“Life is composed of joys and miseries. They go hand in hand.” –Bhante Gunaratana1 On the ride of life, pain is the price of admission. We know pain right from birth. Pain is with us, in ways large and small, every day of our lives. Our discomforts range from the annoying to the agonizing. Embarrassments, mistakes, and failures are inevitable. We must all face unfairness, misfortune, and tragedy. This,… Read More »The Price of Admission
In what direction do you want your life to go? 20 Seconds can make a surprising difference. Here’s how. The 20-Second Rule In his book, The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life, Shawn Achor describes a simple life hack that he uses to facilitate positive behavioral change: The 20 Second Rule. This principle states that if you make something just 20 seconds easier to… Read More »The Surprising Power of the 20 Second Rule
I often think about self-development, chores, and saving money in terms of doing my “future self” a favor. My future self is me, after all. Procrastinating might feel right for my present self, but my future self will regret it; I will regret it. This calculation has been working pretty well. In fact, the payoffs often outweigh the upfront costs by a huge margin. But why is this? Why is… Read More »Your Future Selves
When the day began, I thought I had a pretty good sense of the upper limits of human dexterity and focus, two skills essential for my obsession at the time: extreme Jenga. But by the day’s end, those limits would be far surpassed and my general sense of human potential would be greatly expanded. That evening, hanging out with three friends who had little to no Jenga experience, I set… Read More »Your Incredible Human Potential