Category Archives: Advice

Lies, Happiness, and The Tyranny of the Biographer

Posted on April 29, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Being happy in your life and being happy about your life are very different concepts. This is a result of the fact that you have, in a sense, two selfs. There is an experiencing self, who lives in the present, … Continue reading →

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It’s Hard And I’m Just Not Passionate About It…

Posted on April 28, 2012 by AJ Kessler

“It’s hard, and I’m just not passionate about it, and I’m thinking of giving up – will you tell me it’s OK to give up, so I’ll feel better about it in the morning?” It’s rarely about difficulty or enthusiasm. … Continue reading →

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On Role Models

Posted on April 26, 2012 by AJ Kessler

We need to set our affections on some good man and keep him constantly before our eyes, so that we may live as if he were watching us and do everything as if he saw what we were doing.  Misdeeds … Continue reading →

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How To Be 10x Happier In Just 60 Minutes A Day

Posted on April 25, 2012 by AJ Kessler

If you have a job, chances are most of your waking hours are not your own.  Most of all your hours may not be your own.  Between the time it takes you to get ready in the morning, your commute, and … Continue reading →

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Steal This Idea: Lock Screen Emergency Contact

Posted on April 24, 2012 by AJ Kessler

You, like many people, have a lock on your phone. This is smart: by requiring the user to type in a code or swipe a pattern in order to access the part of the phone that stores sensitive data, you … Continue reading →

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Overvaluing What We Have

Posted on April 23, 2012 by AJ Kessler

One of the worst tricks we manage to play on ourselves is overvaluing what we already have and undervaluing what we don’t.  This is especially sad since most of us don’t have all that much anyway, and taking the chance … Continue reading →

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The Fastest Way to Change

Posted on April 22, 2012 by AJ Kessler

The fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be. – The Startup of You Human beings are such easily influenced creatures.  The way we laugh is influenced by … Continue reading →

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Self Published

Posted on April 20, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Ben Franklin Ezra Pound Emily Dickinson Marcel Proust Dave Eggers Thomas Paine Jane Austen Edgar Rice Burroughs Walt Whitman Nathaniel Hawthorne Stephen Crane Nikki Giovanni Virginia Woolf The question isn’t whether or not you should wait to be picked, the question … Continue reading →

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Your Team Is More Important Than Your Idea

Posted on April 19, 2012 by AJ Kessler

The modern Hollywood approach was to put together a team for one project and then disband the team when production was finished.  We thought that was dumb.  When it comes down to it, the only way to make a good … Continue reading →

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Should I Go To Business School?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Generally, business school is a poor investment.  If you want to go to a top 20 school, you’re going to spend at least $100,000 and two years of your life (easily another $100,000 or $200,000 in lost earnings).  Realistically, your … Continue reading →

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Constraints Breed Creativity

Posted on April 16, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Why would anyone constrain themselves to writing poetry in Haiku? Why would Shakespeare force himself to write entire plays in iambic pentameter?  This makes no sense.  Think about how much harder it would be to write a play where each … Continue reading →

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Make Yourself Redundant

Posted on April 15, 2012 by AJ Kessler

There’s a lot of career advice out there that implores you to make yourself indispensable.  Taken the right way, this is clearly good advice.  But I’ve seen this misinterpreted any number of times.  Making yourself indispensable or irreplaceable in terms … Continue reading →

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Don’t Work. Be Hated. Love Someone.

Posted on April 14, 2012 by AJ Kessler

A commencement speech full of contrarian advice, some of it totally wrong, but definitely worth reading and thinking about: You’ve probably been told the big lie that “Learning is a lifelong process”and that therefore you will continue studying and taking … Continue reading →

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Big Money

Posted on April 13, 2012 by AJ Kessler

There’s a not-so-strange tendency for people make really poor financial decisions when there’s a lot of money involved. If you’re buying a $50,000 car that comes with 17″ aluminum wheels, but the salesman offers you the fancy 18″ chrome wheels … Continue reading →

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How To Beat Distraction

Posted on April 12, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Everyone gets distracted.  We’re wired to.  Those of us who weren’t didn’t get to pass their genes along.  Everyone can be sucked into procrastination mode, even if you really love what you do.  (Which is why you should schedule your … Continue reading →

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