This was originally going to be two separate pieces but part way through they seemed to become more and more related.They became more related because of the intertwined nature of fear and adaptation. Fear is often a failure to adapt to a given circumstance and often adaptation is forced upon through fear. What began me…

Trying really hard works—and then it gets in your way Peak performance happens as a result of trying really hard, and then not trying at all. It’s a paradox. I’ve never met someone who has described a breakthrough performance as effortful or straining or tight. It’s the opposite: when people are at their best—whether it’s on…

It’s said we judge the people around us within the first seven seconds of meeting them. I think something similar happens online. I don’t know what the scientific word is for this, but one image, video, or headline from a Twitter account can push us from 0 to 100 (real quick). This is not a…

In 2011, my parents gave me a sum of money that was both outrageous and, in the real estate terms of major cities, quite reasonable: 10 percent down on the 250-square-foot apartment I still own in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. While I was conflicted about taking it, there wasn’t much of a question about whether I’d…