A great deal of self-help emphasizes overcoming your fears. Our fears, we’re told, are the reason we aren’t sky-diving millionaires with supermodel spouses right now. A quick Google search shows over 3.2 million entries for “how to overcome fear.” The book, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyways was a major best-seller. Clearly there is […]
Doubt
Feeling doubt isn’t a sin. Life will always be uncertain, and the correct decision isn’t always obvious. It’s better to learn to live with doubts, and act anyways, than to try to eliminate them altogether. One piece of advice I dislike about traditional self-help, is the focus on eliminating all doubt. Yes, it is easier […]
Don’t Swim in the Shallow Waters
I used to work as a lifeguard at a swimming pool. One day, a small kid, maybe five or six years old, ran off straight into the deep end without a life jacket. He didn’t know how to swim, so one of the lifeguards had to dive in and scoop him up. No harm was […]
Personal Excellence Comes First
In his book, Stephen Covey split the seven habits of highly effective people into two categories: personal and interpersonal habits. He felt that the personal skills came first. Communicating goals with another person isn’t useful unless you have the discipline to act on those goals. Personal excellence comes first. I think this a point that […]
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.