Category Archives: Advice

Momentum Creates the Ability to Seize Opportunity

Posted on May 6, 2015 by AJ Kessler

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 →

Posted in Advice, Quotes, Self-Improvement | 3 Comments

Showing Up

Posted on January 20, 2015 by AJ Kessler

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 →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration | 4 Comments

First Principles: Internalization

Posted on April 6, 2014 by AJ Kessler

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

Posted on February 2, 2014 by AJ Kessler

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 →

Posted in Advice, Books, Creativity, Food For Thought | 3 Comments

Superiority

Posted on July 27, 2012 by AJ Kessler

“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

Posted on July 26, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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 →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Choice, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Leading, Quotes | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

How to Say Nothing in 500 Words

Posted on July 23, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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

Posted on July 22, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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

Posted on July 19, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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

Posted on July 18, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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 →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Choice, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Productivity, Self-Improvement | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

On Marriage

Posted on July 17, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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

Posted on July 15, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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 →

Posted in Advice, Food For Thought, Leading, Quotes, Relationships, Seth Godin | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Opportunity Cost

Posted on July 14, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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

Posted on July 11, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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

Posted on July 10, 2012 by AJ Kessler

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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