James Altucher wears many hats — he’s built 20 companies, he’s written nine books — but in his own eyes, he’s a mediocre person. But he’s totally cool with that. We can’t all be Zuckerbergs, he says, or really anyone even remotely close. In his great essay at the Rumpus, Altucher says we should embrace our mediocrity. Here are two of his tips (out of seven) for making the best of your lack of genius and drive:
(1) Procrastinate: It’s your brain’s way of telling you to slow down — and there’s probably a reason it’s doing so (i.e. maybe your idea is bad, or maybe it needs fine tuning). Or, maybe you just need to take a break.
(2) Fail: Since mediocre entrepreneurs fail much more often than they succeed, they learn the true definition of persistence. They understand that “persistence is not the self-help cliché ‘Keep going until you hit the finish line!’ The key slogan is, ‘Keep failing until you accidentally no longer fail.” That’s persistence.
The Secret to Happiness (Barking Up the Wrong Tree)
There’s a lot to take away from this interview with Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker, especially with regards to scheduling our time. As Aaker’s research has shown, “people who spend more time on projects that energize them and with people who energize them tend to be happier.” Of course, that’s easier said than done at work, but when it comes to our free time, most of us are pretty dreadful at scheduling time to do the things we actually enjoy doing. Aaker’s workaround? Be all business about your free time. Schedule it in a calendar. My thoughts? Screw spontaneity — it’s overrated.
Stop Writing Bad Job Descriptions Already (Inc.)
If you’ve been job hunting recently, you’ve no doubt come across plenty of job descriptions that read like they were written by robots. Long lists of qualifications, duties down to the finest detail. Note to hiring managers: don’t do that. Some tips: First, try your best to lend a human voice to the description. Second, be as concise as possible — we’re talking 400-800 words here. Last, keep the application instructions as simple as humanely possible.
This Steak Tastes Like Rubber
Why Beef Is Becoming More Like Chicken (Slate)
The Crisis in American Labor (Jacobin)
Can Boosting Immunity Make You Smarter? (Discover)