-
Build Self Trust First
One of the fundamental pillars of being someone who executes (does executioner sound too extreme?) is trusting yourself completely. Only when you have that trust can you reliably reach goals over the mid and long terms. By trusting yourself completely, I mean that if you decide internally that you are going to do something, you…
-
Or Can You?
Yesterday afternoon we got to the bus stop and boarded our bus. We would be on it for twenty four hours without a power jack, meaning that every last milliamp of power was precious. In particular, I always want to save my laptop power for Sett stuff and use my phone for anything else when…
-
Finding Your Fault
Today eBay reversed a payment I received for selling a phone. I had sent the phone on the way to the airport and kept the receipt in my backpack in case I needed to verify that I sent it. A couple weeks later I saw the receipt, figured everything was done, and threw it away.…
-
The Greatest Story Ever Told, Starring You
Imagine a story. Maybe it’s a novel or a movie or a long running TV show, whichever you prefer. The beginning of the story is your life so far. It’s been compressed a lot, so it’s not too long, but it has all of the highs and lows, and some of the key moments that…
-
The Relationship Between Happiness and Pleasure
One of the most frequent criticisms I get is that I’m too focused on serious things like productivity, self improvement, and learning. I value those things highly and often focus on them at the expense of fun. Here are a few paraphrased quotes: “Life isn’t just about work.” “As long as what you’re doing makes…
-
Just Sufficing Sucks
It might surprise most readers to know that I actually had a pretty great time in school. I learned a lot, made great friends, and had some very good teachers. There are a lot of positive aspects of school that should be preserved even in alternatives. What I don’t like about school, though, is the…
-
A Precarious Life
Last night I played poker for the first time in four months. I play a reasonably big game, where you typically buy in for $500, and always have another $500 in reserve. When you play a couple times a week, like I was doing last year, your winnings and losses don’t mean much to you…
-
One Language Down, A Review of The Pimsleur Method
Two months ago I wrote a blog post about how I was going to learn every language. At the time I had just finished the Pimsleur tapes for Romanian I and German I, and was moving on to German II. I’ve now finished a complete Pimsleur course, German I – III, and figured I should…
-
Why Crazy Stuff Happens on the Island: Risk Profiles
I really enjoy talking about risk, but it’s always better to talk about concrete examples rather than theories. My recent post about the disasters encountered on our island trip got a lot of people riled up about the risks I was taking, so I figured I’d use that as an opportunity to talk about risk,…
-
Island Adventure 2, Part 2: Almost Total Victory
I woke up to a familiar sight. Outside the vehicle I had slept in was Brian, on the phone, trying to get us help with our latest predicament. And, just as last time with being stuck in mud, our unfailingly benevolent neighbors came to our rescue. “I don’t let anyone besides my dad work on…
