Prodigy Myth

The movie Searching For Bobby Fischer makes it look like Josh Waitzkin look like his chess skills came out of nowhere. The movie has a few scenes of his mother and him walking through Washington Square a few times, a rainy scene in which he finds a knight piece on the ground and decides to … Continue reading Prodigy Myth →

Relentless Forward Progress

I'm at the 10 mile mark of a half-marathon. "Keep going," I tell myself. "Relentless. Forward. Progress." This is a mantra in the running world, but so applicable to life. Will there be a time when I've read and experimented enough with self improvement and growth? Not if I want to continue to improve and … Continue reading Relentless Forward Progress →

Keeping an Open Mind

To keep an open mind was one of the many virtues that Antoninus passed down to his step-son, Marcus Aurelius. Keeping an open mind means that we are open to questions regarding our own ideas, actions, behavior, and beliefs. If we are confronted with evidence of a mistake we have made, we should not feel … Continue reading Keeping an Open Mind →

Let A Few Things Go

Do you have a list of things that you're going to get to some day. Maybe when you turn 30, 40, 50, etc? Perhaps you'll get to it when you retire, or when the kids are older or out of the house? Are you accumulating things that are not getting used which have the same … Continue reading Let A Few Things Go →

Read It Again

There are several books on my bookshelf that I've already read. As a minimalist, the books I already have read usually get passed on to friends or strangers (The Little Free Library), or traded in for another book. Some make the cut and are defined as "want to and probably will read again." These are … Continue reading Read It Again →