A Rifle to My Chest Changed My Life


Life in Perspective comes out Tuesday.

The countdown is on, and I need your help with one thing.

Even this close to launch, publishers and booksellers use pre-order demand to decide how many copies to print and stock.

Your order shows them this book is wanted and needed, right now.

Ordering today is the single most helpful thing you can do.

It won’t cost you anything extra, and you’ll get the pre-order bonuses too.

If you’ve already pre-ordered, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Your support is the reason this book will reach so many more readers.


A Rifle to My Chest Changed My Life | Life in Perspective Trailer

“YOU’RE A LIAR!”

Those are the first words of my new book.

An armed man yelled them at me on the street where I lived, in a favela in Rio de Janeiro. He thought I was a police informant.

A few weeks later, I watched the sun rise over a Brazilian beach on January 1. And I did my first annual life review.

This trailer tells that story, including footage from my time in Rio.

Watch it, then pre-order Life in Perspective and claim your bonuses by Nov. 8.


Join the Free Annual Review Virtual Summit, Wed. Nov. 4

We'll explore the annual life review: the practice of zooming out once a year to make sense of where you've been and decide where you're going next.

I'm joined by 10 authors and creators.

Each will share how they use a reflective practice in their own lives. The questions they ask, the rituals they keep, and what the practice has changed for them.

Can’t make it live? Pre-order Life in Perspective and we’ll send you the full recording as a bonus.


Start Your Annual Life Review with This

Most of us spend our days in reaction mode. Answering the next email. Solving the next problem.

By December, “What do you want?” can feel almost unanswerable.

In Life in Perspective, the first step of your annual life review is setting an intention.

Try answering these four questions in writing:

  1. What’s your current emotional state?
  2. Which area of your life needs the most attention?
  3. Where do you most want clarity or freedom?
  4. What’s a single phrase that captures what you’re seeking?

That last answer becomes your touchstone, a mantra you can return to if you ever feel lost.

Two of mine from past years: “Get my attention back” and “Do this for yourself.”

Your phrase doesn’t need to be impressive. Honest is enough.

Grab a notebook and write your four answers today.

Then hit reply and tell me your touchstone phrase. I’d love to read it.

Upcoming Events

  • Implementation Session: Unstick Your Project · Tue, Nov 3, 11:00 AM ET (Membership) · RSVP​
  • Life in Perspective: Book Launch with Tiago Live in LA · Tue, Nov 3, 6:00 PM local (In person) · RSVP​
  • The Annual Review Virtual Summit · Wed, Nov 4, 12:00–4:00 PM ET (Free, online) · RSVP​
  • AISB Local Meetup, Kigali, Rwanda · Wed, Nov 4, 6:45 PM local (Free, in person) · RSVP​
  • Monthly Masterclass with Tiago · Thu, Nov 5, 11:00 AM ET (Membership) · RSVP​
  • AISB Local Meetup, East Longmeadow, USA · Fri, Nov 6, 1:00 PM local (Free, in person) · RSVP​
  • Life in Perspective: Book Launch with Tiago Live in San Francisco · Fri, Nov 6, 6:30 PM local (In person) · RSVP​
  • AISB Local Meetup, Melbourne, Australia · Sat, Nov 7, 10:30 AM local (Free, in person) · RSVP​

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My new book, Life in Perspective, comes out in less than two weeks, on Nov. 3. More than 600 of you have already claimed your pre-order bonuses, from 52 countries. Thank you to every one of you! Half of the 1,000 Essential seats in The Annual Review® 2027 program are now claimed. Pre-order 2 or more copies and you get one seat per copy, up to 4. Of the 50 Premium seats, only 12 remain. Those come with 5+ copies and include three small-group coaching calls with me. Already pre-ordered? You...

There's no single right way to do an annual life review. The best one fits your work and the season of life you're in. So I asked 10 people to show you theirs. On Wed, Nov. 4, I'm hosting the Annual Review Virtual Summit, free and online from 12–4 pm ET. You'll hear from neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff, filmmaker Jo Franco, organizing expert Shira Gill, and more. Each gives a short, practical talk on how they look back on their year and plan the next. Join for the whole summit or just the...

Yesterday, I did my first livestream about Life in Perspective on TalkShopLive. It was the first time I've talked about the book publicly in real time, less than four weeks before it comes out on Nov. 3. Here's some of what I covered: The one sentence from my wife that changed how I see my overwork: "Your work gets the best of you, and we're left with what's left over." The 8-hour threshold where an annual life review becomes transformative, and how to split it up Why the biggest changes...