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How can we create abundance where there appears to be scarcity?  By telling ourselves a story. By believing that story. And by rearranging the arc of that story so we are nearly always safely on the best possible side.  Here are a few from my greatest hits catalogue.  Temporal abundance is the story that we are the source of time, that we can make as much of it as…

The time to bet more heavily on ourselves is when we have the benefit of house money.  When we are in the black and feeling good and can afford more risk. This is precisely the time to try new things and maybe even fail in good cause. We are in position of strength, and we have to take advantage of it while we can.  Thaler conducted the pioneering study on gambling…

How do people transform even the smallest events or situations into breakthroughs in thinking and action?  By doing everything and nothing at the same time.  In the spirit of doing everything, we engineer a continuous flow of breakthroughs by allowing for the creation of a portfolio of experiments. We just keep trying stuff. Every damn day. Exponentially increasing our activity level, trusting that discovery will be the consequence of…

Racehorses wear blinders.  Their trainers believe these small squares of firm leather and plastic attached to the bridle on the horse’s head channel their vision. Blinders cut down the scope of their sight, they say, keeping horses focused on what is in front of them.  That way, they’re not distracted or spooked by the crowds, bushes, poles, competing horses or jockeys around them.  Eyes on the prize, my little…

Woody wrote in one of his recent movies that he didn’t know who he loathed more, those who use simple tricks to prey on the gullible, or the gullible, who are so stupid that they deserve what they get.  As someone who’s always been a bit too trusting of others, this insight resonates deeply with me.  Because on one hand, deception is part and parcel of being human. People…

Seinfeld, the zen master of comedy, once made the observation that our blessing in life is when we find the torture we are comfortable with.  In a world where everyone is doing everything they can to avoid painful feelings, this is a refreshing insight. Because it’s impossible to anticipate or avoid pain.  Everything sucks, some of the time. And most things are hard whether or not we want them…

Every day, our minds go to places that are so unnecessary.  Our pestering unproductive thoughts rattle us to the bone.  And although we try to wrench those little buggers out of our psyche, calmly appraising them instead of carelessly accepting them, sometimes, there’s just no stopping that train.  We feel trapped so terribly inside our own head.  In this situation, the best thing we can do is to displace…

Every day, new bits of knowledge come avalanching towards us in tiny increments like grains of sand piled on top of another.  But while they may not feel overwhelming on a daily basis, those mental dunes can pile up awfully fast. And if we are not vigilant about metabolizing those grains into something more meaningful, our minds will suffocate.  Cognitive researchers who study the deluge of information that bombs…

Koontz cites two key childhood experiences that later influenced his horror novel writing.  First, he was regularly beaten and abused by his alcoholic sociopath father. Second, he recalls the courage of his physically diminutive mother who bravely stood up to her husband and put an end to that abuse.  It’s no surprise, then, that he made the following observation in one of his interviews: To surrender to despair is…

Only a few times in twenty years has somebody told me they trust me less for wearing a nametag.  Apparently, it’s a trigger that makes certain people question my intentions, actions and authenticity.  Which is fine. People are entitled to their opinions.  But clearly, they do not know we very well.  The irony is, vulnerability through personal disclosure, specifically through the offering and exchanging of names, is precisely what…