Category: Life
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“Exaggeration with a purpose”
One of my favorite passages in The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene (recommended in this month’s Best of Books): “What we must understand about the attitude is not only how it colors our perceptions but also how it actively determines what happens to us in life—our health, our relations with people, and our…
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It’s right in front of you
The magic is in just putting one foot in front of the other. In not quitting. In doing less, but still doing it. To just make time, or a little more energy, to do that thing today, that gets us closer to the goal tomorrow. It reminds me of Will Smith, writing with Mark Manson,…
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The marble of the day
I used to be even more obsessed with time than I am now. I had no idea how people made time to do stuff, and I never felt like I had enough of it. And honestly, I still don’t. I don’t even think anyone has a real answer to this. The best thing I’ve seen…
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To all the dreams I dreamed before
When I look back at my teenage years, I think about how many opportunities I missed. Most of the time, I didn’t even hear about the opportunities or appreciate how important they were and how much they could change my life, so I didn’t develop my senses for it. The ones I did hear about,…
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Quintessentialism
1. The best way to experience unexpected good things (e.g., positive business and personal outcomes) is to allow yourself to be the quintessential version of you. As much you as you can be. By being yourself and finding the intersections of how you can support other people, you will draw in the people who want…
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Focus on what makes an experience matter, not the experience itself
All the myths, lore, and backstories that you appreciate were crafted carefully and thoughtfully and improved through time, just like products and businesses and relationships. In The Wisdom of Life, philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer writes, “The world in which a man lives shapes itself chiefly by the way in which he looks at it, and so…
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The rise of celebrity-based courses
There’s a course started and being taught by Yassin Alsalman (probably better known as recording artist Narcy) at Concordia University entitled, “Kanye vs. Ye: Genius by Design.” It’s the latest in a continuum of popular music studies. From a brief search there is a: Kid Cudi course at Penn State from 2021 Kanye course from…
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Hard Work, Plus
In September 2007, J. Cole stood outside Roc-the-Mic studios in the rain for 2 hours waiting for Jay-Z to hand him a beats tape for American Gangster. The second Jay-Z saw it, he said, “I don’t want that, give it to one of them.” That’s why self-promotion is, understandably, one of the most dislikeable parts…
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The Museum of You
At the Museum of Innocence in Istanbul, named after his novel of the same title, author Orhan Pamuk proposes a manifesto. Here’s an excerpt: “I am against these precious monumental institutions being used as blueprints for future museums. Museums should explore and uncover the universe and humanity of the new and modern man emerging from…
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Why your backstory is a key to referrals and word of mouth marketing
In our result-oriented culture, it’s essential to focus on tangible, real, results. Shipping real work. Start a real business. Make real money. Drive real results. Working with real clients. Releasing real articles. Author Bernadette Jiwa sums up the mindset well in Story Driven: “We might register a domain name, get a logo designed, build a…