Choose Yourself Summary (6/10)

Choose Yourself is a book about making tough decisions, and about knowing what to focus on, in the new age of information. Entrepreneurship (Golden Handcuffs) Don’t stay at a job for safe salary increases over time. That will never get you where you want to go—freedom from financial worry. Only free time, imagination, creativity, and … Read more

Strategy 11: Trade Space for Time (The 33 Strategies of War)

To remain disciplined and calm while waiting for disorder to appear amongst the enemy is the art of self-possession. Sun-tzu (fourth century B.C.) In the 1930’s, Mao Tse-tung was a rising hero of the Communist army. His philosophy and guerilla tactics led them to many victories against the Nationalist party, even though he was often … Read more

Strategy 9: Turn the Tables (The 33 Strategies of War)

The Counterattack Strategy The counterattack is a classic approach to warfare. Most people either spend their time attacking, leaving themselves vulnerable or they are extremely defensive and miss out on valuable opportunities. The third option is the counterattack. Do not commit to either attack or defense, instead, learn the art of timing. People are generally … Read more

The Maps of Meaning Lectures

Jordan Peterson is often less known for the content of his work than he is for his sometimes controversial political views, but I personally was attracted to the content in these lectures that were based on his first book Maps of Meaning.

The Experiencing Self

What we learn from this talk is that there are two different ways of thinking about happiness. The father of behavioural economics and Nobel Prize in Economics winner, Daniel Kahneman, explains this dichotomy well. Before explaining what the Experiencing and Remembering Selves are, it is worth quickly reviewing the history of happiness. It would not … Read more

Strategy 7: Transform Your War into a Crusade: Morale Strategies (The 33 Strategies of War)

You know, I am sure, that not numbers or strength brings victory in war; but whichever army goes into battle stronger in soul, their enemies generally cannot withstand them. Xenophon (430?-355? B.C.) In this chapter, Greene turns our attention to team motivation. To successfully build a winning army of any kind, you must know how … Read more

Myth 7: Adolescence is Inevitably a time of Emotional Turmoil (50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology)

It has been a long-held belief that adolescence is a time of emotional turmoil. There is no shortage of people who have confirmed this claim. The first notable mention can be traced back to 1904, when the first president of the American Psychological Association, G. Stanley Hall referred to adolescence as a time of “storm … Read more