Dear Colin, One challenge I have always faced is how to strongly believe in a set of values but not judge other people when they diverge from those values. When we believe in something, be it principles or morals, how…
I came across an interesting concept that touches on both neuroscience and artificial intelligence, recently. My first contact with this concept was in a book about psychoactive substances, but the notion branches out to encompass a wide-variety of fields, depending…
Hi Colin, You are probably one of the most well-read influences of my life and to me it seems that a universal characteristic of great people is that they are tenacious readers. Could share a handful of your favorite and/or…
Most of us possess a broad, subconsciously felt definition of success. This definition is compiled over the course of our lives, and iterated and updated as we learn more about the world, as we learn and work, as we receive…
I just graduated and moved to another state for my job. I didn’t move with anyone but my dog, left all of my closest friends back at college, and don’t have any immediate family in the state. I’ve made friends…
Hi Colin! Curious what your experience and thoughts are using social media and how they figure into your me-shaped universe. Best, Jen — Hey Jen! One important thing to remember about social media is that it’s not inherently good or…
Buying things, owning things, consuming things isn’t wrong or bad or unhealthy. Our tendency to rely on consumption for balance, for nourishment, for happiness, however, can be. Or at the very least, it can be antagonistic to our personal goals…
After learning anything, being exposed to new information, encountering art or any other type of cultural artifact, take a moment to yourself and quietly process what you’ve just intellectually imbibed. This heuristic—to pause and think after taking something in—serves multiple…
The saying “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” has been (incorrectly) attributed to a variety of people over the years. But regardless of who originally coined the phrase, it…
The word “epistemic” essentially means anything dealing with knowledge. Epistemic humility, then, is being humble with your assumptions about understanding. It’s recognizing that you may not know something—may not know a great many things—and that this is natural and okay.…