Are you in the right line of work? Should you be doing something else? Ask yourself the following questions: Do you get to do your work, or do you have to do […]
Self-Improvement
Four Easy Reasons to Ignore World Poverty
I’m not feeling well today and was originally going to take the day off from posting, but then I realized it was Blog Action Day and the topic is Poverty. Given that […]
To Embrace Greatness, Embrace Failure: 21 Tributes to Failure
Here’s the deal: You’re smart. You’re creative. You know what you’re doing. But you’re scared as hell of failing and making mistakes. Maybe it’s because you’ve been so damned good at whatever […]
Is this Signal or Noise?
Are you increasing signal or adding noise in your communication with other people? Most of the time you hear people complaining about the noise they get from other people, whether it’s junk […]
We Are What We Repeatedly Do
We are what we repeatedly do. -Aristotle I used to just think about this quote in the positive way, such as “if I continue to write, then I am a writer.” It’s […]
History, Luck, and Intention
Our lives are the product of history, luck, and intention. These three factors interplay so much that it can be impossible sometimes to tell which one is the force at play. The […]
Why You Get Dumped on and What to Do About it
There’s a serious downside to flourishing: you become a target to be dumped on. People sense your strength of character and burgeoning wisdom and find you a source of comfort and calmness […]
The Return of Productivity (via Merlin Mann)
This post is only tangentially about productivity. It’s completely about giving credit where credit is due and supporting the reemergence of someone whom I admire. I also said that I’d be profiling […]
Comfort or Excellence: Your Choice.
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – T.S. Eliot Are you comfortable with your life? Are you excelling in your life? […]
The Schizophrenia of Americanism
Americans both love and hate pioneers and cowboys at the same time. Our cultural icons are those hard-working men and women who do their own thing and become really successful. Yet, on […]
The Paradox of Fortunate Misfortune
I like to do Food For Thought posts on the weekends here at Productive Flourishing. The particular idea I’ve been thinking about is particularly well-suited for a podcast, so here we go! […]
A Parable on Natural Beauty
Two trees sat in the forest one cool summer day. The pine looked at the oak and said: “All these years we’ve grown together and I’ve always been envious of you. Every […]
Podcast: Getting Rid of Shoes and Commitments
[display_podcast] Summary: The rules for getting rid of too much stuff apply equally as well to trimming down your todo and commitment lists. Set a limit of what you can do, and […]
Are You at Home or Are You Merely Physically Present?
If you work from your home or would like to work from home and have a family (your partner counts as family if you don’t have kids!), stop skimming, sit up, and […]
Screencast: Why Life Choices Are So Damn Hard to Make
Summary: Life choices are so hard to make because there’s a Gap between important questions and their answers are filled with things that can’t be quantified. To answer important life questions, you […]
Podcast: The Zen of a Messy Desk
[display_podcast] Summary: Are you struggling to keep your desk clean because having a clean desk makes you happy or because you think you should have a clean desk? Is the simplicity of […]
7 Ways to Stop The Internet From Making You Stupid
That’s right, folks — the Internet is making us stupid. It’s actually changing the way we think, and not for the better. Sure, anecdotal evidence is somewhat sketchy, but I’m confident many of […]
What's the Difference Between Offline Friends and Online "Friends"?
This week’s Food for Thought: What’s the difference between offline friends and online “friends”? (If you answered that online friends are ones you made online, you get 10 Smartass points. Proceed directly […]