Arbitrary Numbers, Part II
Comments Off on Arbitrary Numbers, Part IIAfter publishing yesterday’s post, I realized I also wrote about arbitrary goals in The Happiness of Pursuit. Here’s the story: I use an app on my phone to track my…
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Why Arbitrary Numbers Can Be Very Motivating
Comments Off on Why Arbitrary Numbers Can Be Very MotivatingThere’s nothing fundamentally different about a marathon that takes four hours and one that takes four hours and two minutes. But as the data show, runners will do everything they can to hit 4:00 instead of 4:02.
Travel & Quest Case Studies Needed (“Are You Interesting? Do You Have a Great Story?”)
Comments Off on Travel & Quest Case Studies Needed (“Are You Interesting? Do You Have a Great Story?”)Above photo from Tom Allen’s quest story Hey everyone! For the past few months, we’ve been running a series of traveler and “quester” profiles, usually each Tuesday and Thursday. Judging…
6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XXV
Comments Off on 6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XXVThings I found on long walks in foreign cities or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.
Blogging for an Audience of One
Comments Off on Blogging for an Audience of OneThis summer we encountered some delays in building the blog’s redesigned pages. Basically, we got behind. It was stressful but then it was okay, as it usually is. The most…
Learn to Walk on Water During Your Next Trip to Hong Kong
Comments Off on Learn to Walk on Water During Your Next Trip to Hong KongThis is a reader story. (Read others or tell us yours.) I read a long comment by Elena Kim in the 2014 Travel Roundup, and decided it deserves a post…
2014 Annual Review: Looking Forward to 2015 (Dun, dun, dun…)
68 CommentsAnd… the Annual Review continues! Today’s post is all about the future. You’re welcome to share your lessons too, and—new bonus!—we’ll award a $100 Powell’s gift card to the person…
2014 Annual Review: Travel Roundup
77 CommentsAnd… the Annual Review continues! Today’s post is a travel roundup: everywhere I went in 2014, along with a few lessons and comments. You’re welcome to share your itineraries or…
How to Visit Cuba as an American (While It’s Still “Illegal”)
Comments Off on How to Visit Cuba as an American (While It’s Still “Illegal”)Like many of you, I was excited to hear the big news that the U.S. embargo against Cuba is ending. Wow! There’s probably a good life lesson in this news:…
Nostalgia for the Opposite
Comments Off on Nostalgia for the OppositeJez Butterworth on writing a play about navigating the zero-sum world of opposing choices: He described it as a kind of psychological holding place as ‘nostalgia for the opposite.’ Holding…
2014 Annual Review: Lessons in Entrepreneurship & Unconventional Work
53 CommentsAnd… the Annual Review continues! Today’s post builds on Monday’s, with some more specific lessons related to entrepreneurship, writing, and work. You’re welcome to share your lessons too, and—new bonus!—we’ll…
Barriers and Pre-Commitments: How to Modify an Environment to Support Your Values
Comments Off on Barriers and Pre-Commitments: How to Modify an Environment to Support Your ValuesFrom time to time, most of us suffer from a gap between what we say we do and what we actually do. This is especially true in everything associated with…
2014 Annual Review: A Few (Embarrassingly Personal, Per Usual) Lessons Learned
1,074 CommentsHey everyone, the Annual Review is here! Note: This is a long post (2,500+ words) and also fairly personal. You have been warned.
2014 Annual Review Is Here! This Updated Free Tool Will Help You Plan Your Whole Life (Seriously)
Comments Off on 2014 Annual Review Is Here! This Updated Free Tool Will Help You Plan Your Whole Life (Seriously)Over the past eight years, nothing has helped me to accomplish big goals and stay on track more than a single exercise I complete each December: the Annual Review.
Units of Momentary Happiness
Comments Off on Units of Momentary Happiness“Everything we need to be happy is easy to obtain.” -Epicurus I’ve long advocated that happiness is not entirely related to a feeling of a precise moment. Instead, it’s more…
