A given business falls into one of three areas: it’s at the center of your circle of competence, near its edge, or outside it. You should always ask where a company falls with regard to your circle before you invest in it. Companies that are outside your circle of competence can be tempting, though. Too […]
Bill O’Reilly Takes on the Mob
In January 1925, Al Capone became the head of the Chicago Outfit, a giant mob that controlled many illegal businesses across the US. This extensive crime network operated in near total secrecy. When Capone was finally jailed about a decade later, it was for tax evasion—not the many murders he had committed. Written by O’Reilly and […]
The Golden Age of Banking
Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant. Dwyane Wade. The world-renowned trainer Tim Grover has examined some of his most fascinating experiences with NBA superstars, and distilled the wisdom we need to rise to greatness. These days, financial power is widely distributed among American, European, and Japanese corporations. But much of this complex global system can be traced […]
Sharon Stone’s Second Act
Amid the chaos of daily life, we tend to forget that our bodies can fall apart at any second. Our health doesn’t always cooperate with our hopes, goals, and plans. Sometimes the body has an agenda of its own. In September 2001, the celebrated actress Sharon Stone found this out the hard way when she had a […]
Food = Medicine
Most of the time, we don’t give much thought to how food and mental health are intertwined. But many of us have experienced how easy it is to eat junk food (or lose our appetites) when we’re busy or stressed. The connection is there, even if we rarely reflect on it. Just as mental health issues can influence […]
Just Say “No Way”
Annoying coworkers. Needy children. Nosy neighbors. Overbearing parents. We all have someone in our lives who would benefit from a firm boundary. Boundaries aren’t rules. Rather, they’re limits, preferences, or expectations. Boundaries allow us to feel safe and calm in relationships, whether they’re personal or professional. And they help us avoid bad feelings like anger and […]
Can the U.S. Recover?
The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, led to a wave of Black Lives Matter protests. But actively fighting for human rights, and Black lives specifically, shouldn’t require a shocking incident or video, says CNN journalist Don Lemon. As one of the newscasters who broke the news of Floyd’s death, Lemon recognized that […]
Are You Projecting?
It’s human nature to project our thoughts, feelings, and frustrations onto other people. Here’s a rule of thumb: You tend to admire other people for whatever you most admire in yourself. And you’re most likely to despise them for the things you don’t like about yourself. The next time you feel impressed by or annoyed with […]
Boost Your Mental Health
Sometimes it feels like we’re going through life on autopilot. When you make an effort to pay more attention to your thoughts, you might be surprised by how often they take a negative turn. Studies have shown that most people are fixated on pessimistic thoughts 70 percent of the time. The first step toward clearing […]
Don’t Sell Yourself Short
The universe is estimated to be 13.8 billion years old. So it’s understandable if, as puny humans, we think of ourselves as relatively inconsequential. Our physical bodies are very small compared to the vastness of the universe. The Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek has a different perspective. He points out that each individual contains about 10 […]
