I asked my friend Benny Lewis, who is fluent in nearly a dozen languages, what he thought enabled him to gain fluency so quickly, often in as little as three months. He claimed that most of it came down to attitude—when he is learning, he stops speaking English, fully devoting himself to the language he […]
Living Closer to Reality
A friend told me a story about two philosophers arguing about the nature of reality. The first believed reality was objective. The second countered that it was subjective, “You can’t prove to me that this wall exists.” The first replied, “Well if it doesn’t exist, then walk through it.” The problem with the subjective philosopher […]
Philosophical Tourism
Some people travel to see sights. Some go to learn languages. I’ve always been more interested in travelling to meet people, specifically, to find out how they think. Everyone has a philosophy of life. Not everyone writes a blog about it, or ponders big questions endlessly, but everyone has a life philosophy. They reveal it […]
Silencing the Background Noise of Life
There are only really three things you do in any given day: Things you enjoy Things that improve your life Everything else My guess is, like most people, the majority of your time is spent on the third, “everything else” category. But should it be? Fun, Growth and the Background Noise in Life The main […]
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.