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Author Archives: AJ Kessler
Thanksgiving
It’s nice that Americans (and Canadians) have a holiday dedicated to giving thanks. But, it would be nicer still if we made an effort to do this more than once a year, especially if we could do it without being … Continue reading
If It’s Not Hard, You’re Doing Something Wrong
A lot of people complain about how hard their work is. Recognize that this isn’t a bad thing. In fact, not only is doing really hard work an incredibly good problem to have, it’s necessary to success. It’s hard, but … Continue reading
Posted in Food For Thought, Inspiration
Tagged Delivering Happiness, Hard, Opportunity, Tony Hseih, Work
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Why You Don’t Really Believe In Yourself
“You just have to believe in yourself.” We hear this all the time. Professional athletes toss off this one-liner so frequently we hear it without even thinking about it anymore. Of course you have to believe in yourself. I believe … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Self-Improvement
Tagged Belief In Yourself, Commitment, Culture, Media, Motivation, Passion, Self-Improvement, Society
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Do It Because You’re Bad At It
From 0 to 18, we’re constantly doing stuff we’re bad at. It starts out with just being by ourselves at night, then walking, then talking. Eventually, we go off to school. We’re out of our comfort zones, meeting all kinds … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Self-Improvement
Tagged Bad, Fear, Poor, Scary, Self-Improvement, Skill
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Everything’s Amazing And Nobody’s Happy
Louis C.K. says it well. Even in these times, life is still so amazing that people just 4 generations ago literally couldn’t even dream of the lifestyles we take for granted.
Posted in Food For Thought, Future, Inspiration, Quotes
Tagged Era, Future, Generation, Inspiration, Louis C.K.
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How To Have Smarter Kids
An interesting new study finds that children whose younger siblings are born more than two years later have higher reading and math skills than children whose siblings are born sooner. The researchers think this stems, at least in part, from … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Food For Thought, Quotes, Tips
Tagged Children, Family, Future, Intelligence, IQ, Kids, Planning, Smart
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The Long View
In Amazon’s first shareholder letter, published in 1997, the first subsection was titled, “It’s all about the long term.” Jeff Bezos explains why: If everything you do needs to work on a three-year time horizon, then you’re competing against a … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Business, Food For Thought, Future, Inspiration, Quotes
Tagged Amazon, Dedication, Goals, Jeff Bezos, Long View, Long-Term, Planning, Vision
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The Problem With Old People
They’re afraid of breaking shit. Put some technology in their hands, and they’re afraid to do anything. “I don’t want to break it.” “What if I mess something up?” So, of course they never learn how to use it. You … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Self-Improvement
Tagged Break, Break through, How it Works, Kids, Learning, Old People
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The Danger of Being Self-Deprecating
Being self-deprecating can be extremely useful, especially if you wield any sort of power or authority. Making fun of yourself, or belittling your own skills, can put other people at ease, can make people like you, and strangely enough, make … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Rationality, Self-Improvement
Tagged Arrogance, Criticism, Deprecation, Humor, Pride, Self-Deprecating, Skill
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Money Is Not Wealth
Imagine if you suddenly had the power to make anything you thought about appear in front of you. *Juicy Steak* Zap. A sizzling, pink New York with a great crust on your kitchen table. *Rolls Royce* Boom. Brand new Phantom … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Money, Quotes, Self-Improvement
Tagged Business, Capitalism, Money, Paul Graham, Wealth, Zero-Sum
2 Comments
How To Befriend Anyone
When Ben Franklin was running for Clerk of the General Assembly, one of his colleagues delivered a speech to the legislature skewering him. This was a problem, because this was a guy Franklin couldn’t afford to just start a feud … Continue reading
The Joy of Swearing
It’s not necessary. As if that should stop one from doing it. It’s not necessary to have colored socks. Things not being necessary is what makes life interesting. Little extras in life. Stephen Fry Great thoughts from Stephen Fry on … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Quotes, Style
Tagged Expression, Language, Speech, Stephen Fry, Swearing
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Other People’s Faults
It’s silly to try to escape other people’s faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own. – Marcus Aurelius, Book 7, ¶ 71 The ironic bit is, once you do escape some your own faults, you unthinkingly tend … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Self-Improvement
Tagged Escape, Faults, Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Self-Improvement, Stoicism
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You CAN Argue With Success
Arguing with failure is pretty tough. By definition, there’s nothing left to argue with. It’s dead. You can argue about failure, who’s to blame, or what caused this or that to happen, but there’s usually not a whole lot to … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Self-Improvement
Tagged Dell, Failure, Inspiration, Rockefeller, Seth Godin, Steve Jobs, Success
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