In Japanese culture, there is this concept called “ikigai,” which loosely translates as “the reason why you get up in the morning.” Every person, it is believed, has an ikigai that they must search for. The search is long and deeply personal, but once your ikigai is found, it is what you devote your life to. It is your calling, your one true purpose. At first glance, you might think… Read More »How to Use the Ikigai Diagram to Find Fulfillment
A couple of years ago, I went to a bachelor party in Alaska. The location could not have been more epic: our friend Luke’s cabin on Chandalar Lake in the Brooks Range, which you can only get to by small plane (Luke flew us in). Certainly, the location alone would have been enough to make everyone feel like they were at a true Alaskan bachelor party, but someone had a… Read More »The Uniform Effect
This year, instead of changing you, focus on changing your setup – your physical environment, the various spaces in your life. And instead of committing to maintaining some new behavioral regimen, commit to maintaining your improved setup. This is the most important principle of smart willpower strategy. Get your physical space right, and the behaviors you want to do in that space become massively easier. James Clear recently explained why… Read More »A Better Type of New Year’s Resolution
Brené Brown has a helpful metaphor for understanding relationships: the marble jar.1 Whenever you build a relationship with someone (a romantic partner, a friend, a colleague) imagine that you and the other person are working together to fill up a jar of marbles. With every interaction, you each have a choice: You can add to the marble jar, take from the marble jar, or break the marble jar. Adding Marbles… Read More »The Relationship Marble Jar