Category Archives: Self-Improvement

Momentum Creates the Ability to Seize Opportunity

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

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First Principles: Internalization

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

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You’re Always Allowed to do Big Work

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

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On Marriage

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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Lazy, Weak and Dumb

People overwhelmingly think they’re smarter, stronger, more industrious and better looking than they really are.  To some extent, this is healthy.  If most of us realized how ugly and dumb we really were, we’d have trouble leaving the house, landing … Continue reading

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How To Succeed (Advice from Seth Godin)

Advice from Seth Godin: You don’t need all of these, and some are mutually exclusive (while others are not). And most don’t work, don’t scale or can’t be arranged: Be very focused on your goal and work on it daily … Continue reading

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Compared to What

It’s easy to convince yourself that you’re doing well if you compare yourself to your peers who are doing worse than you.  Unfortunately, this is a recipe for mediocracy.  Eventually, your self-induced laziness lets your peers catch up and then … Continue reading

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Death of the Hobby

Hobbies used to exist as a way to entertain ourselves.  If you had some extra time, you collected stamps, or watched birds, or built ships in a bottle.  You sought out activities to stimulate your mind.  Hobbies were an essential … Continue reading

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Hard Work Is Never Wasted

In school, a lot of kids ask “When will I ever need to know this?”  Why do I need to know how to solve for x?  Who cares whether Amenhotep or Ramesses ruled Egypt first?  When will I ever need … Continue reading

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Freedom, Responsibility, and Child Rearing

The New Yorker asks why American kids lack the responsibility so evident in children of (some) other cultures.  The article concludes that an adolescence of parental fixing, making sure everything is perfect and the kid never fails, results in a … Continue reading

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Magic Bullets

From an ESPN piece on Ryan Lochte, who is looking to spoil Michael Phelps’ final Olympics next month: “I’m not the most talented swimmer,” Lochte adds. “So I try to outwork everyone else.” It’s Sunday. A day of rest. The … Continue reading

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Perspective

It’s always important to remember that not everyone sees things the same way you do.  If they disagree, or understand, or don’t believe you, it’s not necessarily because they think you’re an idiot. Wish I knew who to give credit … Continue reading

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There Is No Speed Limit

Most of the world is designed for the lowest common denominator.  Schools are designed to impart a set amount of knowledge to a diverse group of kids each year.  It doesn’t much matter how smart you are, how interested you … Continue reading

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Be Criticized or Be Ignored

If you do anything, you’re going to get criticized.  There is no perfect solution to any real problem that maximizes everyone’s happiness.  There’s no decision that you can make that won’t be second-guessed by someone who is forced to deal … Continue reading

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Eggs

How you eat your eggs is a good barometer for how you live your life. There are people who do nothing but grab a plain hard boiled egg as they run out of the house in the morning.  Their eggs … Continue reading

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