Ideas are free, execution is priceless.

Here are two descriptions of my morning routine in two distinct phases of my life. The workaholic version of me woke up at dawn in order to achieve, get things done, medicate my loneliness with adrenaline, get a leg up on the competition, pack as many hours into the work day as possible, and prove my worth to the world before they discover that I have no idea what…

Our basic human needs can disgust or even insult us sometimes. The fact that our body needs to sleep for twelve hours straight, that our spirit needs stay in bed all weekend, or that our mind needs to go jogging in the rain until all the anger is purged out of our system, it can feel like a burden. To ourselves and to loved ones. But a critical component…

The cynics believe that optimism is merely tricking yourself into feeling happy. But what’s so wrong with that? When did we decide that using the placebo effect on ourselves was a bad thing? Just as honesty isn’t always the best policy with others, it’s not always the best policy with ourselves. The story we’re telling about our situation might be an illusion, but it’s a helpful illusion, and it’s…

During a recent interview on a mental health show, the guest psychologist made a comment that resonated with me: Anxiety is a liar that predicts doom. And it makes a great case for why everything is about to go to hell and crumble before our eyes. But it’s simply not true. What each person needs, the doctor suggested, is a good in house lawyer. Some archetype of our logical…

The key to habit change is cognitive acclimation. Whatever new thing you start doing, your brain needs to get used to the fact that this particular habit makes it feel good, and that you like doing that activity. Here’s a case study from my own life. Core strength has always been my weakness, and it’s caused me some moderate back problems since college. But after suffering an inguinal hernia…