Category Archives: Business

Being Interesting Requires Being Interested

Posted on August 14, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Seth Godin with another pithy post: Interesting and Interested . . . it helps to be both.  These are the two ways you earn attention. If it’s so obvious, why is it so difficult? Everybody wants to be interesting, to … Continue reading →

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Pay Attention To Get Rich

Posted on August 11, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Being aware of the world around you is important.  It makes life more interesting.  It’s the foundation for creativity.  It can also make you rich. I’m reminded of this fact by Sam Farber, founder of OXO.  How did Sam, a … Continue reading →

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How To Reduce Stress And Look Like You Have Your Shit Together

Posted on August 7, 2011 by AJ Kessler

If you’re reading this, you probably aren’t anxious or stressed out about where your next meal is going to come from, whether something or someone is going to harm you in the very near future, or where you’re going to … Continue reading →

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Why Meaningless Assignments Might Be Important

Posted on August 6, 2011 by AJ Kessler

One of the aims of military boot camp is to break a person down so that they can be rebuilt in the way the military desires.  This might sound insane, but it’s pretty important to know that your soldiers are … Continue reading →

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How To Seem Good At Everything: Stop Doing Stupid Shit

Posted on August 4, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I read this post today, which does a great job of laying out one of the best pieces of advice I had ever been given: Back in college, one of my best friends was a prodigious chess player. He’d won … Continue reading →

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Obvious To You, Amazing To Others

Posted on August 2, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I love this old video from Derek Sivers.  It’s always easy to forget:

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Duty and Service

Posted on July 25, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Great post here from Sebastian Marshall about the costs and benefits of Japan’s duty-based society: In Japan, duty is taken reallyseriously. If someone has a duty to you, they’ll work their ass off – especially if they’ve fallen short of … Continue reading →

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Recipe for a Breakthrough

Posted on July 23, 2011 by AJ Kessler

From the always succinct Seth Godin: The two best ways to break through a rut and to make an impact: Find things that others have accepted as the status quo and make them significantly, noticeably and remarkably better. Find things … Continue reading →

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If You’re Gonna Cheat, Cheat

Posted on July 20, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Some particularly limiting diets build in a “cheat day”.  One day a week of utter gluttony where you can shove any and every substance you want into your face.  What kind of diet would do that?  Well, if you’re on … Continue reading →

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The Best Investment Advice You’ll Never Get

Posted on July 17, 2011 by AJ Kessler

We had a guest lecturer come speak to our Corporate Finance class one day.  Frank Partnoy, my professor, introduced him as a hedge fund guy who knew his shit.  So well, Partnoy added, that he once simply donated the 9 … Continue reading →

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Get 38x Better in One Year

Posted on July 14, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Can you imagine being 38 times more productive?  More outgoing?  More competent?  More anything? All it takes is getting 1% better each day, for a year. Just 1%. Top of the to-do list should read: “How can I improve 1% … Continue reading →

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How To Be Creative

Posted on July 12, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Sebastian Marshall was kind enough to let me guest post about how to be creative over on his blog.  It’s a technique I’ve used successfully for many years, and I imagine many other luminaries and creatives have used this, or … Continue reading →

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Kill Yourself, For Two Weeks

Posted on July 11, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Killing yourself can be a useful thing to think about.  But, instead of using it is a mid-to-long term form of regulation, what if you shortened it and made it immediately actionable? What if you had two weeks to live? … Continue reading →

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Best TED Talk Ever

Posted on July 10, 2011 by AJ Kessler

So many takeaways: Passion Hans Rosling is incredibly passionate about statistics.  He’s passionate about the underlying work he’s doing and the analysis and insights his data is generating, but he’s also passionate about just accessing and sharing data in general.  … Continue reading →

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Maturity Means No Excuses

Posted on July 9, 2011 by AJ Kessler

In the law, the state doesn’t hold minors responsible for some of their actions.  If a bank agrees to give a 16 year old a credit card, that 16 year old isn’t liable for his debts because the law assumes … Continue reading →

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