Sarah’s Story: From Corporate Lawyer to Yoga Studio Owner
Sarah, at forty-three years old, had worked as a corporate lawyer for nineteen years, despite feeling unfulfilled and stressed. She discovered that yoga reduced her anxiety and fell in love with the practice. Sarah started teaching yoga classes on the weekends while still working as a lawyer. She saved money at every opportunity because she […]
Michael’s Story: From Fast-Food Worker to Graphic Designer
Michael, at twenty-six years old, had worked at a fast-food restaurant for three years, feeling unfulfilled and knowing his creative strengths were going to waste. He was frustrated that his minimum-wage salary had barely changed despite the clear impact he had made on retaining and growing the restaurant’s clientele. Determined to change, he challenged himself […]
Why We Unknowingly End Up in Unfulfilling Careers
Firstly, we need to examine what we are told about work. We’re often told things like, “If it were fun, they wouldn’t call it work,” and “You work to make money during the week so that you can enjoy the weekend.” We’re told that work is strenuous effort performed under the watchful eyes of authority. […]
What If My Whole Life Has Been Wrong?
Ivan Ilych, a legal practitioner revered by his peers, had a frightening thought on his deathbed: What if my whole life has been wrong? He had climbed every rung of the professional ladder, conformed to every social expectation, yet still felt an emptiness untouched by his many accomplishments. What if that were you? What if, lying on […]
The Definition of Failure
We have been told that the difference between success and failure lies in achieving goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Notice how this definition omits any consideration of whether your work feels intrinsically right. This paradigm is based on a finite game, a game played to win and which ends once the […]
What Money Can Never Buy
Anything created by money alone is not a real solution. It’s a hack. A quick fix. Real solutions are only produced through sweat and tears. Progress must be earned. It cannot be bought. History is filled with examples. The first modern aircraft did not come from any of the well-financed attempts. To the contrary, it […]
How to Stop Suffering in Comfort
A conqueror once invaded a village and imprisoned most of its men. Among the villagers were four philanthropists. The first philanthropist went to the conqueror and said, “I understand the men do not have clean water, so I would like to donate purified water to the men.” And he was granted that. The second philanthropist […]
How to Avoid the Quantification Bias from Ruining the Quality of Your Decisions
Consider the story of James, who from an early age was obsessed with projecting an image of success. After graduating from an elite college, he worked in a high-paying corporate job he didn’t particularly enjoy. The salary allowed him to pay his sister’s medical bills, something that mattered to him deeply. As James climbed the […]
The Hidden Cost of Trading Time for Money
Choosing your work is about engaging in work that recognizes the irreplaceable nature of time. Let’s examine the value of time by considering a few scenarios. What’s the difference between someone who goes on a luxurious vacation — first-class flights, five-star hotels — but spends their time feeling miserable, whining, and bitterly moaning about petty […]
Do Rewards for Performance Improve or Reduce Your Child’s Motivation?
The way to help the development of your child’s true self is to strengthen your child’s intrinsic motivation. This is the inner drive your child has to do things, as opposed to extrinsic motivation, in which incentives are used to spur action. You want your child to do things out of love, not because they […]