How the Password You Select Can Help You Achieve Your Goals
From a long article about the history of passwords, I thought this story was especially fun:
For some people, these rituals are motivational. Fiona Moriarty, a competitive runner, told me that she often used “16:59” — her target time for the 5,000 meters in track. Mauricio Estrella, a designer who emailed me from Shanghai, described how his passwords function like homemade versions of popular apps like Narrato or 1 Second Everyday, which automatically provide its user with a daily reminder to pause and reflect momentarily on personal ambitions or values.
To help quell his anger at his ex-wife soon after their divorce, Estrella had reset his password to “Forgive@h3r.”
“It worked,” he said. Because his office computer demanded that he change his password every 30 days, he moved on to other goals: “Quit@smoking4ever” (successful); “Save4trip@thailand” (successful); “Eat2@day” (“it never worked, I’m still fat,” Estrella wrote); “Facetime2mom@sunday” (“it worked,” he said, “I’ve started talking with my mom every week now”)
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P.S. By the way, what’s your password?
Link: The Secret Life of Passwords
Image: Rafael
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