Psychology Archives

Don’t Take Anything Personally: The Second Agreement

What is the second agreement of Toltec enlightenment? What does “don’t take anything personally” actually mean? In The Fifth Agreement, don Miguel Ruiz and don Jose Ruiz describe five “agreements” to make with yourself that adjust the way you see the world and your place in it. The second agreement is this: Don’t take anything personally. In other words, understand that not everything is about you. Keep reading to learn more about the second agreement: Don’t take anything personally.

Is Suffering the Key to Creativity? Dispelling the Myth

What is the connection between creativity and suffering? Does pain really facilitate creativity? Can you create great work without suffering for it? There is a common tendency to see creativity as necessitating or being facilitated by suffering. This view has been promulgated by Christianity and 18th and 19th century German Romanticism, both of which put a premium on agony. The central idea of these philosophies is that you cannot create something great without suffering for it. In this article, we’ll explore why pain is commonly associated with creativity, and why this is, in fact, far from the truth.

Always Do Your Best: What to Expect Out of Yourself

Do you always do your best? How should that be defined? The fourth agreement in the Toltec path to enlightenment is “always do your best.” This is an agreement you can make with yourself that will help you continue to grow throughout your life. The key is to define “your best” well and learn how to set reasonable expectations for yourself. Continue reading to learn what it means to always do your best.

Benedict Anderson: A Different Theory of Nationalism

Where does the idea of “nationalism” stem from? What is Benedict Anderson’s theory of nationalism? According to Benedict Anderson, the author of Imagined Communities, the nation is simply a social construct. It has no biological or historical basis. Continue reading for Anderson’s nationalism theory.

Nassim Taleb: Is Your Skin in the Game?

How does Nassim Taleb define “skin in the game”? How do you know whether you have your skin in the game? Someone who has their “skin in the game” has a vested interest in the outcome of an event and, more importantly, has something to lose. Essentially, Taleb equates skin in the game to risk. The more you have to lose, the more skin you have in the game. In this article, we’ll go over some broad principles that are key to understanding Nassim Taleb’s skin in the game philosophy.

Why Humans Have a Natural Creative Impulse

Why do people like to be creative? Do you think there is a biological underpinning for the human creative impulse? We, humans, enjoy and take pride in our creativity. The creative impulse dates back to pre-historic times—ancient cave drawings, sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing tools dating back 2.5 million years ago. According to Elizabeth Gilbert, the human proclivity toward creativity is encoded in our DNA. In this article, we’ll explore where the human creative impulse stems from.

How to Stimulate Creativity: Get in Touch With Big Magic

How do you stimulate creativity? More importantly, how do you see your creative idea to fruition? In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert says that ideas come to you from the creative realm of “Big Magic.” When this happens, there are a number of responses you can give. The most common is to pass on the idea. The idea will then move on to find another host who can take it on. The other response is to say yes. When you say yes to an idea, you choose to work together and see the idea through to the end, whatever

How Fear Becomes a Negative Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

What exactly is a self-fulfilling prophecy? How do expectations influence behavior? A self-fulfilling prophecy is a psychological phenomenon whereby your (originally false) expectations manifest in your actual reality. In other words, by anticipating a certain outcome, you start behaving in ways to make it come true. For example, if you fear your partner will leave you, you could start acting in ways that push them way (even though, originally there was no basis to believe so). In this article, we’ll explore how negative expectations can turn into a negative self-fulfilling prophecy.

Liking Bias: Why We Ignore Faults in People We Love

What is the liking bias? How do you correct this tendency? The liking bias is the inclination to be emotionally attached to objects of affection (including humans and things) to the point where real faults and problems are ignored. You can correct this bias by inverting your opinion of your object of affection to see all the ways that person is unlikable. Read on to learn more about the liking bias.

How to Embrace Your Fear of Creativity

What is the connection between fear and creativity? How do fear and anxiety affect the creative process? According to Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Big Magic, fear is an inherent element of creativity. This is because fear’s main purpose is to protect us in situations of uncertainty, and, unfortunately, the creative process is full of uncertainty. Here is how you can embrace your fear of creativity and create nonetheless.