Category Archives: Advice

Problem Solving In The Real World

Posted on March 21, 2012 by AJ Kessler

From about 5 years old to somewhere between 18 and 30 years old, we’re asked to solve problems in some specific way in order to demonstrate we understand what the professor was paid to teach us.  You’re allowed to use … Continue reading →

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What You Want

Posted on March 18, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Alain de Botton with a good reminder: One of the interesting things about success is that we think we know what it means. A lot of the time our ideas about what it would mean to live successfully are not … Continue reading →

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Solve The Right Problem

Posted on March 17, 2012 by AJ Kessler

In 1959, long before the X-prize, Henry Kremer offered 50,000 pounds to anyone who could finally build a flying machine powered only by the pilot’s body power.  All an entrant had to do was fly in a figure eight around … Continue reading →

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Gift Giving

Posted on March 16, 2012 by AJ Kessler

The measure of a good gift is in its appropriateness, not its cost. The corollary to this is if you receive an expensive gift from a wealthier friend, you’re not obligated to give him something of equal value in return.  You’re only … Continue reading →

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One Easy Step To Flatter People, Show You Care, and Demonstrate Your Dedication

Posted on March 14, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Don’t be ashamed to need help.  Like a soldier storming a wall, you have a mission to accomplish.  And if you’ve been wounded and you need a comrade to pull you up?  So what? – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Book 7 … Continue reading →

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Busyness

Posted on March 13, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Cal Newport over at Study Hacks makes an interesting observation about which MIT professors are more likely to disappear from campus during breaks: Interestingly, the biggest predictor of a professor leaving was status: the more important a person’s work, the … Continue reading →

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Unimaginable Sameness

Posted on March 12, 2012 by AJ Kessler

What’s the worst part about prison? One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich is all you need to know about Ivan Denisovich, because the idea that anyone could live for a minute in such circumstances seems impossible; one day … Continue reading →

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All You Can Do?

Posted on March 11, 2012 by AJ Kessler

John Mayer was supposed to release a new album six months ago.  A granuloma near his vocal chords required surgery and prevented him from finishing the record.  Once the surgery was completed and his throat given a month or so … Continue reading →

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Why Your To-Do List is Hurting You

Posted on March 9, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Interesting thoughts from the Harvard Business Review: Stop making to-do lists. They’re simply setting you up for failure and frustration. Consider the to-do lists you’re currently managing: how many items have been languishing since Michelle Bachman was leading the field … Continue reading →

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Failure Gives Perspective

Posted on March 8, 2012 by AJ Kessler

That was the lowest moment I had yet encountered in my life. The phones in my office were even quiet, which had never happened before. In fact, I suddenly had a lot of quiet time to think, and I reviewed … Continue reading →

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I Could Never Make $xx,xxx,xxx…

Posted on March 7, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Only 1/10th of 1% of the people in the United States have a net worth of more than five million dollars ($5,000,000). Only 1/10th of 1%?  That’s 357,000 people!  That’s more than the population of New Orleans, or Honolulu, or Cincinnati. If you … Continue reading →

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Ordinary People

Posted on March 6, 2012 by AJ Kessler

You asked me if an ordinary person, by studing hard, could get to be able to imagine things like I imagine things.  Of course.  I was an ordinary person who studied hard.  There’s no miracle people.  It just happens they … Continue reading →

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The Only Motivation Tip You’ll Ever Need

Posted on March 5, 2012 by AJ Kessler

San Franciscans and New Yorkers spent years fighting to get nutrition information like calorie counts listed on menus.  After all, if people only knew what kind of crap they were shoveling into their maws they’d surely change their behavior, right? … Continue reading →

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Why Sharing Your Goals Dooms You To Failure

Posted on March 3, 2012 by AJ Kessler

If you want to accomplish something, it makes sense to tell people about it.  After all, you might be able to collaborate with someone already working on something similar, or gain some ideas and insights from someone who has done … Continue reading →

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Stop. Breathe. Think.

Posted on March 1, 2012 by AJ Kessler

One of the things law schools sear into students is the ability, and tendency, to argue.  An early emphasis on being able to argue both sides of any case breeds people who argue just for the sake of argument.  Shockingly, … Continue reading →

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