There’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.
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And… 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 who leaves the best comment by the end of the week, as determined by our cats and biased judges. Right after Christmas, I’ll also share…
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Imagine your life as an epic, three-hour movie. In this saga there are numerous high points and low points, and both drama and comedy. There are coming-of-age moments and passages of growing older. There will likely be some real challenges, and maybe even a few moments when you think you won’t make it. The movie…
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When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time at the mall. I had two sets of parents and lots of grandparents, but pretty much everyone I knew loved to go to the mall. No matter who I was with, a lot of early evening conversations went like this: “What should we do…
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I remember a Christmas in which I spent the day entirely by myself. Strategy #1: sleep as late as possible. Strategy #2: fill up the day with as many things to occupy my time without feeling lonely. It didn’t work, at least not completely. I was sad and depressed for much of the day. I…
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From Greg McKeown’s Essentialism: “As you evaluate an option, think about the single most important criterion for that decision, and then simply give each option a score between 0 and 100. If you rate it lower than 90 percent, then automatically change the rating to 0 and simply reject it. This way you avoid getting…
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“I had no good reason not to take it up,” he said of a big decision. “And it kind of terrified me to imagine myself spending the rest of my life tinkering on the margins of the small arguments.” Link: Embrace the Irony Image: Ed ###
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I love the principle presented by Japanese organizational expert Marie Kondo in her new book. The short version is: discard everything that doesn’t “spark joy.” For all the clothes you don’t wear, pass them on. At minimum, never keep anything you haven’t worn in the past year. Go around your house and get rid of…
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They considered how to spend the time they had left together. There were thoughts of trips to Hawaii or the Galapagos, but Genn wanted to end his life as he had lived it: in his studio, making art, with his family close by. James fashioned a reclining chair so his father could continue to paint,…
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Imagine being able to share your thoughts with anyone at any time. From this broadcast channel, you can say whatever you want … no matter how unusual or unconventional, or even no matter how boring. In your channel, you make the rules. Geography is no object. You can reach people in Kazakhstan or Kalamazoo with…
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Before a big talk, I used to stress out for weeks. The feeling began with a sense of being unsettled (and not the good kind). I was anxious and unsure of how to resolve it. Finally, at least a few days beforehand, the talk took over my mind and became all I could think about.…
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The “Will I regret it in the future?” mindset can be very helpful in making decisions. From a New York Times article on protests in Hong Kong: “I’m not sure if this protest will really affect the decision by China, but I’m sure if I don’t come I will regret it in the future,” said…
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I went back to the Tattered Cover in Denver last night. Love that store! Fun people. I remembered being there two years ago. At the time, The $100 Startup was selling really well and there were at least 150 people at every tour stop. I was feeling good. In Denver that night there were more…
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A lot of personal development writers use the phrase “a life that matters,” as in “Here’s how you live a life that matters.” But this phrase is problematic, because everyone’s life has value and “matters” regardless of what they do with it. A better way to think of it is how to live a life…
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