You tend to become the things you believe are important. This idea alone defines much of the different trajectories people take. Luck, talent and habits constrain the path, but they matter less than which direction you decide to take. If your finances are in order, that’s probably because being responsible with money is important to […]
Nonconformers Need Better Social Skills
A few readers have emailed me, following my own self-education, whether they should drop out of college and learn on their own. If you’re smart, you can probably learn better on your own, so it’s not an unreasonable question. Unfortunately, it’s a really hard question to answer. If you plan on becoming a surgeon, licensed […]
Why Should Life Be Simple?
Readers have often pointed out to me that my site has no consistent message. When you read other blogs, their philosophies are sharpened down to a point: simplicity, live consciously or nonconformity. In comparison, mine seems rather haphazard. Part of this is focus—writers have opinions about many subjects, but they are only interesting when writing […]
Learning to Doubt
Human nature is to reason in certainties. It takes training to rid yourself of that handicap. Nobel-laureate, Richard Feynman, said it best: “I can live with doubt and uncertainty. I think it’s much more interesting than live with answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and different degrees of certainty about various things, […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.