I love Alan Watts’ quote, “you are under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago” because it highlights a commonly held belief that doesn’t seem to be commonly recognized. 

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be the same person you were five minutes ago,...

At some point in the last decade or so (maybe even before that), the internet lost its mind over the fact that Mark Zuckerberg wears the same thing every day and came to the conclusion that this habit was somehow a crucial part of success.*

For whatever reason, this observation...

On my way to meet some friends at a bar in San Francisco about 5 years ago, I saw this neon sign hanging at a nearby storefront that said: “do cool shit”. 

“Oh, how befitting”, I thought. After all, I was in the land of high technology and cutting-edge...

From a probilistic perspective, there’s a good chance you’re going to make it to tomorrow if you’re in reasonably good health. 

A really good chance. 

But that doesn’t discount the fact that we will all have our last day on this planet at some point and we’ll rarely...

There’s this notion of an intolerant and scathing inner critic that we’re taught to silence for our own well-being. 

In general, I agree — but I also wonder, is there not a more compassionate version of this critic that we can invoke for our benefit? 

Is there not...

While browsing through a furniture store this weekend, I saw a Winston Churchill quote on the wall that said “we shape our dwellings, and afterward, our dwellings shape us.”

In his New York Times Best Seller, Atomic Habits, James Clear reaffirms as much, writing that “… motivation (and even talent)...

Paul Cézanne was considered an avant-garde painter in the 19th century. His style was characterized by heavy brush strokes, skewed perspectives, and vibrant colors — a far cry from the conventional and widely-accepted techniques of his time.

Society’s rejection of Cézanne’s artistry came in many forms:

His submissions to The...

Actions are when you do anything. 

Picking up the phone, declining a call, joining a meeting, declining a meeting, focusing on a project, and scrolling through your social media feed are all actions. 

Decisions are when you make a judgment about what will or will not happen. They’re...

A phrase my previous manager and now mentor used to say to focus the team was ‘don’t boil the ocean.’ 

His point is that meaningful work isn’t achieved by trying to solve everything a once. 

In fact, attempting to do that — attempting to boil the ocean —...

Worrying about whether you’re focusing on the right things or not can either help you or stall you. 

Can be it useful to have some idea or hypothesis that what you’re doing is going to lead to something meaningful? 

Sure.

But at some point, there’s going to be...