Leonard Ng

The Advantages of Optimism (and of Pessimism)

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emotions
Image by Gratisography.

Meditation helps us to see things as they really are, unclouded by our emotions and impulses.

Through diligent practice we learn to bring our minds under control, and so become more able to act wisely in the world.

That said, we humans do have a natural tendency to view the world through two major perception filters. Both of these can significantly affect our lives.

These two filters are optimism and pessimism.

And both of them can be good for you.

What Are Optimism and Pessimism?

Let’s think of optimism and pessimism as emotional lenses that affect the way we perceive the world.

Optimism can loosely be defined as a positive view of the world: the belief that life is generally good and/or that life will get better.

Pessimism is the opposite: a view of the world based on the belief that life is generally bad and/or that life will get worse.

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Slow Down to Go Faster: What to Do When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed

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low gear
Image by hhabicht.

Life can feel too much for us sometimes.

It feels like we have too many things to handle at once. Too many things to think about, too many things to juggle.

And when this situation lasts for too long it can start to feel like there isn’t any point to life any longer. After all, what’s the point of living when we no longer have the time or energy to do the things that are actually important to us, that actually give our lives meaning?

When faced with such a situation, it’s very easy to give in to despair and hopelessness. And most of the advice out there doesn’t help.

Because most of the advice out there falls into 2 broad categories: either 1) quit or 2) suck it up / force your way through.

The problem is that, in a great many situations, neither of these solutions is realistic.

Fortunately, there’s a better option.

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The Art of Momentum: How to Actually Finish What You Set Out to Do

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waterfall
Image by Isabella Jusková.

Those who make no mistakes have policies which naturally lead to victory. — The Art of War, 4

So you’ve made your resolutions for the new year, and hopefully at least one or two of them are achievement-based goals. As I pointed out in my last entry, achievement-based goals are the ones that give you the qualities money can’t buy: discipline, resourcefulness, commitment, and skill.

So how can we make sure that we successfully achieve what we have set out to do?

The answer lies in momentum.

Momentum is nothing more or less than the deliberate organization of your goals in a way that makes success inevitable.

Momentum is about creating a process and routine that will take you to your goal in the easiest possible manner. Then, once you have crafted your process, all you have to do is commit to it.

The process will then do all the heavy lifting for you.

Creating a Process that Works

When I was in the military, the army had a very simple way to increase the number of pull-ups new recruits could do:

  1. Drop by the conveniently located pull-up bar before lunch and before dinner.
  2. Pull till you can’t pull any more.
  3. Repeat.

It worked.

This process exemplifies the four most important principles behind any successful process: simplicity, convenience, frequency, and humility.

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What Kind of Goals Are You Setting?

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Sunrise road
Image by Karsten Würth.

It’s the start of a new year now, when many of us lay out our personal goals and aspirations for our planet’s next revolution around the sun. This is the season when we make our resolutions: statements of purpose for the changes we want to bring about in our lives.

Some goals, however, will make a much bigger difference to your life than others. So today I’m going to talk about the kinds of resolutions that will allow you to hold your head high by the time the year is done.

Let’s get to it.

Two Kinds of Goals

The goals people set themselves tend to fall into two categories: consumption-based goals and achievement-based goals.

The two differ in what they require from you. The first chiefly requires money. The second chiefly requires effort.

Let’s look at them both in greater detail.

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How to Stop Hiccups Instantly

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Image by Pitsch.
Image by Pitsch.

Christmas is upon us, and over the next few days many of you will be at parties where you might just eat too much, laugh too much, drink too much, and end up with hiccups.

Hiccups can be uncomfortable and embarrassing. I know. I used to get them all the time… until I devised a ridiculously simple technique to shut them off the moment they begin.

I’ve tried it out on a few people now, and it’s worked every single time. And I myself no longer get hiccups at all… or more precisely I get one, just one, and then the rest go away like magic.

Here’s the technique now. It’s my Christmas gift to you.

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