How Video Games Satisfy Basic Human Needs
“‘It’s the very reason that people play online RPGs,’ Bartle said. ‘In this world we are subject to all kinds of pressures to behave in a certain way and think a certain way and interact a certain way. In video games, those pressures aren’t there.’ In video games, we are free to be who we really are—or at least find out who we really are if we don’t already know. ‘Self-actualization is there at the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and it’s what many games deliver.’
It’s always funny to me whenever I hear someone describe video games as being a waste of time. Sure, they can be a waste of time when compared to something like work—but in reality, video games help flex your mind.
The Day You Became a Better Writer (2nd Look)
“Business writing is about clarity and persuasion. The main technique is keeping things simple. Simple writing is persuasive. A good argument in five sentences will sway more people than a brilliant argument in a hundred sentences. Don’t fight it.”
“Simple means getting rid of extra words. Don’t write, “He was very happy” when you can write “He was happy.” You think the word “very” adds something. It doesn’t. Prune your sentences.”
I’m constantly working on this with anything I write for my clients. Whether it’s a deliverable, email, or a simple chat, it’s important to get to the point. The CEO of the company I work for, Will Critchlow actually has a great write-up about this if you’re looking to improve your business writing skills.
What is Deliberate Practice?
“Put the concept of practice into three zones: the comfort zone, the learning zone, and the panic zone. Most of the time we’re practicing we’re really doing activities in our comfort zone. This doesn’t help us improve because we can already do these activities easily. On the other hand, operating in the panic zone leaves us paralyzed as the activities are too difficult and we don’t know where to start. The only way to make progress is to operate in the learning zone, which are those activities that are just out of reach.”
“Repetition inside the comfort zone does not equal practice. Deliberate practice requires that you should be operating in the learning zone and you should be repeating the activity a lot with feedback.”
Great reminder that just because you’re working on something, doesn’t mean you’re flexing your mind and stretching your skill set. Simply being mindful of the task you’re doing can help distinguish what “zone” you’re in.
5 Deadly Kinds of Ego That Prey Upon Success
“When success arrives, ego begins to toy with our minds and weaken what made us win in the first place. This is the worst thing that can happen, because things get harder as we become more successful. In sports, the schedule gets harder after a winning season, the bad teams get better draft picks, and the salary cap makes it tough to keep a team together. Taxes go up the more you make.”
Really great point by Ryan on our ego and how it can get in the way of us growing.
“Architecture saved my life”: Pablo Escobar’s son is a good architect now
“But my father said, “This is a place where I want to be. This is a place where I’m going to be. This is the place where I’m going to be in prison. I’m going to pay for the designs and design how I’m going to escape from my own prison.”
If you’ve watched Narcos, you know that Pablo literally built a prison for himself to escape from. This is insane to me, but this interview with his son is interesting on so many levels.
“I believe that in a way my father was also an architect, he was very clever. He was just an architect for his own convenience. There was a Sunday my father took me to airplane fields and in the middle of the jungle, we were standing on the airfield and he asked me, ‘where is the airfield?’ I couldn’t see it, and he said, ‘You are standing in it.’ I couldn’t see it because I was looking at a house in the middle of the runway and there was no way the plane could land because it would crash against the house. He took a walkie-talkie and told one of his friends to move the house. It was on wheels. When the airplanes from the DEA (US Drug Enforcement Agency) were searching with satellites looking for hideouts, they couldn’t find anything because there was a house in the middle of what was a possible airfield. The planes can use it—just move the house.”
I suppose you can’t become the worlds largest drug lord without knowing how to hide and being clever. Again, if you don’t read any of this months stories take the time to read this one.
Sweaty January and how gyms make money
“Usually about 75 per cent of all gym memberships are taken out in the month of January. Not only this, but the economics of the industry absolutely depend on the fact that a very great proportion of January joiners will not visit more than three or four times in total before their membership comes to a floundering flop of weight not lost at the end of the year.”
I had no idea gyms make most of their money on people who sign up at the beginning of the year and don’t show up after the first 2-3 months. Use this as motivation to continue going to the gym.
What Netflix and Starbucks Know About Cash Flow
“Saving 30 to 50% buying in bulk — replenishable items from toothpaste to soup, or whatever I use a lot of—is the best guaranteed return on investment you can get anywhere,” as Cuban says.”
Maybe it’s because I watched my parents do this all my life, but I still don’t understand why someone would go to a store and purchase the same things for more, when they can just buy in bulk for so much less. Costco is the best, BTW.
Act your size
“Small is really where it’s at. Even the big guys act as though they wish they were smaller. The largest corporations in the world sell themselves using terms most often used to describe entrepreneurs: agile, flexible, fast. They crow about the fact that employees are rewarded for acting like entrepreneurs. And think about all the executives who fantasize about running their own shows.”
This article was funny because I’ve worked with a few clients who really wanted to act like a startup or be a “hip” company. It’s interesting because these companies are making money but just wish they were something else. Hint: you probably aren’t a startup, and you probably aren’t “agile”.
Reading more
“‘Listen Stammy, that all sounds great in theory, but we all know no one has the time for that stuff.. you sound like someone with no obligations and all the time in the world.’ To answer that, I’ll just point you to this New York Times article about President Obama’s reading habits.”
I loved this article because I actually had a few people comment and ask me how I have so much time for reading. As if I don’t have a full-time job, a side business, and am not currently planning a wedding. Guess what: President Obama made time for reading. You know how he did it? He made time. You know how he made time? He adjusted his priorities. That means get off your ass and focus on what you want to do! It’s simple. Want to workout? Don’t spend 45 min reading Twitter and go run for 45 min. Want to read more? Literally spend 15 minutes a night reading before you go to sleep instead of watching TV. I have no sympathy for people who complain about this.
Burj Khalifa: Alone at the Top of the World
“Reflecting upon the city from its highest point is a jarring experience, inflicting in me a kind of motion- or sea-sickness even though we are on solid land. Steam rises from vacant hot tubs. Wind whips against both sides of our faces. Mist crowds the protective barrier and leaves the city opaque, our only clear sight the dark blanket of sky around us. After a few moments, the expansive view begins to feel stifling, like I might choke on all the atmosphere, or suffocate from a lack of oxygen. We are at the top of the world, but we are alone. We can see everyone, but no one can see us. I feel deflated, but Ash is ecstatic.”
This article was very well written and is worth a read or two. It’s crazy to think how much expensive real estate is just sitting around uninhabited across the world.