I often write about self-perception – the idea that your brain is always watching what you do for clues about how to feel and what to think. This means your actions influence your thoughts and emotions just as much as the other way around. And in this dynamic, actions speak louder than thoughts, which is great because so many of our thoughts are unhelpful or just plain wrong. Thus, we… Read More »When No One Is Watching
In March of 2015, I was severely depressed. Actually, I had been down for a long time, but this was the worst it had ever been. There were many external reasons for this: I was single and lonely, I was working six days a week to barely afford a noisy apartment in a crummy neighborhood, and I was in constant pain from seven different injuries. To “deal” with my problems,… Read More »The Importance of Living with Integrity
“The highest form of leverage is reputation.” –Shane Parrish1 The Temptation of Status Your social status is your standing relative to other people. Your rank. Your prestige. It’s tempting to pursue status because it feels good to rise within the social hierarchy. Status usually comes with power. You seem to have more influence. You get your way more often. Whether or not that’s actually a good thing is questionable, but… Read More »Reputation vs. Status
For the past ten years, I’ve suffered from a rare medical condition called erythromelalgia (EM for short). EM causes my feet (sometimes just one foot) to become red, hot, and swollen for no reason, and it can be very painful. EM has no cure, so managing the symptoms is all anyone can do. Exposure to heat makes symptoms worse, and keeping my feet cool makes them better. Thus, for the… Read More »Forced Adaptation