mindsets

The author Joan Didion By Joan Didion This piece, about the author's college rejection from her first-choice college, appeared in The Saturday Evening Post April 16, 1968. “Dear Joan,” the letter begins, although the writer did not know me at all. The letter is dated April 25, 1952, and for ...

When I was a kid, there were serious discussions in churches, schools, and in front of Congress about whether the music my friends and I listened to might be satanic. I remember my friend’s mother making him throw away all of his Metallica tapes. I remember hiding the parental warning labels when asking my mom to buy the new Pantera album. I can still see my father breaking my Bone Thugs-N-Harmony CD in half when he realized they dropped more F-Bombs than Nixon in Cambodia. In case anyone asks, this is the album that caused the downfall of human civilization. By the time I reached adolescence, the grown-ups had moved on from offensive music and commenced their hysterics over the corruptive forces of violent video games. The Columbine Massacre in 1999 was peak hand-wringing about violent entertainment. Back then, school shootings were still a rare occurrence. And it was only fitting that such an incomprehensible act be explained by such a new and incomprehensible form of entertainment. Sorry. Correction. This video game is what caused the downfall of human civilization. Today, we chuckle at the hair metal bands of …

Creator of the infamous Hero's Journey, and the man who coined the term 'follow your bliss', these Joseph Campbell quotes will help you slay your dragons.

“The patterns of our lives reveal us. Our habits measure us.”

When I was in the third grade, I learned that being Asian was different.

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And start raising kind ones.

C.G. Jung Letters, Vol. 1: 1906-1950 To Frau V. Dear Frau V., 15 December 1933 Your questions are unanswerable because you want to know how one ought to live. One lives as one can. There is no sing…

Unhappy people fail to recognize what matters, instead becoming overly focused on what they believe is missing from their existence.

I have another birthday, and another bunch of unsolicited advice.    • That thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult — if you don’t lose it. • If you have any doubt at all

In this guest post by Mark Moschel, learn how meditation, nutrition & gratitude can be forms of biohacking and how to get the most out of these practices!

In 1978, Dr. James H. Austin wrote "Chase, Chance, and Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty." In his book, the neurologist —and Zen Buddhist— explained the roles of luck, chance, and serendipity in medical research, and outlines what we know today as the four kinds of luck: 1. Blind luck.

You may have noticed it's practically impossible to contact me. I did that on purpose so I can spend my time how I want to spend it. I don't really use email and I have my private message inboxes on every platform closed. And they have been like that for

How To Invest In Real Estate While Writing Poetry: The BRRRR Method

One of the gifts that I got was the ability to stay positive. I am grateful to my parents, my wife, and my genes (and anyone else responsible too). It is such a superpower. I don’t just mean optimism. I mean saying nice things about people. I mean keeping a smile on your face. I […]

One needs an Arbitrary Stupid Goal: A goal that isn’t too important makes you live in the moment, and still gives you a driving force.

Most people, and most businesses, have no idea what their north star is. They are often guided by short-term outcomes that fail to transcend

In some cultures, kids roll their eyes when asked to do chores. In others, they'll pitch in without even being asked. Researchers have identified two key practices to raise helpful children.

This is the (new) monthly series where I update this public journal about the various goals I'm working towards.

A safety net that’s there to catch you can also restrain you. It can make you believe that you’re safe only above the net.

One of the most useful and flexible models of human interaction that I've encountered is Richard Francisco's Five Levels of Communication (which comprises Chapter 2.6 of the Reading Book for Human Relations Training, 8th edition.) Francisco, a Lecturer at the...

We typically don't think of being an asshole as a good thing, but there's a difference between "good" assholes and "bad" assholes.

Hunter S. Thompson's letter to his friend, Hume Logan, on finding your purpose and living a meaningful life. The most profound advice I've ever come across.

So for the past year I've been exploring what interests me. Cooking with my wife. Long walks. Writing on a blog that no one will find. Figuring out different ways to learn. Taking online courses. Teaching my wife how to snowboard. Doing things that I think are important, not things other people tell me are important. Things that I enjoy intrinsically. Things that I think improve me or that I can improve in the world.

Naval Ravikant and Sahil Lavingia discuss making money, becoming successful, being happy, and much more.

There's a lot to like about stoicism, but it falls short in some key areas for me. Here's my take on it and the other influences on my personal philosophy.