Odds and Ends

by Stephen Mills on September 1, 2010

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Here are some odds and ends that I thought might interest you.

Are Men Good For Anything?

Roy Baumeister is a well known and respected academic psychologist who has done a lot of research and published a large number of journal articles.  I am familiar with him from reading some of his work on willpower.  He has published a brilliant new book called Is There Anything Good About Men?: How Cultures Flourish by Exploiting Men.  I read a lot of the same old rehashed stuff, but every once in a while I come across something truly original; it is so refreshing to encounter something new.  Dr. Baumeister has developed what he calls a radical theory on why men and women are different.  Whether you agree with him or not, and I found his work persuasive, you have to love an original and in this case courageous thinker.  Highly recommended.

Article on thelifething

Jonny over on thelifething blog published a guest article of mine called 10 Easy Steps For Getting Yourself to the Easy Life.  You might want to check it out and while you are there look over Jonny’s blog; he does a great job on it.

Radiolab

I just cannot say enough good about these podcasts.  If you are interested in how the world works, do yourself a huge favor and check them out: http://www.radiolab.org/series/podcasts/

The Unique You

“When you realize that no one else on this earth can be like you – that no other soul can know the beauty, sorrow, light, and darkness you alone are given to see – then you will no longer want to be like anyone else on this earth.  You will, at last, be the fearless individual your heart of hearts has called you to be.” – Guy Finley

What do YOU think?  Leave a comment and join the conversation.

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How To Enjoy Work That Makes You Miserable

by Stephen Mills on August 28, 2010

Woman at Work

If you have followed me for any length of time you will realize that I am NOT a proponent of doing things that make you miserable.  I do not recommend staying in a job you hate or any other life-killing behavior.  However, on the assumption that at the moment you are in a circumstance or situation that is making you miserable, and that at the moment it is the best alternative you have in front of you, there are some things you can do to improve your experience of it.

This article is focused on work, but the general principles can be applied to any circumstance you turn into misery for yourself.  The following are some of the things that work best for me and I think if you put them into practice they will work for you as well.  I’m going to use the example of a job you don’t like for much of this article, but the ideas can be applied to anything.

Accept That You Don’t Control the Universe

If I could snap my fingers right now and be free from having to earn a living, be transported to a beautiful white sand tropical beach in front of a lovely glass-fronted home, and be waited on by beautiful half-naked girls in grass skirts, I would snap my fingers.  But alas, the universe doesn’t work that way.  Instead I will continue to write this article. [click to continue…]

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Books to Consider

by Stephen Mills on August 24, 2010

Books

Hamlet’s BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age – This is a really good book about what it means to make use of the advantages of the connected digital world without suffering all the disadvantages.  I highly recommend it as probably the most balanced treatment of the good and the bad of being permanently connected and a fascinating history going back to Socrates.

The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance – This is just a really, really good book on how to perform better. Definitely recommended.

The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us – Another book about how our intuitions are often wrong and what to do about it.  This was an extremely well written book.

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History – This is now on the bestseller list and deservedly so.  It is really an eye opening account of the little-known culture of the Great Plains Indian tribe the Commanches. I can honestly say I learned a good bit of little-known western history from reading this book. [click to continue…]

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Deep Death Bed Thoughts

by Stephen Mills on August 21, 2010

Death Bed

I’m thinking old age regret is going to suck.  In order to avoid it, I find it useful to put myself on my death bed and imagine how I will feel.  It’s easy to piss your precious life minutes away when you are young, or even when your not so young, but it is sometimes helpful to realize at some point you are done and will get none of them back.

Some of these thoughts represent my personal experience but many do not; they are just observations of the habits of others.  Some of these may offend you, but don’t take it that way.  What’s good for you may not be good for others.  In the end, I hope they stimulate you to think a little about what you are doing with your precious life minutes.  These are not meant to make you feel good; they are meant to make you think.

  1. Lying on my death bed, I will be so happy I spent my life compromising with my partner.  When they left me and took half my money after years of letting them tell me what to do, I thought “Wow, that was really worth it.” [click to continue…]

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Choosing Real Freedom

by Stephen Mills August 14, 2010
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I have been a slave to the tyranny of my own mind. I’ve done it to myself. I have been missing something that very few people achieve or even know exists – Psychological Freedom. Psychological freedom is the freedom to choose our own state of minds. It’s freedom that comes from not reacting to what is external to us with fear, want, worry, stress, frustration, anger, jealousy, depression, or hurt.

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Using a Task-Focused Email Account to Bring Order to Chaos

by Stephen Mills August 11, 2010
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One weekend, I had an “aha” moment when I suddenly realized that I had found my Achilles heel — and that it was email. I was looking at every email that came into my account, whenever it came in, no matter what it was. An email notification felt like a ringing telephone — something I needed to attend to right away

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Don’t Give Away Your Happiness

by Stephen Mills August 7, 2010
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Your happiness is very precious; it may be the most important gift you have been given. And yet I would wager that you are giving much of it away. I do. We all do.

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Life Advice In a Nutshell

by Stephen Mills August 2, 2010
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If you cannot spend at least several hours every day doing something for no other reason than you want to do it, then I consider that slavery. Drop commitments like they are poison. Avoid spending yourself into slavery (see below). Absolutely do your own thing and not what anyone else thinks you should do, whether that anyone is society, your family, or your partner.

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Why the Timing of Fat Consumption May be Important

by Stephen Mills July 29, 2010

high carbohydrate meal later in the day. In the other group of mice, the a high carbohydrate meal is consumed early in the day and a high fat meal later in the day. Most of us tend to eat more fat later in the day at the big meals, so we are like the early-carb / late-fat mice.

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Home is Wherever We Are

by Stephen Mills July 27, 2010
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Guest Article Tuesday
Note From Stephen:  I get a lot of requests for guest articles.  I’ve decided to create a new feature called Guest Article Tuesday where readers or other bloggers can express their ideas to my readers.
Hugh DeBurgh, The Passionate Warrior, has dedicated his life to the achievement of the ultimate family lifestyle. You can [...]

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