Jumpstart Your Dream Life

The Rustout Issue: Why We Tend to Stagnate

By

We start off the same way.

In the beginning, we’re excited, eager, and energetic. We have dreams we want to pursue. A desire to make something of ourselves, coupled with an earnest intention to overcome any obstacles that come our way.

Somewhere along the way though, we hit a wall. We stop learning. We look around and see other people are content with where they are. So we sit and rest for a while in a safe haven, until we feel motivated enough to start working on our goals again. We wait.

That is, until awhile turns into months, then years. One day, you look back and realize that you’ve been stuck in the same spot for the past decade. What would your younger self think?

I recently read an interesting account of the rise and fall of ancient Egypt, which reminded me of the human tendency to fall into the same patterns.

[Read more…]

Spend Your Money On Experiences, Not Things

By

Picture this: You’ve just finished working your busiest time of the year. For all your efforts, you receive a nice paycheck.

To reward yourself, you look for places to spend your hard-earned money. What would you choose out of these options?

  • A brand new TV or a vacation abroad?
  • A piece of jewelry or a multi-course meal at a restaurant?
  • The latest phone model or a class on learning a skill?

All of these questions point towards how we should spend our money. Should we spend it on material objects that will likely bring enjoyment, or on new experiences that have uncertain outcomes?

When faced with this decision, choose the experience. Here’s why.

[Read more…]

4 Ways You Can Use Failure To Your Advantage

By

It seems like we have two options in life: succeed or fail. Get what you worked for and you’re a success. Fall short of that, and you’re a failure. We think about these two outcomes as if they were binary.

But maybe it’s time we rethink failure. That is, how we can use failure to provide advantages that we might not gain otherwise.

Here are four of the most important ways.

1. Use the emotions from failure to become stronger

Failure seems to imply that nothing is gained. Hours of work and energy have been put into an endeavor, but the output is zero. At least, that’s what it looks like from the outside.

[Read more…]

3 Quick Things You Can Do To Boost Your Confidence

By

When it comes to boosting people’s confidence, we hear the same pieces of advice all the time:

  • “Be strong.”
  • “Believe in yourself!”
  • “Just think positive.”

The problem with these phrases is that they assume people can simply build up courage on their own to achieve their goals. It makes us think that if we just put in the effort and try hard enough, we can become confident.

A lot of the times, we can’t.

[Read more…]

When Positive Thinking Negatively Affects Your Success

By

We’re always told by other people to think positive. The key to success is life is to believe, because once you do, you can achieve your goals. Anything is possible when you rely on the power of positive thinking.

At least, that’s what they say.

But experience shows that that’s not necessarily the case.

A few friends I knew wanted to partner up and start an advertising business. People supported their idea and doled out encouraging advice.

In usual fashion, the partners reveled in the high of embarking on a new venture. They talked excitedly about the possibilities their new business would bring. Together, they spent evenings discussing how to set up the business.

First, they set up a corporation and decided on a tax structure. Then, they looked up a few potential customers and brainstormed what kind of help they could offer. Business was going to be big.

[Read more…]

The Interesting Thing About Gut Instincts (Why It Plays Tricks On Us)

By

This is part two of the Gut Instinct series. To read part one on gut instincts and people, click here.

Imagine you’re at a casino. Your palms are sweating as you hold a pair of dice in your hand. A crowd forms around the table and watches intently. This is it.

“I have a good feeling about this.”

You shake the dice loosely in your hand, hoping you’ll get lucky. Your fingers let go and the dice fly across the table. As the dice land on the board, you take one look and groan.

Regret begins to sink in.

Have you ever listened to that gut feeling you had, only for it to lead you astray? Sure, there were those times when you turned out to be right, but there are those other moments when things didn’t pan out the way you thought they would.

If Napoleon himself fell into that trap at Russia, what chance is there for the rest of us?

[Read more…]

Serial Killers and CEOs: The Role Our Gut Instinct Plays in Everyday Assessments

By

“I knew there was something wrong about him.”

How many times we heard someone say this, or thought this in our heads? Whenever we feel conflicted about someone we meet, we hear the same thing over and over: “trust your gut.”

We might spend days, months, or even years trying to figure something out. Is there a good chance of succeeding in this new job? Should I trust her? The wheels in our head spin as we think of all the variables and how they’ll play out.

And still, we keep hearing that we should just listen to our instincts. Complicated questions, simple answer. What should we do, and where did this whole idea of the gut instinct come from, anyway?

[Read more…]

How Late Should You Be Drinking Your Daily Coffee?

By

Imagine it’s a Monday morning. You wake up to the beeping of your alarm and slowly open your eyes. After lying in bed for a few more minutes, you slowly get up and rub your eyes.

Groggy and bleary-eyed, you get dressed and prepare yourself for another start of the week. You glance at the clock and realize that you’re running late, so you leave for the office ASAP.

When you arrive, you turn on the computer and put down your things before heading to the kitchen. Now, here’s a question: what drink do you make for yourself?

If you chose coffee, well, you’re in good company.

[Read more…]

The 3 Stages of Truth: How The Earth Became Round

By

Have you ever started something new, only to be met with resistance from others?

Whenever we seek change at any level, there are those who will be opposed to it. Change can be hard to accept, even if it’s for the better. This applies to many aspects of our lives, whether we want to improve a part of our life or to creating something innovative for society.

Skeptics will always be around. People who refuse to let the things, people, and places around them change. People who mock something that feels novel, simply because it’s easier to stay with whatever feels comfortable and familiar.

This has led me to believe that truth, and any positive change, goes through multiple stages before it’s accepted. According to 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”

Let’s take a closer look at the 3 Stages of Truth.

[Read more…]

How to Fall Asleep Within Minutes

By

How would you feel after a restless night?

How about two nights? Or 10 nights in a row?

On December 28, 1963, Randy Gardner, with the help of two classmates, went on a mission to find out how his body would respond if he stayed awake until January 8, 1964, making a total of 264 hours (or 11 days).

To begin, he woke up bright and early at 6 am, alert and energized. But by the second day, he had trouble focusing on his surroundings and recognizing objects given to him. By the third day, Gardner became grouchy and his speech began to slur. The day afterward, he imagined himself to be a Paul Lowe, a 200-pound football player, while he was barely 120 pounds.

The experiment was originally meant for a high school science fair, but news spread to Stanford researcher William Dent, who flew down to San Diego to get involved[1].

[Read more…]