[This post is part of a series on “Mental models and beliefs: an exercise to identify yours.” If you don’t see a Table of Contents to the left, click here to view the series, where you’ll get more value than reading just this post.] You want to do something meaningful. You know it will take resources — time, energy, attention, etc. You have your goals. You have a general plan.[…] Keep reading →

[This post is part of a series on “Mental models and beliefs: an exercise to identify yours.” If you don’t see a Table of Contents to the left, click here to view the series, where you’ll get more value than reading just this post.] You negotiate every day. If you think you only negotiate when you’re buying a car or creating a deal, you don’t realize you negotiate every time[…] Keep reading →

[This post is part of a series on “Mental models and beliefs: an exercise to identify yours.” If you don’t see a Table of Contents to the left, click here to view the series, where you’ll get more value than reading just this post.] Since my results surprised me, I bet your results will surprise you when you do yesterday’s exercise to record your beliefs (aka mental models or just[…] Keep reading →

A friend asked, “Do you like to give unsolicited advice?” I said, “When I want to annoy people and have them tell me to mind my own business.”

I can’t resist reposting a comment I posted on the forum of one of my favorite other blogs, Mr. Money Mustache. I’m reposting it because two other readers rated my response highly, one giving my response this animated image, making me proud. The post I responded to Alright mustachians [the term for people in the Mr. Money Mustache community who practice his principles of not spending money on stuff that[…] Keep reading →

Sometimes being proved wrong improves your life. This story is one of them. Actually, my friend and I both proved each other wrong and it worked out well. If you’ve been reading this page, you know how much I value self-awareness and emotional intelligence. I’ve worked hard to develop resilience to feeling bad when things don’t go my way. I like being able to stay calm under pressure. I have[…] Keep reading →

Today’s post will sound like it’s about food, but it’s about a lot more. The other day I was at a party with a great spread — rich, delicious food and a lot of it: cheese, crackers, chips, cake, ice cream, and so on. I liked eating some, but realized I didn’t want to eat too much. But everyone was talking around the food table and I find it hard[…] Keep reading →