“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened” Mark Twain Certainly feels like they have though right? I’ve never stopped and thought about how many troubles I’ve actually had in the past. It just seems like they’ve been a part of my life, as I’m […]
Want to Talk To The CEO of Google?
You’re probably thinking it’s not possible. When Tim Ferris challenged a lecture hall of Princeton students to contact the highest profile person they can (George Bush, Bill Gates, etc.) and ask them a question, no one did anything. Even though the prize was a free round-trip ticket to the destination of their choosing. When Seth […]
Choosing Our Experience
Imagine I decided a particular event was disdainful. Not just that it may cause me some pain or a distressed emotional state. But that I really don’t like when it happens. Now whenever this event occurs, I find myself in a great deal of misery. Even just the potential of it occurring leaves me anxious […]
Well, That’s Interesting
Imagine two people faced with the same unexpected challenge. One quickly reacts to the situation, builds stress, and is hastily trying to find the best solution to resolve the issue. The other stays calm, takes his time, thinks over the challenge thoroughly before testing plausible solutions. Which one would you prefer to solve a problem […]
What Does It Mean to Be Cold?
What kind of a question is that? It seems like being cold is just that, being cold It’s a question for Wim Hof. Wim Hof wakes up to swim in frozen lakes, sleep in snow, and climb Mount Everest in nothing but his underwear. Gifted? Maybe. But then so must be nearly all of his […]
Boredom is Exciting
When people think of difficult challenges, they think of athletic feats or complex mental puzzles. But very few look at something that may be the most challenging of all. Sitting down for a lengthy period of time and doing nothing. There’s a certain frustration that comes with creating something new. It’s the writer’s block that […]
Intuition from The Worlds of Our Creation
Imagine I provided the following description of an individual named Linda: “Linda is thirty-one years old, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in philosophy. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of discrimination and social justice, and also participated in antinuclear demonstrations.” Now I want to ask you which of the following […]
The Information Dilemma
I remember taking a test to fill out all the capitals of the U.S. You probably had to do that a while ago too. But to be quite honest, I must have done something wrong, because I forgot. And now when I’m in a situation where I need to know the capital of a state, […]
You Might Be Playing The Wrong Game
When people ask me about my greatest achievement, I don’t hesitate to answer: my junior year of high school during the State Academic Decathlon competition where I beat my friend and became the highest scorer on my team. The story people assume I’m about to say goes along this line: I was always behind my […]
Organizing By Essence
It’s always surprising to me how easy it is to lose perspective when it seems like there’s a hurricane of work around me. It could be a lot of homework. It could be a project. It could even be other people. And during those times I tell myself it’s ok to sacrifice a little bit […]