There is a popular kind of article on Hacker News that is always 1/3 self-deception. The content of the article can be boiled down to three parts: A description of some cool accomplishment by the author or someone he knows The behaviors which lead to that accomplishment The world-view which allowed the accomplisher to feel comfortable with the behaviors For example, recently an article titled “How I...

What’s the next action for “be a kinder person”? After years of being a caregiver for someone with a debilitating neurological illness, the stress had taken its toll. I was unhappy with my life in a number of ways and I didn’t know how to deal with them. From day to day I: felt the emotional burden of watching someone suffer, knowing there was a limit to how much I could help. didn’t...

A lot of people view their motivation as something out of their control. It comes and goes, catlike in its fickleness. By breaking down motivation to its components, however, you’ll be able to troubleshoot your lack of motivation and figure out ways to increase it. But first: what is motivation? Motivation is Your Emotional Energy for Making The Right Choices Every few months I get excited about doing...