Too Much Stuff? Apply the Joyfilter.
Marie Kondō’s book, the life-changing magic of tidying up, spoke to me. I’d discovered Stoicism and had started a simple…
Author: johnlanza
What Will We Create Today?
Following your passion is questionable career advice. Converting your passion into a career is risky — whether entrepreneurial or artistic…
A Quiet Capitalist
My grandfather was wealthy by any measure. He had good friends, work and hobbies he loved, civic connections and money.…
“You Can’t Make Old Friends”
I was fortunate to have a Zoom call yesterday. Yes, even after living for seven months in Zoomtopia, I was…
Saturday
Saturday is my favorite day. When I was younger and lived back east, I loved Saturdays in the Fall. Autumn…
Seahawk for Life
People often ask, “Are you from Seattle?” “No,” I’ll reply, “I just love the Seahawks.” I even tried to quit…
The Joy of the Middling Athlete
I crossed the 5k finish and threw my hands up in victory. Twenty minutes later, the race organizers posted the…
Are We “Amusing Ourselves To Death”?
Cultural critic Neil Postman and author of Amusing Ourselves to Death worried that we might be creating a Huxleyan Brave…
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business | Charles Duhigg
We are driven by cravings (even more than outcomes). Cues drive habits. Therefore, cues must generate strong cravings to become…
Star Wars: Dad Knows Best
“I want to see King Kong 2!” I griped. My dad pointed to a different movie ad in The Newark…
And The Worry Begins Anew
Did you ever try the “hour-of-power” when you were in college? The challenge begins with a shot of beer every…
We Are the Change Agents
Open primaries and rank choice voting may be the solution to Washington gridlock.
What is the Secret to Abundance?
Over a decade ago, Rhonda Byrne captured the nation’s attention with The Secret. My wife introduced me to Byrne’s book,…
Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress | Steven Pinker
The Enlightenment gave birth to a renewed focus on science, reason and human flourishing. Scientific improvements in agriculture created less…
Are You a Racist for Thinking a Racist Thought?
Thinking that we can eradicate racists by canceling all the racists doesn’t seem a workable long-term solution.
Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion | Sam Harris
The self is an illusion. Consciousness cannot be. We discover the transitory nature of our thoughts in consciousness through meditation.…
Avoid Boring People
A post inspired by this quote: "The best, most useful advice I ever got was from Jim Watson, [the scientist…
Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich | Jason Zweig
“We are intuitively poor investors.” Jason Zweig says this in Chapter 1. Zweig leans heavily on the work of Kahneman…
Can we be done with trophies?
I’m proud that my older daughter was second-team all-league in soccer. Can you spare us the plaque? I appreciate that…
The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money by Ron Lieber
Lieber shares creative, funny and real stories he’s collected from families across the country that encourage smart spending, saving, donating,…
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones | James Clear
Habits are like atoms — the building blocks of our lives. We become our habits and with more effective habits,…
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg Mckeown
Essentialists bring forth more by being intentional about exactly what they choose to work on. Essentialists choose what to do…
Zero to One by Peter Thiel & Blake Masters
Build a business that solves a unique problem that real people have. And that no-one else is trying to solve.…
Could a COVID Wealth Tax Work?
You live in a village of 150 people with whom you’d lived your whole life. Suddenly, 50 of those people…
“What’s for dinner?”
I wish I could answer this differently, but the question I’m most frequently asked is “What’s for dinner?” Did Richard…
Stumbling on Happiness by Dan Gilbert
Our brains continuously lie to us. Our memories are faulty and deceive us. We overestimate the good in events, skewing…
Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse
There is one infinite game. There are myriad finite games within the infinite game. But unlike finite games, the infinite…
You’ll Get to Choose Again Tomorrow
Since art is never possession, and always possibility, nothing possessed can have the status of art. — James Carse, Finite…