Money and Finance
- Tony Robbins: Money Master The Game, And Interview Link
Tony Robbins is coming out with an interesting book next month. While written for the popular audience, he apparently spent time with the likes of Ray Dalio, Paul Tudor Jones, and Kyle Bass, among many others leading up to writing the book. He discusses...
- Nassim Taleb On Seneca
From the end of Russ Roberts’ interview with Nassim Taleb: RR: Here's a little postscript. You wanted to say something else about Seneca. Go ahead. NT: Most people don't understand what Stoic is. They think that a stoic wants to sort of be...
- Problem Solving: Complexity, History, Sustainability - By Joseph Tainter
Sustainability or collapse follow from the success or failure of problem-solving institutions. The factors that lead to long-term success or failure in problem solving have received little attention, so that this fundamental activity is poorly understood....
- The Limits To Negativism - By Howard Marks
The last few weeks witnessed the greatest panic I’ve ever seen, as measured by its severity, the range of assets affected, its worldwide scope and the negativity of the accompanying tales of doom. I’ve been through market crashes before, but none...
- Healthy Lifestyle = More Money Part Ii
Healthy Lifestyle = More Money Part II You can read Part I, which was about healthy food choices. Today let's talk about some good habits and other random stuff which can make you happy. My University professor used to tell us that it takes a...
Money and Finance
The Power of Negative Thinking - By Oliver Burkeman
Found via Farnam Street.
LAST month, in San Jose, Calif., 21 people were treated for burns after walking barefoot over hot coals as part of an event called Unleash the Power Within, starring the motivational speaker Tony Robbins. If you’re anything like me, a cynical retort might suggest itself: What, exactly, did they expect would happen? In fact, there’s a simple secret to “firewalking”: coal is a poor conductor of heat to surrounding surfaces, including human flesh, so with quick, light steps, you’ll usually be fine.
But Mr. Robbins and his acolytes have little time for physics. To them, it’s all a matter of mind-set: cultivate the belief that success is guaranteed, and anything is possible. One singed but undeterred participant told The San Jose Mercury News: “I wasn’t at my peak state.” What if all this positivity is part of the problem? What if we’re trying too hard to think positive and might do better to reconsider our relationship to “negative” emotions and situations?
…
Though much of this research is new, the essential insight isn’t. Ancient philosophers and spiritual teachers understood the need to balance the positive with the negative, optimism with pessimism, a striving for success and security with an openness to failure and uncertainty. The Stoics recommended “the premeditation of evils,” or deliberately visualizing the worst-case scenario. This tends to reduce anxiety about the future: when you soberly picture how badly things could go in reality, you usually conclude that you could cope. Besides, they noted, imagining that you might lose the relationships and possessions you currently enjoy increases your gratitude for having them now. Positive thinking, by contrast, always leans into the future, ignoring present pleasures.
……………..
Related book: The Antidote
- Tony Robbins: Money Master The Game, And Interview Link
Tony Robbins is coming out with an interesting book next month. While written for the popular audience, he apparently spent time with the likes of Ray Dalio, Paul Tudor Jones, and Kyle Bass, among many others leading up to writing the book. He discusses...
- Nassim Taleb On Seneca
From the end of Russ Roberts’ interview with Nassim Taleb: RR: Here's a little postscript. You wanted to say something else about Seneca. Go ahead. NT: Most people don't understand what Stoic is. They think that a stoic wants to sort of be...
- Problem Solving: Complexity, History, Sustainability - By Joseph Tainter
Sustainability or collapse follow from the success or failure of problem-solving institutions. The factors that lead to long-term success or failure in problem solving have received little attention, so that this fundamental activity is poorly understood....
- The Limits To Negativism - By Howard Marks
The last few weeks witnessed the greatest panic I’ve ever seen, as measured by its severity, the range of assets affected, its worldwide scope and the negativity of the accompanying tales of doom. I’ve been through market crashes before, but none...
- Healthy Lifestyle = More Money Part Ii
Healthy Lifestyle = More Money Part II You can read Part I, which was about healthy food choices. Today let's talk about some good habits and other random stuff which can make you happy. My University professor used to tell us that it takes a...