If you want to succeed, pick an easy target. If you want to improve, pick an impossibly hard target. Success in a goal and improvement are often opposite paths, so if you aren’t clear on which you’re trying to pursue, you may end up failing at both. I have a habit for getting in over […]
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 […]
The Effort Threshold
Last week, I wrote about how a major cause of failure is simple: not working hard enough. If you’re only spending 30 minutes per week at the gym, your specific exercise plan doesn’t really matter. You aren’t reaching the minimum effort threshold needed for success. The idea that all goals have a minimum effort threshold […]
How I’m Creating an Emergency Fund with One Year of Income
One of my major goals in life is financial freedom. For me, this doesn’t mean having a lot of money. Financial freedom simply means I’m secure enough financially that I don’t need to worry about having money. Setting up an emergency fund with at least one year of income is a big part of this. […]
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.