Cheap Distractions are things we generally know are distractions.

Despite how glued our eyeballs may be to these things at times, there’s very little controversy around how much of an unwanted timesuck things like social media, Netflix, and YouTube can be. 

Then there’s Quality Distractions, the better-dressed sibling of...

“How’s your day?”

“Good.”

Good. What’s a good day anyway?

Is it when you finish a project?

Is it when you get a promotion?

Is it when you make a sale?

Maybe. 

But is it also not a good day if you’re alive and get to be in the...

Say thank you. 

Even if you can’t see it, it makes a world of difference when people know their efforts are appreciated. 

The net gain in happiness, fulfillment, and humanity from just 2 seconds of effort — if that — is insanely good. 

The Courage to be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi is one of the best books… that I’ve yet to read. 

Because the punchline (at least one of them) is in the title. 

When you live to please others, they can run your life. 

Lifetimes have...

Big Deals matter in years and decades; Small Deals matter in days and months. 

That’s it.

Time horizon is everything. 

For your sanity, don’t treat a Small Deal like a Big Deal. 

For your happiness, don’t treat a Big Deal like a Small Deal. 

Trying to suppress a thought hardly works. 

Case: don’t think about a flower. 

Point: I’m willing to wager you thought about a flower, if only for a flicker of a moment.  Suppressing actually just reinforces. 

As an alternative strategy, try acceptance the next time you’re experiencing difficult...

There are two sides to every challenge. 

Side one: this stinks! Side two: this is a learning opportunity. 

Side one: this is hopelessly confusing. Side two: I bet I can find a way forward. 

Side one: this will drain me.  Side two: I will emerge from this...

Yesterday, I came across a document of ‘Big Lessons’ written by Shaan Puri.

In it, he introduces a helpful concept that he calls ‘One Big Thing’ or ‘OBT’ for short, which is inspired by Gary Keller’s book “The ONE Thing.” 

The concept is powerful and straightforward: identify the one...

A chasm is the gap that separates where you right now are from where you know you need to be.

The space between your thoughts and you clicking the ‘submit’ button for an application to your dream company is a chasm. 

The space between your desire to tell someone...

The same activities that are good for growth can also stall it. 

Planning can be good, but it’s possible to over-plan.

Research can be good, but it’s possible to over-research. 

Thinking can be good, but it’s possible to over-think. 

At some point, these activities stop serving their...