anything once (except drugs). Why? Every new experience gives me another way to relate to another person.

I've always wanted to be connected to people. And I've often felt like an outsider. I used to blame it on being homeschooled.

Then I realized something. Feeling like an outsider is the human condition. Most people feel it, no matter how included they actually are.

That's why I try to care for people well. I don't know what someone is going through. And the smallest right action at the right time can make someone's day.

One more thing. Time with the right people doesn't always have to be productive. Sometimes it's just fun.

During COVID I learned that to be at my healthiest, I need time with people 3 to 4 times a week. That's a high capacity. No single person can fill that.

Here's what this week looked like:

Monday: small group of friends. We played a game. Not serious. Just a ton of fun.

Tuesday: Russian class. I talked about my family in Russian. Real progress. It felt amazing.

Wednesday: dinner with 2 close friends. Three life-giving hours. We talked about deep things like God and money, and played the game cashflow. and we laughed about dumb things that don't matter at all.

Thursday: a friend's birthday party. The theme? Dress as someone famous and make up a story about your biggest moment.

Friday: a phone call with a friend before my workout. Then I met another business owner in the sauna and we talked for an hour.

I share all this to say my need and capacity for people is abnormally high. I don't expect any one person to carry that. So I have a lot of people to carry that “load”. Some I see every 2 to 3 weeks. Some once a month. Some every few months. Life is busy. Some are phone calls because they live in other parts of the country or other parts of the world.

But with enough great people around me, I stay energized. Energized enough to build a business, learn a new language, date, build friendships, and build a beautiful life.

Without the right people, all of that would be a lot harder.

People are magic. But you have to show up for the magic.

Your Assignment This Week:

Think of one person who pulls the best out of you.

Call them. Or set up a lunch or dinner. (even if it is a month from now)

Call. Don't just text. Trust me on this one.

Well, that's all for now.
-Daniel

P.S. Detailed my first aircraft last month. Had a friend make a sick video of it. Check that out here. And if you know someone who owns a plane in Sacramento sent it to them.