The Peculiar Blindness of Experts

The bet was on, and it was over the fate of humanity. On one side was the Stanford biologist Paul R. Ehrlich. In his 1968 best seller, The Population Bomb, Ehrlich insisted that it was too late to prevent a doomsday apocalypse resulting from overpopulation. Resource shortages would cause hundreds of millions of starvation deaths within a…

Details

Final Thoughts – May 2019

MY NIECE WAS THREE at the time. A trip to the historical mansion, Ripponlea, seemed like a great way to share this sparkling Spring day. Hand in hand, arms swinging, we ventured through the ornate metal entrance gate. A majestic peacock turned to face us, looked my niece directly in the eye, and I imperceptibly…

Details

What’s Your Trading Blind Spot?

WILLIAM JAMES’S LIFE sucked. As a child, he faced debilitating health issues – constant vomiting, blindness in one eye and hideous back spasms. His siblings were brilliant goody-two-shoes-show-offs, and all William could do is look at them with envy. William’s Dad, through his connections, managed to get him into Harvard Medical School. William HATED it.…

Details

Yes, They Saw My Undies

I’D JUST FINISHED presenting. A roar of applause. I glided towards the edge of the stage to make my carefully timed exit. High heels. Professional. A new flowing dress. And then… on the first step down from the stage, I stumbled. Not a graceful little skip, like you see in the soap operas. No, no,…

Details

The Three Levels of Self Awareness

Self-awareness is like great sex: everyone thinks they have a ton of it, but in reality no one knows what the fuck they’re doing. The fact is that the majority of our thoughts and actions are on autopilot. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Our habits, routines, impulses, and reactions carry us through our lives…

Details

Getting Ahead By Being Inefficient

Trying to be perfect is a waste of time. Many of us feel constant pressure to adapt perfectly to our environments, especially our workplaces. Don’t waste time, we’re told. Maximize the output of your moments. Minimize your energy expenditure. If you aren’t getting great, someone else is, so before you collapse into a heap of…

Details