Supritha S

The mind becomes so quiet that you notice the tiniest ripples in your feelings. Our experience is full of some very subtle feedback that normally gets drowned out—tiny gut feelings, emotional residue from thoughts about certain topics, faint attractions or aversions to tiny details like the way your food is sitting on your plate.

In 1993, a bank in Abbotsford, Canada, hired a twenty-three-year-old stockbroker named Trent Dyrsmid. Abbotsford was a relatively small suburb, tucked away in the shadow of nearby Vancouver, where most of the big business deals were being made. Given the location, and the fact that Dyrsmid was a rookie, nobody expected too much of him. But he made... See more

However, real military boot camps come with two additional factors that make them work: once you sign up, you can’t slack or quit without severe consequences. There’s no way forward but to suffer and adapt. Afterward, you’re kept from backsliding by peer pressure and institutional standards, for a few years. So they work really well.

Consistency is essential for success in any area. There is no way to get around the fact that mastery requires a volume of work.

Recently, I've come across a few research studies that (just maybe) will make these difficult lifestyle changes a little bit easier. As you'll see, however, the approach to mastering many areas of life is somewhat counterintuitive.

So often, we assume that excellence requires a monumental effort and that our lofty goals demand incredible doses of willpower and motivation. But really, all we need is dedication to small, manageable tasks. Mastery follows consistency.

The right response to feedback is, “thank you.” Or perhaps, “that’s a great point.” Even if it’s not your job to change the system, or not your fault that things didn’t work as expected, both of these responses are valid and useful.

In case you don’t have your pocket dictionary handy, a polymath is a person with a wide range of knowledge or learning.

Sometimes the benefit is biological like it is with smoking or drugs. Sometimes it's emotional like it is when you stay in a relationship that is bad for you. And in many cases, your bad habit is a simple way to cope with stress. For example, biting your nails, pulling your hair, tapping your foot, or clenching your jaw.