Bunker Hunt supposedly had a two-step policy for success: Figure out what you want, and the price you’ll have to pay to get it. Resolve to pay that price. I guess his philosophy is a bit more nuanced in implementation, but taps on a common theme in life-advice, that the first step to achieving anything […]
How Fast are You Running to Stay in the Same Place?
In Lewis Carrol’s novella, Through the Looking Glass, there’s a wonderful dialog between Alice and the Red Queen: “Well, in our country,” said Alice, still panting a little, “you’d generally get to somewhere else — if you run very fast for a long time, as we’ve been doing.” “A slow sort of country!” said the […]
Why I Stopped Setting Long-Term Goals
I started setting goals about 6 years ago. When I started, I heard from authors and speakers that I needed to set long-term goals. Specific goals that I wanted to achieve in 5-10 years. I followed their advice and set long-term goals for my income, health, business and even the number of books I wanted […]
Aggressive Learning
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 […]
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.