Category Archives: Advice

What Scares Us Most

There is no child on the planet who is afraid of the dark. They’re afraid of not being able to see what’s around them.  They’re afraid of the unknown. We all are. While fear of pain drives us to act … Continue reading

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Life Is Always About Starting At The Bottom

Remember when you were in 8th or 9th grade?  King of middle school?  Big man on campus?  Remember what happened just a short year later? Back to the bottom of the totem pole. You were no longer bigger than all … Continue reading

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Plans Are Good, Goals Are Better

Plans, the individual steps you think you’re going to take to accomplish something, are good.  But, plans have this nasty tendency to fail pretty regularly.  One of the steps just wasn’t feasible, or other people don’t do what they’re supposed … Continue reading

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Anxiety Comes Only From Within

Today I escaped from anxiety.  Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions — not outside. – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Book 9 ¶ 13

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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