Never Live Like You’re Behind

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“Coach K.” of Duke University (Photo by SportsAngle)

Is there an area in which you feel like you’re “behind” where you should be?

Do you feel behind in friends, money, respect, free time, happiness, productivity, fitness, health, organization, relationships, or success in general? If an area comes to mind, think about it as you read through this post.

Duke Was Behind, and Then This Happened

Duke University’s basketball team was losing by 22 points in their Final Four basketball game against Maryland in 2001. Read More

How to Live Like a Fox

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That is one foxy fox. (photo by peggycadigan)

Foxes are cool. They’d be even cooler if they were “foxi” in plural. Here’s how to live like a fox.

Use Your Available Tools Like the Fox Uses Its Tail

The fox tail — What? Yes, I know it’s cute. Would I snuggle with a fox? No, I would not snuggle with a wild animal.

Did you know that the fox’s furry appendage does more than just attract vixens and snuggle-prone humans? Fox tails are like a swiss army knife.Read More

Is It Better to Be Free or Be Held Accountable?

To get things done, you have to try, but you can’t try so hard that you burn out. Therefore, you must try to strike a balance between freedom and accountability.

Freedom: If you can work from a place of freedom, that is the ultimate win. When you can do anything, but you decide to do something productive, you’re working from a place of freedom. Work under this condition is generally easier and flows better because you aren’t forcing it.

Accountability: The counterargument to freedom is accountability. Sure, it would be nice to get everything done under the banner of freedom, but it’s just as likely that you’ll get nothing done under that banner. When completely free, there is no guarantee that you’ll do anything of significance.

Accountability is a restriction of freedom that pressures you to act a certain way. The upside is a stronger chance of doing something meaningful, and the downside is burnout or rebellion. 

Extremes are Popular, But Ineffective

People love extremes, but most things work best in the middle, where you gain benefits from the extremes without many of the downsides.Read More

Why It’s Good to Be Unmotivated

Climb.

Rain or shine, will you climb? (photo by Ewan Cross)

With so many people in the world doing whatever they can to stay motivated, I’m going to offer up an alternative viewpoint. It’s good to feel unmotivated, and here’s why.

Champions Rise From the Ashes, Not the Clouds

Anyone can do well when fully motivated. If you were always fully motivated to do the right things, life would not be a challenge at all. You’d never have an off day. This sounds nice, but it’s completely impossible for a human life. Therefore, many people are chasing something (100% motivation) that does not exist.Read More