hey're asking you for something. And you feel like if you say no, they're going to hate you. So you're tempted to say yes, even though you don't want to. Ever been there? We all have. But if you say yes, you're going to be frustrated with yourself. And you'll…
ere do you go for most of your answers these days? Google. And it's no surprise that Google's a company full of engineers. Engineers solve problems. That's what they do. And computer software engineers have developed methods -- algorithms -- to solve some of the most insanely complex problems out there. So what if we turned that cold, clinical science toward the warmest and most human of problems? Turns out you can get some amazing solutions. No, you don't need to understand calculus…
ny people aren’t happy with the way things are going right now. You want to make the world a better place -- but you don’t have superpowers (I think that’s a safe assumption) and you don’t get to vote all that often. Actually, it's worse than that. It turns out many of the philanthropic things we can do don't work all that well. And the way we go about engaging in them is fraught with problems too -- like cognitive biases. And then…
at critical voice in your head. Always telling you how you're screwing up. Always putting the worst-case-scenario front and center. We all have it. (I call it "Lefty.") You're hearing a lot these days about how to turn down the volume on your critical inner monologue. (Um, sometimes from me, actually.) But let's try looking at it a little differently for a sec, shall we? What if you don't need fewer voices in your head -- what if you need more…
ver been caught in the grip of extreme emotions? I'm gonna guess whatever decision you made next probably wasn't a good one. When we're anxious, angry, or sad, we rarely do the smart thing. And that can seriously mess up our lives. At work, in love, or pretty much anything…
right, you’ve probably read a zillion articles about happiness online and you’re not a zillion times happier. What gives? Reading ain't the same as doing. You wouldn't expect to read some martial arts books and then go kick ass like Bruce Lee, would you? All behavior, all changes, must be trained. The ancient Stoics knew this. They didn't write stuff just to be read. They created rituals -- exercises -- to be performed to train your mind to respond properly…
'd all like to know how to stay calm under pressure. Sure, I could pull a bunch of research studies on it and just summarize those for you. But that always leaves the lingering question: "But does this stuff work in the real world?" So who really knows about being cool as a cucumber under the most intense pressure imaginable? I'd read that when top bomb disposal experts approach a device designed to kill them, their heart rate actually goes down. Folks, I think…
ery now and then, life punches below the belt. How can you be resilient when times get tough and you feel bad? There are all kinds of strategies for feeling happier and showing grit. But most of them are very conscious and deliberate. And the truth is, most of what we do every day isn't all that conscious and deliberate. Ever since Freud, we've known that a lot of our behavior is unconscious. If that's the case, shouldn't you leverage your…
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