Feel free to steal them too if you’d like.
There’s this feeling that I crave. It’s the feeling of learning something. Something insightful. Something life-altering. I love it. I search it out. In conversations with others, in the books I read, in the podcasts I listen to, I’m constantly searching for more. It’s exciting. It’s rewarding. I can almost feel my brain lighting up in response. I’m not working towards any endpoint in particular. Rather, learning is both a means and an end for me. Like someone who runs because they enjoy running.
But consuming only goes so far. …
You don’t need motivation to get things done; all you need is a reliable system.
Motivation is the sugar-rush of your desires. It is exciting, energizing, and oh-so-yummy… until you get a stomach ache and need to take a nap. It’s short-lived, short-term, temporary. It is not to be counted on for any real results or efforts.
It’s a lie that you need it in order to get things done.
You don’t need motivation to work in the same way you don’t need chocolate to live. It’s just the candy companies trying to spread Halloween-cheer. Trying to make a buck.
Here’s a little story to illustrate my point…
It’s Not Something I Jump Out of Bed For
Four days a week, I do a…
Lessons from prominent figures of history.
They say history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. Well I hope you like poems. The past is full of them. Situations that show themselves over and over again. Instead of ignoring them, you can learn from them. You can apply them to the verses of your own life. In turn, you can live a more meaningful existence. The following lessons are pulled from well-known figures in time.
As you move through this article, consider how you can learn from their happenings. Observe what they did and whether or not you should follow their example. …
The thin line between success and failure.
The lights go dark. A slight thumping noise resonates all around. It grows louder by the second. You hear cheers ahead of you, though you can’t see who they emanate from. You climb up one step. Then another. Then another. You reach the stage. You look around. Everything is in the right place. Including you. You slide your headphones on. The crowd spots you. Their cheers grow even louder. Even more excited. The bass continues to grow. Though the lights are off, you can make out slight figures of people dancing, jumping, clapping.
The darkness suddenly comes to life in…
Evaluate these signs for a meaningful life.
I sat across from my mom. The hot desert sun beat down on us despite the shade of the overhead umbrella. A slight buzz danced over me. Piña coladas had been flowing for some time. It was a classic California poolside vacation. Yet I didn’t feel as relaxed as passersby might assume. Rather, I felt knotted up inside. Lost, more specifically. I had felt this way for a while now. Unsure of my place in life, uncertain about the direction I was heading.
I was currently reading the book, Grit, by Angela Duckworth. The book spoke of adults who knew…
“Planning is overrated.” — said no planner ever.
The planner-type is a special person. A person who feels that they can control the universe around them. A person who reins in the chaos and unpredictability of life with calendars, schedules, and agendas. Yes, the planner-type is a special person. I would know. After all, I’m one myself.
Most people have some system for planning. It’s often crude, but it works. Well, it works until it doesn’t. It only takes a busy day for the common system to fall apart. But that would never happen to you. And on the off chance it did, you would see to it…
Why ruin today with the trials of tomorrow?
If I had a time machine, the last place I’d visit would be my younger self. Who cares about me in braces? There are so many better things to experience. Even hypothetically speaking, I dislike the notion of giving my younger self advice. If I give him advice I would deprive him of the many events that make up who I am today. I wouldn’t want to do that. I wonder if that’s why I’ve yet to receive a visit from my future self. Time will tell.
Regardless, let’s pretend I had to go back to a younger version of…
4 things truly productive people never do
I used to lie a lot. I did it unconsciously. Not in a malicious way. Often it would be a white lie, provided to conceal my real reason for doing (or not doing) something. For instance, a friend may ask for help moving. My response would be along the lines of, “Oh, sorry. I’m busy that weekend.” My weekend would be wide open though. Judge me if you’d like. It’s the truth, ironically.
Today, I strive to be as honest as possible. I still catch myself lying by default on occasion. When I do, I verbally call myself out. “Can…
Especially the one about competition.
I’m not religious. Spiritual, sure, but not religious. However, though my theological education is lacking, there is one concept I am aware of despite my ignorance. And that is the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins — pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth — are those things that “spur other sins and further immoral behaviour.” They are the gateway drug to personal ruin.
The seven deadly sins don’t just apply to dealing with your neighbors though. They can also be viewed in the context of goal setting. The road to goal success, to creating a fulfilling life through…
Watch out for these signs that aren’t as valuable as they seem.
Goal setting has a corporate feel to it. Like you need to be a black belt in Six Sigma in order to partake. That to set goals, you need to show up to your small cubicle in the ’80s and put in your 9–5. That’s the world where SMART goals were born. But today, some 40 years later, the idea of what goal setting should be is highly antiquated.
SMART goals tell you that your pursuit should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. It’s not bad advice. It’s just not good advice. There is something grander at play here…
Corey Fradin
Founder of QuickBooost, a blog that helps you achieve your goals and a fulfilling life. | https://quickbooost.com/ebook/
