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The time has come to jump back into Robert Cialdini’s . This time, we’re talking about the wisdom of the crowd. Like both of the mental tricks we’ve covered so far in this series, following the rule of social proof is a good idea. But like all good things, it can backfire when you least […]
Well, it looks like we don’t need John Cusack to repopulate the earth for us after all. 2012 is almost at a close. Lots of stuff happened, but no apocalypse came. Whether the year was great or terrible for you, it’s just about over. So now’s the time to look toward the year ahead! I’m […]
Oh hey there. Apparently it’s 2018 today, so it’s time for all sorts of resolutions and whatnot. In an attempt to help some of these live past February, we’re talking about the art of cooking — a fantastic foundation for anyone looking to bulk up, lose weight, save money, eat healthier, or just learn a […]
Starting a business can seem daunting. Between taxes, expenses, marketing, business types, and creating actual value for your customers, it’s pretty easy to decide that your million-dollar idea is just too hard to think about. But clearly, people actually follow through on their ideas, or I wouldn’t be writing this on a MacBook Air on […]
When I was a senior in high school, my final college decision came down to two schools: the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Neither was my “dream school” (I never had one), but I was pretty certain that I would end up going to UCLA. Honestly, I […]
Humans are predictable. Sometimes, too predictable. We’ve been reading , and it turns out that many of the same social patterns that have helped humanity flourish have a dark side. In part one of this series, we talked about reciprocation. Today, we’re talking about consistency, and why sticking to your guns isn’t always the smartest […]
To meditate properly, you need to be sitting in the full lotus position on top of a mountain just before the sun rises. As the rays of the celestial body crest the horizon, an eagle will land near you. If this does not happen, you’ve done it wrong and will gain no benefits whatsoever from […]
Sometimes I have to remind myself that I don’t have to wake up every day and, like, hunt antelopes to get food. It’s easy to take for granted the fact that life is pretty easy compared to how our ancestors had it. You name it, they had to deal with it – famines, cholera, saber-toothed […]
The art of persuasion comes in many forms. We’ve been reading , by Robert Cialdini, and quickly realized it’s got far too much depth to review in a single episode. So today, we start our series on the weapons of persuasion — starting with the rule of reciprocation. You’ve almost certainly participated in this rule […]
Earlier this year, we went through the work of hiring a new writer. I say work for good reason; there were 259 applications to sort through and only one of me to sort them. As with anything involving that much time and effort, we learned a few things. Here’s a glimpse into the thought process […]