May 22Member-onlyWhen to Say “Yes” and How to Say “No”Say “Yes” Until You Have to Say “No” Early in your career, you need to jump into every opportunity you can get, so you say yes to everything. Even the things that seem kinda dumb or pointless or weird or inconvenient. You say yes and do them anyway. Because you never know what doors they will open. Then…Say Yes3 min readSay Yes3 min read
May 8Member-onlyWhy Everyone on the Internet Is WrongOne of my all-time favorite comics is this classic from xkcd:The Internet4 min readThe Internet4 min read
Apr 24Member-onlyWhy We Forget That Most People Are GoodIt seems everyone thinks the world is full of terrible, horrible, no good, very bad people. And sure, while you’ll find your share of jerkholes everywhere you go, I think a lot of this way, way overblown. …Bad People5 min readBad People5 min read
Apr 17Member-onlyWhy Some Relationships Can’t Be FixedThe Breakthrough Newsletter | April 10, 2023 — This is a repost of a Breakthrough newsletter—one idea, one question, and one exercise each week that could spark your next breakthrough. Sign up to receive future newsletters every Monday here. TWO THINGS FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT All relationships require work. Good relationships get better with work. Bad relationships need constant work just to stay the…Relationships5 min readRelationships5 min read
Apr 10Member-onlyHappiness Is the Wrong QuestionFor years now, I’ve written that ruminating on one’s happiness is probably not helpful. Happiness is not the point. And if you make it the point, then you’re not going to be happy. This view has put me at odds against the dozens of popular “How to Be Happy” books…Happiness3 min readHappiness3 min read
Mar 27Member-onlyWhen You Are Your Own Worst EnemyThe French philosopher Blaise Pascal once wrote, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” It was a simple and profound thought about the nature of boredom, self-awareness, and our endless capacity to distract ourselves with dumb shit. Try it: sit in a…Self-awareness4 min readSelf-awareness4 min read
Mar 13Member-onlyHow to Wage Philosophical WarfareYou’ve probably heard the words “modernism” and “postmodernism” before. Perhaps you heard them uttered by a stuffy professor or some nerd with a bow-tie in an art gallery. But I’d like to take a few minutes to convince you that they are practical and important terms. First, some definitions. Modernism…Philosophy6 min readPhilosophy6 min read
Feb 27Member-onlyYou Are (Not) AloneLoneliness is low-key the root of so many of the mental health and social welfare issues today, yet nobody seems to know how to talk about or solve it. Loneliness is a tough topic to tackle. It’s so widespread, yet we still know little about how or why it happens. What’s the Deal With Loneliness? …Loneliness6 min readLoneliness6 min read
Feb 13Member-onlyWhy We Stay in Bad RelationshipsIn economics, there’s a concept known as the sunk cost fallacy. The sunk cost fallacy occurs when someone makes a decision based on their previously invested time or resources. The classic example occurs when you buy something that you end up not needing or enjoying, but you force yourself to…Relationships3 min readRelationships3 min read
Jan 30Member-only3 Tips to Read More BooksI’ve found there are a lot of misconceptions out there about how to read more and read well, mostly picked up from when we were in grade school. Here, I want to cover the three most common questions I get in regards to reading non-fiction: How do you remember what…Reading6 min readReading6 min read