Founder of 1% Better™ | Former accountant, future author | Follow me for the best self-development content on LinkedIn

Former accountant.
Future author.

I share actionable, educational, and entertaining self-development content to help my readers live their best lives.

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Colby Kultgen

A few weeks ago, I caught myself thinking "wow, that was a really good presentation" about someone I work with.

And then I just...didn't say anything.

I've been noticing that this happens pretty often. 

I'll think something genuinely kind about someone, yet I just keep it to myself. 

Why is that?

I think it's because saying something nice to someone feels a bit exposed. There's this tiny moment of vulnerability between the compliment leaving your mouth and their reaction. 

What if it comes off wrong? 
What if they don't take it the way I meant it? 

So we say nothing. 

We let a 0.001% chance of awkwardness win over a near-certainty of making someone's day.

To be honest, I think most of us are walking around with a backlog of unspoken kind words. Compliments we thought but didn't give. Gratitude we felt but didn't express.

So I don't know about you, but I'm embracing the Tell Them Theory.

No more keeping the good stuff to myself.

A reframe that changed my life:

Failure = Data.

Every time you try something (win or lose), you get valuable feedback.
A real-time report on what works—and what doesn’t.

Personally, I let the fear of failure hold me back for wayyy too long.

I would overthink. Overplan. Overperfect. Then never actually do anything.

But then one day I realized something:
The information I needed was in the reps I was avoiding.

The lessons weren't in the planning. They were in the doing.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not out here actively seeking failure. But I understand now that it's an unavoidable part of the process. And if it's going to happen anyway, I might as well squeeze every lesson out of it.

So now, after every failure, I ask myself 3 questions:

1. What went wrong? (Be specific.)
2. What decision or action led to that outcome?
3. What can I do differently next time?

That's it. No spiral. No shame. Just data.

Fail forward.

———
image credit: valuethemind on IG

I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

Rejection can be terrifying.

So why, when someone frames it like this, does it suddenly not seem so scary anymore?

Here's what I've realized: 

We're not scared of the rejection itself. We're scared of the uncertainty.

It's not the volume of "nos" we can't handle—it's not knowing if the next one will be the "yes".

That's why I find this so interesting.

If you KNEW you were guaranteed success after 100 rejections, you'd be hunting them down. 

You'd be applying to everything, pitching everyone, practically begging people to say no because each one gets you closer.

And the funny part is that in reality, it usually takes WAY less than 100.

Most breakthroughs happen at like rejection #8 or #15. But people quit at #3 because they can't bear the uncertainty. 

So here's the trick: Just pretend you know it's coming. 

Treat every rejection like you're counting down to something guaranteed. Because honestly? If you keep going, you kind of are. 

It's basically tricking yourself into success by removing the thing that was going to stop you anyway—the fear that it might not work.

Hot take:

"Be grateful" is terrible advice.

Not because gratitude isn't powerful (it is).

But because this "advice" almost never comes with practical ways of actually doing it.

We've all heard the “write 3 things down in a journal” advice, but for me it's always felt a bit forced.

And besides, why would we expect one method to work for everyone?

That’s why I gave myself a mission:

Come up with a handful of gratitude practices that don’t involve writing in a journal (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Here's what I came up with:

1. Look for glimmers
Glimmers are the opposite of triggers. They're those tiny moments in your day that make you feel joy, peace, or gratitude. Once you train your brain to spot them, they start appearing everywhere.

2. Snap a joy photo
Take one picture per day of something that brought you joy. A cup of coffee, a funny street sign, the way the sunlight hits your desk. Not for social media, just for you.

3. The "Tell Them" Theory (h/t Vex King)
When someone does something you appreciate, actually tell them. Doesn't have to be profound. Just: "I'm glad you're in my life" or "Thanks for always making me laugh."

4. Practice future nostalgia
Throughout your day, pause and ask: "Will I miss this moment someday?" Your current morning routine, the commute you complain about, even your kid's phase of asking "why?" fifty times a day.

Which of these resonates with you?

Let me know your favorite ways to practice gratitude.

The 8 most dangerous words in the English language:

“I’ll do it when work gets less busy.”

I’ve caught myself saying this more times than I can count.

Trying to convince myself that one day everything will settle down. That I’ll finally have time for the trip, the hobby, the experiences I keep putting off.

But that’s just not how life works.

The reality is, you have to make time for those things. Otherwise, work will quietly take over your entire schedule.

It’s Parkinson’s Law in action:
​“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”

I’ve noticed this in my own life.

When I schedule work first, it expands to consume everything.

But when I schedule something meaningful first, the opposite happens. Work compresses to fit around it.

We’ve even seen this play out at scale with the four-day workweek experiments. Companies reduced working hours, yet productivity stayed the same or even improved.

That’s why I’ve started being more intentional about putting meaningful things on the calendar first.

One framework I love comes from my friend Ben Meer, originally popularized by Jesse Itzler:

The 1-6-4 Method.
​
1. Plan 1 big “year-making” event​
Something that defines your year. A marathon. A major trip. A personal challenge. Something that forces you to grow.
​
2. Schedule 6 mini-adventures throughout the year​
Lock in one small, exciting experience every other month.
A camping trip. A concert. A weekend away. Hosting a dinner party. Exploring a new part of your city.
​
3. Implement 4 positive habits, one each quarter​
Add one small habit every three months that improves your life.
Reading daily. Walking more. Waking up earlier. Being more intentional with your time.

♻️ repost this if you found it helpful.

I dealt with negative self-talk for years.

And trust me, it's no fun going through life as your own worst critic.

That’s why I love this GPS reframe.

You don’t need to turn a mistake into a story about yourself.
Just treat it like a missed turn.

Recalculate.
And keep going.

———

P.S. I share 5 ideas like this in my newsletter every Monday: 
percentbetter.com

We're all guilty of doing this (myself included).

Someone cuts us off in traffic, and we're fuming about it for hours.

A coworker sends a passive-aggressive email, and suddenly the whole afternoon feels ruined.

We allow five bad minutes to contaminate our mood for the rest of the day.

The best way I've found to combat this?

​Gretchen Rubin's Four Quarters Technique:

“Split your day into four quarters: morning, midday, afternoon, evening.
​
If you blow one quarter, you don't blow the whole day. You just reset for the next one.
​
Fail small, not big.”

Don't let a bad five minutes ruin a good 24 hours.

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5 ways to build unshakeable confidence (in work and life):

➊ Do what you say you're going to do
It really is that simple. Set achievable goals for yourself and follow through on them daily. As Alex Hormozi puts it, “You don’t become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are.”

➋ Don’t play the comparison game
Comparison is the thief of joy and confidence. Define what success means to you, and tune out the noise. Be so busy watering your own grass that you don’t have time to notice if someone else’s is greener.

➌ Learn to say “no”
Saying “no” isn’t selfish, it’s self-respect. Do things because you genuinely want to, not because you feel obligated. The more aligned your choices are, the more confident you become.

➍ Build your body, build your mind
Taking care of your physical and mental health is one of the highest-leverage things you can do. Everything gets easier when you feel strong, capable, and energized.

➎ Surround yourself with people who lift you up
Confidence is contagious. The more you’re around people who believe in themselves, the more it reinforces your belief in yourself. They remind you what’s possible, even on days you forget.

Confidence doesn’t arrive all at once. It’s earned through small, consistent actions that build trust in yourself over time.

DISCLAIMER: This is just my opinion.

P.S. I made a list of 25 books everyone should read before they die. 

👉 Link in the comments.

Productivity isn’t just about “getting more done”.

It’s about spending the short amount of time you have on this planet intentionally, rather than losing it to distraction.

♻️ Repost this if you found it helpful.

how to finish 8 hours of work in 4 hours

A few free things online I think everyone should take advantage of.

What did I miss?

free things online everyone should take advantage of

I saw this post and loved it.

Credit to peakperformancewithjulia on IG.

Make sure to save so you can revisit it later.

12 work habits that will transform your 2026

How to rewire your brain to enjoy doing hard things:

How to rewire your brain to enjoy doing hard things

A step-by-step guide to decluttering your mind.

👉 P.S. I spent 100+ hours building a habit tracker—link in the comments.

A step-by-step guide to decluttering your mind

7 skills we should have learned in school but never did

7 addictions you need to break in 2026 to become your best self.

I've been guilty of every one of these.

Awareness is the first step, then you can start to do something about it.

Save this post and send it to someone who needs it.

7 addictions to break in order to become your best self

which of these resonates with you?

Let’s face it...

The modern attention span is cooked.

10-second TikTok videos.
18 tabs open at a time.
7 apps checked before getting out of bed.

This post is designed to help you fight back.

How to build your focus like a muscle

I'm an overthinker.

In fact, right now I'm overthinking what I should write for this caption.

Luckily, over the years I've gotten much better at choosing my overthinking battles.

Which is why today I want to share 7 things that aren't worth your spending your precious mental energy on.

Repost if it resonates!

7 things you're probably overthinking

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Your LinkedIn profile isn't just a resume - it's your #1 personal landing page on Google. We'll optimize your LinkedIn profile for maximum visibility, keyword relevance, and lead conversion. When your ideal prospects search for someone offering your expertise, you'll be at the top.

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We craft an irresistible "slice of your expertise" - a guide, report, masterclass, or video that attracts attention, builds authority, and generates high-quality leads.

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-Born and raised in Stillwater, Minnesota. 
-Snowboarded (and went to college at Gonzaga) in Spokane, Washington.
-Co-founded a travel company in Florence, Italy.
-Became COO of a fintech company in Bellevue, Washington.
-Started Referral Program Pros and living my passion of helping entrepreneurs grow.

I live in Seattle, WA with my wife and two kids - the 3 people who make me the luckiest guy I know.

Thomas Ryan Oakes

Top 5 most practical ways to use AI for growth...

These are dead simple.

Most founders use AI for the obvious stuff.

Write a blog post. 
Summarize a doc. 
Draft an email.

That's fine.

But if you're a consultant, agency owner, or founder trying to bring in more business...

AI can do a LOT more than write your content.

Here are 5 plays that are actually moving the needle right now:

1. Turn your sales calls into your entire content strategy.

-Record every prospect call using Fathom or Otter.
-Upload the transcript. 
-Ask the AI to pull out the top objections, pain points, and exact phrases your prospects used.

Those phrases become your LinkedIn posts, email subject lines, and landing page copy.

Your market literally writes your messaging for you.


2. Build personalized outreach at scale.

-Feed a prospect's LinkedIn profile, website, or recent posts into ChatGPT or Claude.
-Ask it to draft a message that references something specific about their business and ties it to your offer.

Not fake personalization. 
Real relevance in 90 seconds instead of 15 minutes.

Shameless plug: You can also use gtmbud for this purpose if you want to launch a campaign within literal minutes - https://gtmbud.com/


3. Create custom "value offers" for every prospect.

Use AI to generate a quick audit, benchmark, or breakdown specific to the person you're reaching out to.

Example: "Had a few ideas on how your positioning could attract more prospects - want me to send it over?"


4. Research your ICP faster than....well any human ever.

Use AI to analyze job postings, earnings calls, LinkedIn activity, or industry reports for your target accounts.

You'll spot buying signals (new hires, leadership changes, budget shifts) before your competitors ever notice them.


5. Repurpose one piece of content into ten.

-Take a single client win, case study, or lesson learned.
-Ask AI to turn it into a LinkedIn post, a cold email angle, a video script, a newsletter section, and a follow-up message.

One idea. Ten touchpoints. All in under 20 minutes.

Pick one of these five.

Try it this week.

Then tell me what happened.

Rooting for you,
Tom

Outreach you can be proud of. We help B2B service businesses book more qualified calls using a proven Value-Offer Outreach Funnel that turns interest into clients. Join 7k+ others in GTM READY (free newsletter below)

Open article: GTMBud - AI-Powered Outbound Campaign Platform for Consultants & Agencies by gtmbud.com

GTMBud - AI-Powered Outbound Campaign Platform for Consultants & Agencies

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The Battle

Colby Kultgen

Thomas Ryan Oakes

Followers

Posts

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Performance ScoreColby Kultgen's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreThomas Ryan Oakes's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Colby Kultgen

Thomas Ryan Oakes

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Colby Kultgen's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreThomas Ryan Oakes's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreColby Kultgen's LinkedIn Performance