Belief

Ethics

Do People Need Religion? If So, Why? If Not, What Do They Need?

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, July 16 2025

I know this is a hot topic, but I’m going to address this as objectively as possible (meaning that I’ll, as I often do, write a post that pleases no one). We all have our personal beliefs about the world, people, the universe, and what happens before and after we die. There are many mysteries about reality that we will likely never be able to...

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Belief

If You Have a Negative Worldview, You’re ****ed

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, July 9 2025

Life is difficult, no doubt. You need to work to get the food, water, shelter, and other resources you need to survive, and then you need to avoid things that can hurt you, find people who can help you, and find things in life that help you realize your potential and fulfill you. While doing that, there are other people in this world with both...

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Choice

Framing

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, June 18 2025

You have probably heard these clichés before: These statements are reflections of how your perception influences your reality. At first, someone who is pessimistic or facing a problem won’t be very receptive to these kinds of points; it’s like telling someone to calm down—they probably won’t want to hear that, and they’re not going to be...

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Support

Should You Care About What Other People Think?

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, May 21 2025

I wrote a blog post a few years ago about standing out vs. fitting in that was pretty popular. It seems like people are always trying to optimize the degree to which they stand out in a good way but fit in where sticking out would be negative. For example, no one would walk around wearing underwear on their head if they wanted to be accepted by...

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Life Goals

Limiting Beliefs and Effort

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, May 14 2025

A popular position to take in life is that of the “realist”—meaning you try to set real expectations and not get your hopes up because they might get crushed. It is a middle ground between optimism and pessimism, where in the former you try to see life events in as positive as a light as possible and the latter in a negative light. The pessimist...

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Belief

Respecting Others’ Beliefs

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, April 9 2025

Do you respect others’ beliefs? This is an interesting question because it’s one of those difficult situations where everyone wants others to respect their beliefs but don’t necessarily want to respect others’ beliefs. It’s a tough situation because even the most open-minded people have to draw a line somewhere: you can’t respect all beliefs...

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Belief

Root-Causing Negative Beliefs

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, April 2 2025

I was just recording a podcast the other day and was asked which of the eight elements of humans’ sense of meaning in their lives was the most difficult for people to implement in their lives. Naturally, I said, “Judging by the scientific measure of the number of self-help books focusing on the topic: belief. More self-help books focus on...

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Desire

The Strive

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, March 12 2025

You know the cliché 80s montages, right? The one where the protagonist has an urgent goal, a burning desire, and the belief that, with enough work, they can succeed. So they buckle down and put in the work until they are ready, at which point the day of the text or competition arrives and they succeed. Audiences love those kinds of movies because...

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Reality

The Yin-and-Yang Nature of Life

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 5 2025

Life is full of cycles, opposites, complements, and balance. The Earth revolves around the Sun, the Moon revolves around the Earth, and the Earth rotates to create a day-and-night cycle that many animals have evolved to set their periods of activity and rest to. There are also complements in nature such as men and women, sunshine and rain, effort...

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Success

The Fastest Way to a Right Answer Is a Wrong Answer

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, January 8 2025

One of my favorite sayings is, “The fastest way to a right answer is a wrong answer.” It is a simple saying that conveys several meanings about how you can approach life to be successful. It is an important to keep in mind as you approach difficult situations and hesitate because you’re trying to be perfect, save face, or avoid

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