When I think about strategies for better living, I consider the rule of E: efficiency, effectiveness, and essentialism. Recently, I’ve been on a kick about cultivating deep focus. In the age of social media and modern technology, we’ve lost the ability to focus. Which is why I’ve made it my aim to be more mindful. “Mindfulness” is a hot topic these days, and while more and more people…
The easiest way to waste decades of your life is to mistake pleasure for fulfillment. Pleasure lives in the realm of now. It’s made of feeling and emotion, which are both very important, but predictably unstable. It’s impossible to base a meaningful life solely on the pursuit of pleasure. At the extreme end of pleasure: over-eating, over-sleeping, chronic masturbation and sex addiction, television, benders, cocaine and ice cream…
Over that past few years my advice has been regularly featured to millions of people all over the world in places like: TIME Fortune Entrepreneur The Huffington Post Fox News Business Insider Inc. I’m not just listing those links to show you how much of a big shot I am (although my mom thinks so). I mention them because after writing for so many big outlets, I’ve learned…
I love my parents. I really do. But when it comes to their thoughts on money and my life trajectory… They warped me. Badly. Sorry for being blunt, but they did. I don’t hold any resentment. They weren’t trying to psychologically cripple their little four-year old when they made me pick between the doctor bag or the police hat. However, the very fact that I was prodded to make…
Let’s get a few things straight. Talking about entrepreneurship, just to talk about entrepreneurship, and then selling a “private video series” at the end of the talking, isn’tactual entrepreneurship. The purpose of entrepreneurship, while it certainly has a self-serving element to it, is primarily service to others. Embedded in all ethical businesses is an intrinsic element of social good, even if the owners profit wildly as a result. You see…
Why I Worship The God of Boredom. It’s 6:30am and I’m at it again. I’m writing this thing that you’re reading. Every morning, just as the sun is coming up, I sit down at my desk to write. I’m talking deliberate writing, with a serious expression on my face. This isn’t a game. I don’t do this out of novelty. I don’t do this for money (most of…
Ok, I get it! You’re fed up! You’re ready to leave the 9-to-5 forever. But hold it right there… Should you quit your job? When is the right time to quit and how will you know when you’re ready? Keep watching to learn exactly what you’ll need to know. If you liked this, take a quick second to subscribe to my new channel on YouTube. …
About two years ago, my friend Marcel Benson (Barry) wanted to start a watch company. A lot of people probably thought that was a dumb idea. Watches? The world doesn’t need more watches! But that’s not what Barry thought. He liked watches. He’d always been fascinated with them. He had a whole collection, even as a kid. So that’s what he started working on. And when he worked,…
In the words of Renee Zellweger’s character in Jerry McGuire, the geniuses at Nike’s marketing department “had me at hello.” What other company on the planet besides Nike has been able to create an iconic brand around 3 words? Just Do It. It’s so simple, yet the concept of just doing something sheds light on the fact that in many cases, we just aren’t doing anything. Or we…
You have an idea. You think it’s awesome. You get pretty psyched about it. Maybe you mention it to a friend or two. Maybe you even mention it to your mom. It feels like this could be “The One” — even though in the back of your mind, you know the “perfect idea” doesn’t really exist (along with 6 other weird cognitive distortions you probably have). So you…