“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
This morning I woke up to the usual: Benny begging for breakfast like he’s never been fed before. And as usual, I sat on the floor to give and receive some pre-breakfast affection from the cat. After a few pets, though, Benny got impatient and bit my hand (not hard but not pleasant either). 15 minutes later, he’s in my lap on the couch getting a chin scratch and purring… Read More »How Quickly Can You Forgive Them?
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
Bad habits can be really expensive. But I’m not talking about how much money you spend on alcohol or other indulgences. I’m talking about future costs. Let’s say you regularly eat fast food because it’s cheaper than healthier options. Well, down the road you’ll probably have some very expensive medical bills. Saving a few bucks on lunch every day might wind up costing tens of thousands in a decade or… Read More »How Expensive Are Your Bad Habits?