Depending on how you count what a “choice” is, you’ll make hundreds of thousands to billions and billions of choices in your lifetime. Choices include the big ones like which school to go to, which jobs to apply for, and whether or not you marry or reproduce as well as the little ones like where you focus your attention at any given time or whethe...
Read MoreEveryone knows the sensitive topics in the presence of polite company: religion, politics, and money. Money makes sense, as it breeds jealousy, and religion can spark deep debates about the meaning of the universe. So why is politics such a hot topic? Let’s discuss. You might think that this is obvious: politics is tribal; people align to a trib...
Read MoreA belief is anything that you assume to be true. A subset of beliefs is knowledge, which are things that you know to be true because you have proven them in your reality. Ideally, people want to bring their beliefs in line with reality to prevent harm, pain, and disappointment. However, all beliefs that something is not possible when it actually...
Read MoreHumans are a social species. As such, they are naturally drawn to human interaction. Small talk, for example, is the ultimate example of picking inconsequential topics to discuss to begin conversations and develop relationships with others. As people get to know each other, they can then move into more sensitive or in-depth topics with a greater...
Read MoreIn my blog post a few weeks ago, “If You Want to Be Happy, Then You Have to Be Happy”, I spoke about how if you wait for things to be better before you’re happy, then you are making yourself miserable now for a future that either will come (and you’ll have been miserable for no reason up until then) or will never come (and you’ll always be miserabl...
Read MoreRoger Ebert is famously quoted as saying, “Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.” This is an important point about feelings because your emotions are giving you critical feedback about three things: your experiences (e.g., “AHHHH!!! I’m on fire!”), your desires (e.g., “I really could go for a cheeseburger right...
Read MoreAs discussed in The Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life’s purpose, growth underlies humans’ sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. Whether it’s helping others grow, growing themselves, or developing relationships through fun and excitement, growth is key to meaning.
Read MoreMany people think that their emotional state is almost exclusively due to the reality that they are experiencing. After all, basic biology and psychology teach the classic “stimulus-response” model in living organisms where a change in the environment will trigger a response in the affected creature. This is mostly true, as life forms that did no...
Read MoreEveryone knows that people love a good story. It helps them learn, remember things, and stay engaged in a presentation or conversation. But why is it such a more impactful way to convey information than simply stating facts, such as “2+2=4”? Because the story is a journey, and effective engagement, influence, and relationship-building follows th...
Read MoreThis might seem like one of the most profound questions anyone ever asked themselves: “How do I find greater meaning in life?” After all, it sounds like a grand mystery that will never be solved. Yet it has one of the simplest, most straightforward answers: help others. How can this be, and why is that the only possible answer that could ever ex...
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