Have you ever questioned your own existence? I mean really questioned it, not in a fleeting, abstract way, but with the kind of raw, unfiltered curiosity of a child? For most of my life, I hadn’t. I took my being for granted, rarely pausing to consider the profound fact that I am, that I exist,… Read More »‘I am’ meditation practice
When Max was at his lowest point, battling demons that nearly drove him to end it all, an abandoned puppy named Chica gave him a reason to keep going. And when a car tragically struck Chica, leaving her broken on the road, it was the kindness of a total stranger named Kenny that made all… Read More »Kindness for a kid on his knees in the middle of downtown Indianapolis
In the summer of 1998, while the world watched the Clinton scandal unfold and Google took its first steps in a garage, a group of college graduates sat in the Texas heat listening to Kurt Vonnegut. Most of what he said that day has been forgotten, but one story about his Uncle Alex and a… Read More »If this isn’t nice, what is?
The prevailing wisdom has always been clear: success = hard work + long hours. Want to write a book, start a business, get in the best shape of your life? Then buckle up and get ready to toil without ceasing. Breaks are for the weak and unmotivated. But what if our work-till-you-drop cultural ethos has… Read More »The power of planned breaks for your productivity
I thought the message was always very clear: keep the hanky panky out of the bedroom if you want to catch quality Z’s. Sex, we’re told, is mentally stimulating, physically energizing – the exact opposite of what you need to drift off to dreamland. But the latest research says that sex is far from being… Read More »Sex as a sleep aid: Get intimate between the sheets
For most of my life, I thought arguing was about proving I was right. I’d latch onto my viewpoint with a death grip, using every rhetorical trick to defend it. Evidence that contradicted my stance? Brushed aside. Holes in my logic? Hastily patched. The other person’s perspective? Dismissed with a wave. I argued to win,… Read More »How to argue using the RISA framework
Resist loss of the miraculousby lowering your standardsfor what constitutes a miracle. It is all a fucking miracle. Resume the facethe desolate facethe radiant facethe face that has become your own. Though all your life you have resisted it. (Louise Erdrich, Advice to myself #2: Resistance)
When I moved away from home for the first time, loneliness wasn’t the only emotion that surprised me. Even more unexpected was the sheer force of my anger in the face of daily frustrations. Slow traffic sent me into a blinding rage. A missed deadline at work left me shaking. The mildest slights from my… Read More »How to control you anger: Why venting doesn’t help and what to do instead
I used to think checklists were boring. They were the tedious stuff of supply closets and employee handbooks, a sign that you were nothing but a cog in a machine, blindly following orders from higher-ups. Little did I realize that checklists would become the tool to set me free. When designed well, checklists do more… Read More »The power of checklists
As a self-proclaimed night owl, I’ve always envied people who could fall asleep at the drop of a hat. You know the type – the ones who can doze off on a crowded train or take a power nap in the middle of a busy workday. For me, falling asleep was a nightly battle, one… Read More »The Navy SEAL fall asleep fast technique
