Motivation Archives

How to Face Problems in Life: “The Five Whys” Method

Do you struggle to overcome challenges in life? How can bullet journaling help you face your problems and overcome them? Bullet journaling might sound like a silly solution to such a fundamental problem. But Ryder Carroll, the author of The Bullet Journal Method, suggests using a bullet journal to break down your problems to discover their root causes so you can face them head-on. Here’s how keeping a bullet journal can help you deconstruct your problems.

Are We Living in a Quick-Fix Society?

Do you tend to rely on quick fixes when faced with a problem? Or do you try to root out the core, underlying issue? There’s little argument that we live in a quick-fix society focused on attaining immediate results at the expense of future losses. We’d rather take a pill to avoid the pain now than put efforts towards identifying and rooting out its underlying cause. While quick-fix solutions are alluring and convenient, they don’t solve the underlying problem. Further, they often exacerbate it in the long term. Keep reading to learn about the dangers of relying on quick fixes.

The Bullet Journal Index Page: What You Need to Know

What is a bullet journal index page? How do you set it up, and what is it used for? In his book The Bullet Journal Method, Ryder Carroll explains everything you need to know about the bullet journal index page. Essentially, the index page helps you find specific pages in your journal quickly. Here’s how to set up and use your index page.

The Secret to Finding Balance in Life

Do you often feel like you’re being pulled in different directions but don’t have the time and/or energy to attend to everything? What is the key to finding balance in life? Most people’s biggest source of dissatisfaction and unhappiness in life is the imbalance they feel between their different roles and responsibilities. Many people feel their work demands so much of them that there aren’t enough hours in the day to give adequate time, energy, and attention to their families. Or they’re just barely keeping up with family and work, but have no personal time for their own rest and

Success Is Luck, Not Hard Work or Know-How

Is financial success a matter of luck or know-how? What plays a bigger role? There are so many memoirs and self-help books out there by millionaires that teach readers how to follow in their footsteps—”they got rich by following these steps, and you can too!” However, what these books fail to account for is the role of chance in financial success. Here’s why success is luck, according to behavioral finance expert Morgan Housel.

Debates Over the Ten-Thousand-Hour Rule

What is the ten-thousand-hour rule? Who first came up with the rule, and what is the research behind it? The ten-thousand-hour rule basically says that you need to practice a skill for at least ten thousand hours before you can be considered an expert. After Malcolm Gladwell published these findings in his book Outliers, there have been a number of criticisms. Here’s why the ten-thousand-hour rule doesn’t hold up.

Incentives: The Psychology of Motivation

How do incentives change behavior? What is the danger in offering incentives to encourage better performance? Incentives inspire hard work and better cooperation. But there is also a dark side to incentivizing the desired behavior: People will perform the behavior, but they’ll strive for those incentives however suits them best, even if their actions contradict the principle behind the incentive. Keep reading to learn about the psychology of incentive manipulation and how to set effective incentives.

Don’t Let Investment Uncertainty Hold You Back

Does fear of uncertainty hold you back from investing? Are you nervous about putting your money in a long-term investment account, not knowing how much it will grow? According to Morgan Housel, the author of The Psychology of Money, investment uncertainty holds many people back. However, the longer you put off investing due to fear, the smaller your returns will be. Here’s why accepting uncertainty is key to achieving long-term investing success.

3 Simple Steps for Setting Goals—in Life and at Work

Are you clear on your goals? Are you effective at reaching them? In the bestselling classic The Sales Bible, Jeffrey Gitomer outlines three simple steps to set goals. Whether you have sales targets, business objectives, or basic life goals, you can follow these steps to get clarity and focus on what you want to achieve. Keep reading to learn Gitomer’s three simple steps for setting goals.

Why You Must First Fail to Succeed

How to Deal With Failure at Work and Build Resilience

How do you deal with failure? How can embracing failure help you on the way to success? Most of us will do anything we can to avoid failure—it’s embarrassing and painful. However, to achieve success, you’ll need to fail a few times. Every failure teaches you how not to do something and forces you to come up with ideas you wouldn’t have normally thought of. Here is why you must fail to succeed.