Being good at things is the key to success. Painfully obvious, right? That means being good, having mastered skills, ranks far higher than other commonly touted “keys” to success, such as: Overcoming fears Just getting started Rejecting societal norms Having the best attitude Sure, being a terrified, procrastinating, peer-pressured, pessimist probably won’t help you master […]
Know Which Stairs to Climb (Or How I Trained to do a Pistol Squat)
Recently, I managed to complete my first pistol squat. A pistol squat is a one-legged squat where you hold the inactive leg straight out in front of you. It requires considerably more balance and strength to do than a regular one legged squat. Finishing it got me thinking about a big problem that prevents many […]
What if You Have More Than One Passion?
If you have many different passions, pursue all of them. Recently, I’ve had a couple emails from readers explaining that their problem is simply having too many passions. Far from being members of the apathetic masses, these people seem to have difficulty focusing because there are simply so many things to be interested about. I […]
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.