Fearlessness: 3 Things You Can Learn From Special Ops And Navy SEALS
ne-man army." It's a phrase that gets thrown around lightly. But for 7 hours, Hector Cafferata was exactly that. On November 28, 1950 during the Korean war, the then 21-year-old took on an entire regiment of Chinese soldiers, defending his group of badly wounded friends. He did it in 30 degrees-below-zero-weather while in his socks. He had only his eight shot M1 Garand and when grenades were thrown at him he batted them away with a shovel. I'm going to…
7 minutes
I experimented on myself. Here are 4 things that did help me sleep.
at Really Did Help Me Sleep? A while back I did a big post that lays out what you need to know about the science behind sleep and sleeping better. But if you're a regular reader, you probably ask the same question I do: HEY, DOES THIS CRAP REALLY WORK? I don't post this research so we're all better prepared for Jeopardy. And if it's stuff that only works in a lab, well, I don't live in a lab.…
4 minutes
10 Ways To Gain Real Super Powers That Will Change Your Life
u Can Gain Real Super Powers No gamma radiation, spider bites or mutations necessary. A few simple tips from the blog can have you performing heroic deeds in no time -- cape not included. 1) Gain Super Creativity! Take a hot shower. Via Imagine: How Creativity Works: Why is a relaxed state of mind so important for creative insights? When our minds are at ease— when those alpha waves are rippling through the brain— we’re more likely to direct the…
5 minutes
Erdos: 3 Key Life Lessons You Can Learn From A Very Odd Mathematician
all accounts, Paul Erdos was a very odd guy... If you were a friend he might show up at your house in the middle of the night wanting to do math and announce, "My brain is open." He wouldn't do laundry. If he was staying with you, you had to do it for him. If he wanted to work on a theorem at 5AM he'd bang pots and pans until you came downstairs. He is also one of the…
6 minutes
10 Ways To Change For The Better — Without Changing Your Mind
n you change for the better without changing what you think? Many people have read my blog for a long time, tried some of the things I've suggested and seen improvements in their lives. But some are surprised it doesn't affect their lives more. Why doesn't learning how your mind works dramatically change your behavior? The answer might be because we have the whole thing backwards. What if your mind doesn't change your behavior; what if your behavior changes your…
6 minutes
Which books can teach you how to be the best you?
at will teach you how to be the best you? There's been an explosion in social psychology and neuroscience books. That's great -- but many of them are too focused on theory, trivia, or are too general to be useful. And many that are legitimate just aren't an easy read for the average person. Which books can really teach you how to be the best you? What if you're an introvert? What to read: Quiet by Susan Cain What…
2 minutes
Does nearly being murdered change your life forever?
being stabbed in the throat doesn't change your life forever, what will? The knife sunk in two millimeters from his carotid artery -- which he describes as the difference between being "flown home in the cargo hold instead of in coach." Writer and cartoonist Tim Kreider had been stabbed in the throat. What is life like after it comes so close to ending? It's wonderful. Via We Learn Nothing: Essays: Except for the ten or fifteen minutes during which it…
4 minutes
5 second summaries of 5 psychology books you need to read:
hat are the best psychology books to read?" Everyone asks me that. But then they don't read the books. It's hard to blame them - no one has time these days. In the past I've done recommendations with quick takeaways and fun videos (here and here.) Time to do it again with five more great books. 1) Where Good Ideas Come From What is it? Steven Berlin Johnson's book about the history of creativity and innovation. What did I learn from…
2 minutes
