The perfect plan, poorly executed, will fail. A lousy plan, well executed, is often successful. It may seem obvious, but way to fix a failure is often simple: work harder. If you fail to lose weight on a diet, is your diet the problem? Or is the problem that you didn’t follow it consistently enough? […]
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 […]
Average Doesn’t Mean Secure
Just because it’s common, that doesn’t mean it’s not risky. Many people fall into the misconception that if a lot of people are doing something, it must be the safest path. If you were born several decades ago, you would have thought smoking was safe because everyone was doing it. Is Having a Job Safer? […]
Walk Slowly So You Don’t Trip
“Take your most conservative estimate for the amount of time you need. Then double it. That’s your most realistic deadline.” –Software Development Maxim “People tend to overestimate what they will accomplish in one year, but underestimate what they will accomplish in five.” –Steve Pavlina The more time you give yourself to complete a goal, the […]
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.