Flexibility in your beliefs and mental models is a key part of intelligence and leadership. Your beliefs influence how you see the world. Only being able to see things one way confines you to a mental jail and keeps you from solving problems. Think of the 4-minute mile. When everyone believed breaking it was impossible, almost nobody tried. Once the first man did, within months another followed. Now high school[…] Keep reading →

My books and courses teach empathy. I used to think of empathy as an intangible, nebulous, even weird concept I couldn’t really understand. Now I view it as a skill anyone can learn as well as they can learn to ride a bike or throw a baseball. Improving your empathy skills improves your ability to lead, all your relationships, and your moods. As a teacher, it’s incredible to see people[…] Keep reading →

I’ve been asking people lately When was the last time 365 days passed in your life without flying? Interesting question? Most people I ask can’t remember, so it’s probably been decades. Several people have commented that it would be “impossible” to go a year without flying. That’s an odd use of the word “impossible” that says more about them than you’d think. The Wright brothers first flew in 1903. Before[…] Keep reading →

You’ve heard to drink eight cups of water a day. I can’t count how many times I have. There is zero medical or scientific evidence supporting the advice. None. There never was and never will be. I hear people suggest it so often, feeling they’re helping people when they’re just repeating uninformed, confused misinformation, I couldn’t help but post on it. This site—Snopes—summarizes the science debunking the myth, with citations[…] Keep reading →

In “Creating life … my first tomato!” I wrote about my first gardening experiments and how proud I was of my first tomato growing. That’s nothing compared to people who seriously garden, but I have low standards the first time and this is a first time. It turns out it’s a cherry tomato. Also, I learned that tomato plants usually need insects to pollinate the flowers and cause them to[…] Keep reading →

How far do you have to travel to see stunningly beautiful nature? Not necessarily Grand Canyon or Yosemite level grandeur, but at least something you can’t help but pause to take in? Now consider this: imagine where you are now before humans arrived, or even after we arrived but before roads, gas stations, and landfills. How beautiful was it then? Artist renditions of pre-human Manhattan based on archaeological data look[…] Keep reading →

After the peach I just ate, I don’t know which I like more: a juicy, ripe peach in season, or the rest of the universe. I can’t believe people eat candy and junk when fruit and vegetables exist in the world. I used to, so if I think about it I can understand it, but I don’t want to any more. Not after letting my taste buds heal from the[…] Keep reading →

If I had to count winners and losers in big social and political battles, I’d write them out this way. I’m not describing my views, just how I’d call it based on the outcomes I see, maybe being melodramatic but I don’t think groundlessly. According to massshootingtracker.org, a crowd-sourced database of U.S. mass shootings that defines a “mass shooting” as a single outburst of violence in which four or more[…] Keep reading →

Most of my life, I’ve liked eating apples and I’ve liked eating potato chips. I would say they both tasted good as a result. Doesn’t wanting to eat something mean it tastes good? I’d like to suggest a subtle distinction. Actually, it’s only subtle at first. After you realize it, it becomes obvious and changes how you think about food and eat. At least it did for me. It led[…] Keep reading →