I was browsing Reddit the other day when I came across a thread that caught my eye. The title was simple: “What frustrates you most about life?” The frustrations people submitted ranged from economic to familial, psychological to political. They were all universal human concerns — problems men and women from all walks of life struggle with every single day. … Read More
5 Common Frustrations and How to Handle Them
Productive Conflict: How to Disagree Like a Champion
Emily had seen some things. By the time she became Head of Marketing for one of the biggest circuses in the world — I mean a literal circus — she had consulted for Fortune 500 companies, started two media companies, and served as an advisor on everything from television shows to non-profits. She had developed a reputation as a warm, … Read More
in Art of Personal Development, Empowerment
The Real Way to Dress for Success
The way you dress sends signals to the real world; here’s how to make sure you’re sending the right ones. On its own, “dress for success” is kind of an absurd piece of advice. (Though you might find the specifics detailed by Rishi Chullani in How to Dress for a Networking Event and How to Dress and Prepare for an … Read More
in Art of Business, Art of Personal Development, Art of Style, Empowerment, How to Dress, Networking, Self Mastery
What Happens When I Compare Myself to “Successful” People
What? How? Whatever, man. I was listening to a podcast this morning (Ask Altucher) and the question James Altucher was answering was: “How much is my writing worth?” As the host read aloud the details, it turned out this guy had started writing because that’s what he really wanted to do, and people had liked it more than he expected, … Read More
in Art of Personal Development, Empowerment, Self Mastery
How to Enter a Room Like a Boss
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” –Will Rogers Charlie Dresow knew when he entered the courtroom that every eyeball would be trained on him. It was the first day of trial for his client, Max Wade. A child of a well-to-do family who was raised in affluent Marin County outside San Francisco, Wade was accused … Read More
in Art of Personal Development, Empowerment
Is It Wrong to Outgrow Your Friends?
On a recent episode of Fan Mail Friday, I read a letter from Dev, one of our listeners, who’s dealing with a really interesting problem. In college, he became super close with two guys. One became his roommate, and they all joined the same frat, but… I kept working on my personal growth and had been growing out of these … Read More
in Art of Personal Development, Empowerment
6 Stories That Are Holding You Back
Anaïs Nin, echoing some ancient wisdom, wrote that “we don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.” True story. The idea that the world is just a reflection of our own thoughts, memories, and experiences — our “stories” — is one of the most useful insights into happiness, success, and self-development. Change those thoughts, and the … Read More
in Art of Personal Development, Empowerment
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: How to Clean Up Your Life
It was 7 AM, and I had been up all night tiptoeing around shampoo bottles, socks, hair clips and electronics. I was sorting my belongings, and the piles of things I planned to donate to charity dwarfed the ones that would make it back into my closets and drawers. I would discard my beloved TI-89 calculator from high school, along … Read More
in Art of Personal Development, Empowerment
Third Place, Part Two: Finding the Right Third Place for You
Now that you know what a “third place” is, how do you go about finding the right one for you? Just because a place meets all the criteria for being someone’s third place doesn’t make it right for you. Some guys like Coke and other guys like Pepsi. If you’re a Coke guy in a Pepsi spot, you’re never going … Read More
in Art of Personal Development, Empowerment
What Is a Third Place and Why Do You Need One?
One thing missing from most modern American men’s lives is a “third place.” Sociologist Ray Oldenberg first pioneered the concept in his 1989 tome The Great Good Place, in which he explains that your third place is a hangout spot, community center or “home away from home” that provides an essential zone outside of home and work. Most guys in … Read More
in Art of Personal Development, Empowerment