Vivere: On Living a Full and Balanced Life

In 2020, I launched Vivere: On Living a Full and Balanced Life as a Substack newsletter. It inspired six essays before I pivoted the letter. My readers enjoyed the series and how it applied to both their personal and professional lives. Since then, the series lives on here.

Below is the original About Me section of Vivere:

You Only Have One Life. So Treat It That Way.

Together we explore what it means to live a full and balanced life. We exist in an age where everything demands our attention. What we should buy. How we should live; and the hours we consume on social media. When so much weighs against us, it can be hard to live a life in our most natural state.

Life should be about simplicity. Balance. And enjoying every minute of it.

That’s why this newsletter is called Vivere. It comes from the Latin term, Memento Vivere— Remember to live.

Join this journey with me. Together, we explore what it means to live in purpose and joy.


The Full Collection of Vivere

Click a title to read.

#1 Remember to Live: A Call for a Full Life

The Lions At Home by Rosa Bonheur. 1881.

In a series of events that bounced Martí from Mexico, Guatemala, Spain (then exiled), and Venezuela, Martí eventually settled in New York. From there, he would become Cuba’s version of Thomas Paine, using letters to spark a fervor for freedom in Cuba.


#2 To Be, Or Not To Be

Adam and Eve Chased out of the Terrestrial Paradise by Jean-Achille Benouville. 1841.

In 1833, a physician named John Gorrie moved to the Gulf coast of Florida. He was a resident at two hospitals and became an active member of his community. He also loved ice.


#3 Think Better, Faster: On the Craft of a Tactician

Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus by William Turner, 1829

A cyclops named Polyphemus entered the cave with his sheep. He found Odysseus and his men intruding on his home. At this moment, the hero of the story had two choices. Fight or hide…


#4 On First Impressions

A Reading from Homer by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. 1885.

In life, we want purpose. It gives us something to live for and creates a legacy that lasts long after we are gone. And it all starts with a first impression. Create something remarkable that’s worth noticing.


#5 Living in Overflow: On Our Thought-Life as it Pertains to Abundance

Photo of Trevi Fountain by James Lee on Unsplash

When you put your hand through the stream of a river, you’re feeling something fleeting, quickly introduced, and disappears right away. As I think about water, I can’t help but visualize a glass full of it. We know the metaphor of a glass half empty or half full. But we stop there.


#6 As Though Life Depended On It

Le Radeau de la Méduse

Think of the Pareto Principle and how we apply it for business or careers. But how can I apply it to my own life? If 20% of my life produces 80% of my happiness, fulfillment, and impact, how can I increase that?