Category Archives: Advice

Momentum Creates the Ability to Seize Opportunity

Keep yourself as busy as possible.  Good opportunities are going to come up along side you.  It’s a lot easier to steer into one when you’re already moving than it is to try to catch up to one when you’re … Continue reading

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Showing Up

As you go through life, you’ll meet the people who have it all figured out. The girl who, in 8th grade, starting taking zoology classes at the local junior college because she knew she wanted to be a Giraffe veterinarian. … Continue reading

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First Principles: Internalization

As a 10 year old, I was barely taller than a washing machine and I weighed less than half as much.  But I was fast, so I played on a competitive soccer team.  Or, more accurately, I played when the bigger, stronger, … Continue reading

Posted in Advice, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Tips | 2 Comments

First Principles: Mindset

The worst thing my parents ever told me was that I was smart.  When they bought me a toy piano when I was four, my dad tried to teach me to peck out the notes of Mary Had A Little Lamb.  … Continue reading

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Superiority

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” – Ernest Hemingway

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Declare Victory or Failure

Whenever you start a project, you should have a plan for finishing it. One outcome is to declare victory, to find that moment when you have satisfied your objectives and reached a goal. The other outcome, which feels like a … Continue reading

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How to Say Nothing in 500 Words

Paul McHenry Roberts (1917-1967) taught college English for over twenty years, first at San Jose State College and later at Cornell University. He wrote numerous books on linguistics, including Understanding Grammar (1954), Patterns of English (1956), and Understanding English (1958).  Paul also wrote this essay, which … Continue reading

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Systematic Learning

Chris Guillebeau was interested in building a lifestyle business (i.e. something that requires little startup capital and lots of flexibility).  Instead of picking a business at random, Chris did what we should all do. In The $100 Startup, Chris started … Continue reading

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Of Studies

Sir Francis Bacon was a true Renaissance man.  A lawyer, statesman, an educator, a philosopher, and perhaps the first modern scientist, Bacon is also accused of authoring some or all of Shakespeare’s works.  This fringe theory fits well because of … Continue reading

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You’re Always Allowed to do Big Work

No matter what position you’re in, whether it’s janitor or CEO, a huge part of your day is spent doing “small work”.  This includes the clerical stuff, the scheduling, the filing, the organizing, and all the other things that just … Continue reading

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On Marriage

From Ronald Regan to his son Mike, via Letters of Note: Dear Mike: Enclosed is the item I mentioned (with which goes a torn up IOU). I could stop here but I won’t. You’ve heard all the jokes that have … Continue reading

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Earning Trust

Where does trust come from? Hint: it never comes from the good times and from the easy projects. We trust people because they showed up when it wasn’t convenient, because they told the truth when it was easier to lie … Continue reading

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Opportunity Cost

How much does it cost to help your friend move on a Saturday?  What if you had planned to take your son to a ballgame?  What if you had planned to work overtime? There’s a cost to everything you do, … Continue reading

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Taking Control of Your Life: Concierge Medicine

Dr. Solis was on the edge of burnout after 21 years of running a traditional medical practice.  Trying to see between 30 and 40 patients a day, keeping track of a roster of over 3,000 patients, and dealing with endless … Continue reading

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Cost v. Benefit

It turns out, crime does pay.  Just not very much: The basic problem is the average haul from a bank job: for the three-year period, it was only £20,330.50 (~$31,613). And it gets worse, as the average robbery involved 1.6 … Continue reading

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