From the Web
Does Living a Remarkable Life Require Courage or Effort? – A fantastic article by friend and fellow blogger, Cal Newport. Cal questions the assumption that our major problem is a lack of risk-taking. Instead, he argues, consistent, hard work towards a single focus results in the kind of excellence that allows you to dictate the terms of your life to the world.
From the Archives
It’s Okay to be Unhappy – One of the most destructive myths is believing you need to be happy all of the time. Abraham Lincoln fought depression for most of his life. Mark Twain suffered from bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. Happiness is important. But it’s not a prerequisite for success.
Friday Goals Update
Semi-regularly, I include a brief update on my goals. If you’re not interested in the boring details of my personal life, feel free to skip this. However, if you’d like to know what I’m doing (not just what I’m writing about) then here are my goals.
A big goal of mine for the last six months has been to learn French and become bilingual. I had my first experience with French immersion staying with a Belgian family who spoke little English for four days. I still have a long way to go for fluency, but I’m beginning to reach the point where I can make myself understood and understand simple conversations in French.
My fitness goal was put in limbo during my trip through Europe. I managed to exercise a few times in the first two weeks, but it was becoming more difficult to sustain near the end. I’ve been back to exercising regularly since I’ve been back (just finished a 10km run before writing this entry), but it does mean that reach my weight goal will take a little longer than I had initially anticipated. I’m not pursuing this goal as aggressively as my other pursuits because I’m happy with my appearance and fitness level.
With my goal for this website, I’m back to work on my upcoming book, Think Outside the Cubicle. The website has been in a bit of a slump during 2009, partially because I was unable to do more than write articles for 8 months starting in the fall of 2008. I’m hoping this next project and a few I have scheduled will help bring it back.
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.