Following up on “Passions, you create,” which I recommend rereading, where I wrote about passion not being something you happen to find, like if you just turned over enough rocks you’d find it… Everyone has the same potential to develop passions, as far as I can tell. If all you do is turn over rocks but never dig in—that is, look at what others do and think about those things[…] Keep reading →

Something I’ve meant to do as I cut out more prepared foods is to go for a while without buying any food with any packaging. I think it would make an interesting experiment and I’m learning a lot experientially. I’ve been thinking about how to do it effectively—most consistently, or most something or other. Tonight I bought some fruits and vegetables at the produce stand down the block, telling the[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today’s post, ”Can a Colleague ‘Donate’ My Lost Money?” I work in a public hospital, in a poor neighborhood. In between seeing patients, I placed $50 in my pocket and went to use the public bathroom. I then[…] Keep reading →

I’m not sure how to resolve this, or if anyone can. Some people enjoy fighting, even war. The more freedom you give people, the more freedom they have to promote fighting, which seems to decrease peace. Some say things like “Your freedom ends where mine begins,” suggesting that laws regulate behavior that affects others. Still, belligerent people can democratically influence the law to allow more fighting. And wars involve people[…] Keep reading →

People talk down about processed food. I think it’s important to clarify what “processed” means. Does peeling a banana qualify as processing it? Does frying something count? How is a Twinkie different than something you prepare yourself? For some reason, people like to argue with people about what they eat. I wish I could say I don’t understand why but I used to too. Anyway, I found a definition that[…] Keep reading →

I gave a talk yesterday I’d prepared months for. I think it went well. I’ll hear from the organizers soon and get their impressions. On my way home I felt like I wanted to indulge in something to reward the effort in preparation. Years ago indulging meant ice cream, pretzels, chips, beer, wine, or something like that. Over the years, I’ve come to see those foods as less rewarding. They[…] Keep reading →

Minutes after posting yesterday “If you have “too much to do” or “not enough time,” you’re not getting more done. You’re annoying.“, I realized I overstated myself. I realized it because I met a friend working on a small number of projects and getting them done, but still busy. I realized I wrongly included him and people like him who know their priorities in the larger group of people who[…] Keep reading →

I first noticed it in the last semester of business school when most students were complaining about having to choose between job offers. All the offers more than met their standards. Dwelling in their decisions instead of choosing and living their lives made them miserable instead of enjoying themselves. What made them miserable wasn’t that they had multiple offers—that is, the problem didn’t come from outside. The problem was their[…] Keep reading →

You’re invited to an event on fashion and leadership I’m helping organize next month in New York City. My friends and incredibly dynamic speakers Coco and Breezy will be panelists. You’ll be glad you attended. From the registration page: Connecting the dots Today, the fashion world is more global than ever before. Opportunities and competition exist in abundance as geographic and cultural boundaries have disappeared. Yet, it sometimes seems harder[…] Keep reading →