BREAKING AVERAGE WITH PAUL GUSTAVSON
Writing and conversations that challenge autopilot thinking, encourage intentional growth, and help people move from possibility to meaningful action.
THE STORY BEHIND BREAKING AVERAGE
A short introduction to Breaking Average and why change begins when we stop living on autopilot.
THE PLATFORM
Breaking Average is Paul’s public platform for writing, podcast conversations, books, and ideas.
It explores leadership, imagination, resilience, faith, technology, growth, sports, entertainment, and life through short reflections and honest conversations.
Read. Listen. Think. Join the conversation. Because we break average together.
LATEST WRITING • ONE STORY. ONE POINT. THREE MINUTES.
The newest stories from Breaking Average, refreshed automatically when Paul publishes on Substack.
READHave you ever waited to feel joy? Have you ever thought, “Joy just isn’t something I’m feeling right now”? I have. There are days I kept waiting for it to show up. I went to church on Sunday mornings hoping I would feel it. I chased it in a bucket of popcorn at the movies.
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READPoliticians. Not truck drivers. Not writers. Not teachers, engineers, artists, doctors, or attorneys. Just politicians. Imagine heading to the polls and, instead of voting for a person, finding an AI on the ballot. Would you vote for it?
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READTwenty-five years ago, Daniel Pink published Free Agent Nation . It was a remarkably early look at a shift that would reshape the world of work. People were leaving traditional organizations and beginning to work for themselves.
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READAI is here, whether you like it or not. But it is not just a mentor. It is also a student. Here is a question I keep coming back to: What if AI prompted us the way we prompt AI? What if it asked: What are you trying to accomplish? What assumptions are you making? What context am I missing? What matters most here?
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READI sometimes get asked, “What does it mean to Lead Bulletproof?” It is a great question because no one is truly bulletproof. Life has a way of firing shots we never expected: disappointment, failure, rejection, loss, illness, and change. Leading Bulletproof does not mean the bullets will not hurt.
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READ“What we do in life echoes in eternity.” You may recognize that line. It was spoken by Maximus in Gladiator . I love it because it captures something deeply true: we do not always see the results of what we do, but that does not mean our work is without impact. The effort matters. The preparation matters.
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READ“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” - Bronnie Ware, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying I have a confession. My dad wanted me to go to the United States Naval Academy and follow in his footsteps. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I didn’t want to go.
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READOriginally published December 5, 2021. Lightly updated in August 2026. My colleague and friend Joe Caliri, now President and CEO of SimVentions, asked me several years ago to write a guest article for his blog about what it means to be extraordinary. I recently came across it again. The message still matters.
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READ“All the world’s a stage.” Shakespeare wrote those words more than 400 years ago. I’m beginning to think Substack may be the platform he had in mind. One year ago I stepped onto that stage. Since then it’s become one of my favorite places to share ideas, learn from others, and connect with people around the world.
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THE BREAKING AVERAGE PODCAST
Paul Gustavson and friends explore the stories, questions, and practical lessons that shape how we live, lead, and grow.
Past conversations have included Mark Miller, Mark Batterson, Stephen Shedletzky, David Horsager, Coach John Mosley, and other leaders who are turning experience into impact.
FEATURED BOOKS
Discovering resilience and the power to change the world.
Hope and twelve powerful ways to invent the future.
Seven critical factors for building strong leadership teams.
BREAKING AVERAGE IN YOUR INBOX
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