I have a burning hatred for the idea of the “guilty pleasure.” Oh, I understand the concept. You take pleasure from something for which you also feel guilty for enjoying – from watching YouTube cat videos to eating chocolate ice cream. But […]
For millennia, philosophers and religious leaders (hereafter referred to as “wise guys”) – one after another – have reminded people like you to go after the things that last. Muscles? Bodily health? Beauty? Sex? Wealth? Ask many Christians, Stoics, Buddhists, or other practicing wise […]
“Tradition means giving a vote to most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. . . Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.” […]
I decided a while back to make some form of daily exercise* a regular part of my life. The secret to consistency? I can literally roll out of bed and be in the gym. I’ve made a few fitness acquisitions over […]
If your family had a history of cancer or heart disease, wouldn’t you want to know? So if behavior and personality is in large part genetic*, wouldn’t you want to know the patterns of personality that dominate your family’s history? I mean, […]
If you look closely, you’ll find that even in (especially in) your kind acts to others, you are probably doing an important kindness to yourself. When I think back to the (occasional) times I’ve helped a stranger jump-start a dead car battery, or the time […]
I’ve been visiting my hometown and staying on my family’s farm for these past few days, so I’ve had lots of time to think about family. We’re all getting older now, but the time spent making some visits and flipping through photo […]
I have the great blessing of having a father who has shared the things he loves with me. When I was a boy, we went fishing, hunting, and boating more times than I can remember. From a very early age I […]
Some words just have a magical quality. “To sell your soul is the easiest thing in the world. That’s what everybody does every hour of his life. If I asked you to keep your soul – would you understand why […]
Being busy has a bad rap these days. And to be fair, being occupied with lots of tasks has plenty of faults and pitfalls, from overcommitment to lack of focus. And isn’t it insufferable when everyone tells you how “busy” […]
Mystification is the root of all kinds of evil when it comes to hiring. Say you’re building a marketing team from scratch. Say you also need to hire people who can do event marketing, partner marketing, email marketing, digital marketing, content […]
If you aren’t staying at your office past midnight at least once in a while, are you really working at a startup? I’ve written plenty before about my love of my late-night work sessions. When the office is empty, I […]
Want to run? Experts say you need nice running shoes, controlled diets, and fancy nutrition gels. Want to start a podcast? Experts might tell you that you need the latest microphones, a sound mixer, a perfectly soundproof room, and high-cost conferencing […]
If you don’t think you have time to network, you’re probably thinking about networking wrong. Most people think to network that they have to set aside extra time on weeknights to go to “networking events” and other dubiously valuable meetups. […]
“You’re much too agreeable.” “You’re much too assertive.” “You’re far too focused.” “You’re far too curious.” “You’re much too perfectionistic.” “You’re much too fast.” In the course of your life, you’ll likely hear one of each of these pairs of […]
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard was to “be first.” Be first to say hello to a stranger, be first to volunteer, be first to take on a challenge. This is fine advice. The more I manage […]
Nostalgia is a strange thing: it makes us fond of some stupid, awkward, and ugly things. Tonight, for instance, I was listening to some cheesy country songs from the 90s and early 00s. By many objective standards I should dislike this […]
Listen Something is beginning Something is finding its voice Words not heard in open air Listen Hear it The sacred broken dam The shaky-voiced flood The torrent and rushwater truth Hear it Silence Your thoughts can wait A labor has begun […]
As part of my Charity:Water campaign, I’m writing blog posts for people who contribute $25 or more to bring clean water to 23 people. You have a word/topic/question you want me to riff on? I’ll (probably) write it. One donor asked […]
If you want a thrilling Saturday night adventure, start driving for Uber on the weekend the Super Bowl happens in your city. Even though this technology is years old (and I’ve been using it as a consumer), you can still got […]
As part of my Charity:Water campaign, I’m writing blog posts for people who contribute $25 or more to bring clean water to 23 people. You have a word/topic/question you want me to riff on? I’ll (probably) write it. One donor asked […]
As part of my Charity:Water campaign, I’m writing blog posts for people who contribute $25 or more to bring clean water to 23 people. You have a word/topic/question you want me to riff on? I’ll (probably) write it. One donor asked […]
As part of my Charity:Water campaign, I’m writing blog posts for people who contribute $25 or more to bring clean water to 23 people. You have a word/topic/question you want me to riff on? I’ll (probably) write it. One donor asked […]
As part of my Charity:Water campaign, I’m writing blog posts for people who contribute $25 or more to bring clean water to 23 people. You have a word/topic/question you want me to riff on? I’ll (probably) write it. This blog […]
So, you screwed up. And you screwed up so bad (or made a recovery so bad) that you know it’s pointless to ask forgiveness. You know you won’t be forgiven. You should ask forgiveness anyway. To ask forgiveness is about […]
Not having a holiday can make a month pretty bleak. Take January. With the exception of MLK Day (many workers don’t have the day off) and New Year’s Day (which might as well be a December holiday), we have nothing. […]
Ownership can save any project or company. Fiefdoms will kill both. But the difference is often fine and hard to distinguish. Ownership is the ownership of responsibility for a given task or set of tasks.Just like a house will keep better with a […]
Think starting up your dream business is a daunting task? Imagine going straight from being on vacation to starting up a complex refugee rescue mission under the nose of the Nazis – with no prior experience and no preparation. That […]
“The best start-ups might be considered slightly less extreme kinds of cults.” – Peter Thiel Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in the United States join small, unvetted mysterious organizations that require extreme lifestyles and promise untold riches. Are there new cults […]
“Shouldn’t I be better at this?” If you’re like me, this is a question you ask a lot when you try new skills or uncommonly-used skills. You wonder if you’re as far along as you should be, and if a […]