Here we have come to the central fact of the question…the true explanation of the monstrous system of child imprisonment and torture which we disguise under such hypocrisies as education, training, formation of character and the rest of it. This fact is simply that a child is a nuisance to a grown-up person. – George Bernard Shaw. View entire treatise at online-literature.com.
The 4 Principles of Bliss
August 23rd, 2010 § 0 comments
“He admitted but four unvarying laws, or rather elementary principles, of Bliss. That which he considered chief, was (strange to say!) the simple and purely physical one of free exercise in the open air. ‘The health,’ he said, ‘attainable by other means than this is scarcely worth the name.’ He pointed to the tillers of the earth–the only people who, as a class, are proverbially more happy than others–and then he instanced the high ecstasies of the fox-hunter. His second principle was the love of woman. His third was the contempt of ambition. His fourth was an object of unceasing pursuit; and he held that, other things being equal, the extent of happiness was proportioned to the spirituality of this object.” – Edgar Allan Poe, “The Landscape Garden,” 1850
Humankind Waking Up
August 8th, 2010 § 0 comments
Robert Anton Wilson on the next great evolution…. you may ignore the 2012 reference applied by the video’s author.
Quantum Psychology
August 8th, 2010 § 0 comments
In an amusing yet starkly frank look at the nature of reality as experienced by humankind, Robert Anton Wilson ambles along the corridors of physics, philosophy, psychology and sociobiology, stopping along the way to peer into doorways and cheerfully introduce the layman to Einstein, Bohr, Wheeler, Jung, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Aristotle and Buddha (and, at times, to introduce them to each other).
» Read the rest of this entry «
The Creativity Crisis
July 27th, 2010 § 0 comments
Nobody would argue that Torrance’s tasks, which have become the gold standard in creativity assessment, measure creativity perfectly. What’s shocking is how incredibly well Torrance’s creativity index predicted those kids’ creative accomplishments as adults. Those who came up with more good ideas on Torrance’s tasks grew up to be entrepreneurs, inventors, college presidents, authors, doctors, diplomats, and software developers. View article at newsweek.com.
But Are You Experienced?
July 26th, 2010 § 0 comments
This amusing cartoon makes reference to one of rock’s most influential albums, Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced.”
If you’re struck at all by the image of Jimi Hendrix sitting at a job interview at what appears to be Walmart, take a moment to try and define what you’re feeling. » Read the rest of this entry «
Why Psychiatrists Have It All Wrong
June 21st, 2010 § 0 comments
HABITS: The Future of Mental Health Care
All too often, traditional psychiatry neglects basic, simple truths about the keys to a healthy mind. Psychiatrists and mental health counselors heavily underestimate the effect our daily activities have on our emotional well-being, leading to short-sighted, ineffective care.
A professionally-trained and sympathetic ear, along with supportive medication, can certainly create significant breakthroughs in self-awareness and mood regulation. But more often than not, creating a steady state of strong mental health requires more than this. A resilient mind requires that we adopt an effective set of lifelong physical and mental habits.
How to Squash Negative Thought Patterns
May 9th, 2010 § 0 comments
I did a lot of this type of mental conditioning during the early 90s. Whenever I uncovered a negative thought, I plucked it out and redirected it. Within a few days, I had reprogrammed dozens of negative thought patterns, and pretty soon it became hard for my mind to even produce a negative thought or emotion. View article at stevepavlina.com.
The Past DOES Equal the Future
May 7th, 2010 § 0 comments
How will different aspects of your life evolve over the coming year — or longer? Imagine that you’re in a court of law…Goals and intentions for the future are inadmissible as evidence because they aren’t hard facts. They’re merely opinions or speculation. In order to make accurate predictions of where you’re headed, you must look to your past and only your past. View article at stevepavlina.com.
“Postbox” and “Things” for Email/Task Management on the Mac
April 18th, 2010 § 0 comments
Many of the task-management apps out there have difficult learning curves and require you to master the program’s intricacies before you can even start using it. On the other hand, many of the programs that are simple to use don’t scale well—once you need to track more than a few lists or projects, you run into the limits of that simplicity. Cultured Code’s Things is the unique exception. At $50, it’s the most expensive to-do-list apps I’ve tested, but it’s a true standout thanks to a great set of features and an interface that makes it a good fit for nearly any level of task management from basic to-do lists to Getting Things Done (GTD). View product review at macworld.com (no affiliation with richardsreader.com).
Everything that I really like about Mail has been added by plugins, and those plugins require a certain performance and stability sacrifice. It would be bittersweet to part with everything I’ve built there, but it would be a welcome change if it were a step up. With better task management, great search features, tabbed views, a plugin architecture and more, Postbox has always struck me as a serious challenger. View product review at tuaw.com (no affiliation with richardsreader.com).
Great Work
April 17th, 2010 § 0 comments
Imagine everything you do could fall into one of three buckets:
Bad Work.
Good Work.
Great Work.
I’m not talking about the quality of the work you deliver—I’ve no doubt that’s fine. I’m talking about the meaning the work has for you and the impact it makes. View manifesto at changethis.com.
Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time
April 16th, 2010 § 0 comments
This full-length Harvard Business Review article by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy explains proven techniques for managing our physical and emotional energy and, ultimately, transforming our productivity. View complete article at smith.edu.
The Power of Words
April 5th, 2010 § 1 comment
One element is missing from all of your stories: You have to be willing to risk your identity for a bigger future than the present that you are living. - Fernando Flores View article at fastcompany.com.
A Good Day’s Sail
March 22nd, 2010 § 0 comments
“What does a man need –- really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in –- and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all –- in the material sense. And we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade.” – Sterling Hayden View essay at oldsalt1942.wordpress.com.
How Do I Stop Procrastinating?
March 8th, 2010 § 0 comments
To this viewer, the second of the two techniques explained in this short video by Eben Pagan was an incredible eye-opener — a brilliantly simple yet powerful way to use the lever of accountability to instantly short circuit your procrastination loops.
Most advice for ending procrastination focuses on the ‘procrastination personality,’ and how to gradually change your innate (or habitual) tendencies over time by working on building self-discipline. Instead, Eben explains how you can create a scenario in which, in the blink of an eye, the thought of procrastinating becomes almost impossible.
Eben also mentions his “Wake Up Productive” video, which focuses more on the aspects of habit and structure in our daily lives, and how creating the framework of a routine can have a deep impact on our productivity. Definitely worth your time if you are at all dissatisfied with your current level of productivity. (You will be asked for an email address, but the video is made available immediately – you do not have to visit your inbox to activate the link – and you can unsubscribe at any time. Richardsreader has no affiliation with Eben Pagan.)
The Riddle of Experience vs. Memory
March 2nd, 2010 § 0 comments
Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics, Daniel Kahneman, reveals how our “experiencing selves” and our “remembering selves” perceive happiness in a completely different way.
Evidence That Little Touches Do Mean So Much
February 27th, 2010 § 0 comments
Students who received a supportive touch on the back or arm from a teacher were nearly twice as likely to volunteer in class as those who did not, studies have found. A sympathetic touch from a doctor leaves people with the impression that the visit lasted twice as long, compared with estimates from people who were untouched. The evidence that touch can lead to clear, almost immediate changes in how people think and behave is accumulating fast. View article at nytimes.com.
The Singing Mechanic
February 24th, 2010 § 0 comments
Singing is one of the fastest and easiest ways to change your emotional state from negative to positive. Singing is something you can do instantly. Singing can also raise the energy of the people around you. I’ve seen it happen first hand. View article at erinpavlina.com.
One Week On, One Week Off
February 19th, 2010 § 0 comments
If you’d like to boost your productivity far beyond the results you get with the 9-to-5 grind, an interesting alternative work schedule to consider is the One Week On, One Week Off approach. Instead of working week after week, you alternate between one intensive work week followed by one vacation/personal week. View technique at stevepavlina.com.
50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind
February 15th, 2010 § 0 comments
The Pomodoro Technique
February 14th, 2010 § 0 comments
The passage of time is no longer perceived as negative, but positive. Every Pomodoro represents the opportunity to improve, or in crisis situations, to rapidly reorganize. The more time passes, the more the feeling of anxiety is assuaged, and in its place come enhanced consciousness, sharper focus on the here and now, and a clearer mind in deciding your next move. The result is higher productivity. Download free instruction booklet at pomodorotechnique.com.
Spark
February 13th, 2010 § 0 comments
John J. Ratey, M.D., author of Spark, embarks upon a fascinating journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer’s. Amazing case studies will change forever the way you think about your morning run — or, for that matter, simply the way you think.
Ninety Percent of Life is Just Showing Up
February 8th, 2010 § 0 comments
Being able to overcome inertia is what separates the visionaries from the crowd, the notables, the heroes, the leaders. That’s it. Simply taking action takes you from just another member of the crowd to a leader. Instantly. This seemingly simple truth had me looking for some deeper explanation. View article at pmorganbrown.com.







