Learning
A Secret to Rise Above Microstress
Robin Dunbar popularized the idea of the Dunbar Number. You’ve probably heard of it. It’s the hypothetical number of people we can manage to maintain at any given stage of life. There are roughly 500 people we might recognize in the grocery store and smile and say hello, 100 we would invite to a wedding, ...
Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, and What People Actually Regret
Here’s a real story, but let’s anonymize him. We’ll call him Joey. So Joey, a local mild-mannered grown-up went to a high school soccer match in Virginia, and sat with friends and colleagues in the stands, on the home side, the side hosting the game. The game got competitive, the kids got all riled up, ...
Why We Need to Share Our Family Stories
Do you know where your grandparents grew up? Do you know where your parents went to high school? Do you know where your parents met? Do you know an illness or something really terrible that happened in your family? How well do you know your family history? Listening to – and telling – the stories ...
Why a Micro-Adventure Can Be Just as Thrilling
Hello and welcome back! It’s summertime and I’m thinking a lot about how travel and adventure can be transformational. But it doesn’t have to be epic. It can be right in your backyard! Read on. Recently my wife and I set off with our friends Kris and Susan to bicycle around the famed Cabot Trail ...
Every Big Thing You Have Ever Done Required This
Hello and welcome back to our newsletter! Last week I was musing about ultrarunning Japanese monks. How they can possibly fathom their own astonishing goals? Not to oversimplify it, but basically they don’t. They just take it one step at a time. This week I’m thinking about how our attention is fracturing. Our eroding focus ...
If There Are No Monsters in the Closet, Why Am I Still Afraid?
Hello and welcome back to our newsletter! Last week I was writing about why we can’t pay attention, and also wondering who would make it to the end of my article. Turns out, many of you did, after taking a few breaks along the way. This week I’ve got conspiracy theories on my mind. Why ...
