There’s an interesting trend going on in the productivity niche. For the longest time, the focus of productivity has been on how we can get more done. Here recently, the trend is […]
Self-Improvement
What Makes an Act Courageous?
This last week has been a bit strange on the writing front – I’ve mentally written a lot of posts, but I haven’t actually written them. Now we’ll just have to see […]
Make a Difference: Imagine, Then Act!
We live in a world where tragedy befalls millions on a daily basis. The world may be better than it once was, but that doesn’t mean that it’s were it could be. […]
How to Avoid Being an Idiot and Show Your Lady You Love Her on a Big Day
Last Wednesday was, hands down, the best day I have ever had in Nebraska. It was my five year anniversary with my lovely wife, Angela, and boy, was it nice. Especially considering […]
The Ship of Theseus and Personal Identity
What makes you you? Such a simple question is surprisingly hard to answer. (Tweet this.) The Ship of Theseus is a classical philosophical puzzle about personal identity. I’ll give the quick version. (Note: […]
Dirty Hands and Personal Development
Even though I was unable to post this or last Friday’s meditation, it’s still a goal of mine to write something that steps away from the standard topics on Productive Flourishing and […]
What Elephants Can Teach Us About Personal Development
We share something very unique with elephants. Though they’re one of the strongest animals on the planet, elephants can be constrained with the smallest sticks and ropes. In Southeast Asia, elephants are […]
21 Ways to Quickly Short-Circuit a Funk
The situation: you find yourself in a funk. I’m not talking about the Pepé Le Pew kind of funk – that just requires the generous application of soap and water. The kind […]
Failure Is an Opportunity
Failure is an opportunity. If you blame someone else there is no end to the blame. Therefore the Master fulfills her own obligations and corrects her own mistakes. She does what she […]
Don’t We Get to Choose What Words Mean?
Clay wrote a brilliant comment on my last post dissenting (somewhat) about the importance of words, roots, and their meaning. I started to write a comment in response but it became clear that […]
Replacing Passion With Vitality
Loren at Writing Power asked a question the other day that I’ve been thinking about a lot recently, since I’ve been thinking about metaphors and how language affects our thinking and behavior. […]
How Friends Help You Flourish
Friends and flourishing are like cookies and milk: the addition of the one makes the other so much better. But friends and flourishing are unlike cookies and milk in that you can’t […]
Friday Meditation on Contentment
One of the things I love about approaching the weekend is that it is a time to relax, step back, and think about things. I read something that stood out to me […]
The Triple Filter Test
There’s a common knowledge story kicked around about “The Triple Filter Test.” Sometimes it involves Socrates and other times it involves an Arab scholar, but the truth of the story is the […]
Fake Plastic Trees
I’ll give you fair warning on this post: if you don’t like “the making of” pieces or introspection, you likely won’t get much out of this post. I’m not sure how it’s […]
15 Ways to Be A Better Friend
This post is a continuation of the Practicing the Virtues Series. This week, we’ll talk being a better friend. I’ll give a brief recap of where we’re at. We become more virtuous through […]
Making a Habit of Changing Habits
Some people seem to be able to script themselves to change habits almost at whim. Where most of us falter and fight, these people make a quick decision either to radically change […]
12 Ways to Practice Courage
In my overview of Aristotelian ethics, I noted that we become more virtuous through practice. This post gives activities and suggestions that help you practice courage. The virtues are interconnected in a […]