The Best Articles in Better Living

Ikigai is really your reason for being, the thing that gives you direction and motivation, and it is at the heart of what we do at Learnlife.

«“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why” - Mark Twain»

How we pick up the torch from the gaslighter and turn it on ourselves.

«Most of us have heard of gaslighting. It’s a form of emotional abuse that uses manipulation and minimization to make someone question their reality.»

INTRO Here’s a short introduction to some of the most fascinating philosophical issues about happiness. We are going to look at three...

Understanding and changing the environment in which habits form is a critical step when it comes to breaking unwanted behaviors and forming healthy ones.

«Another path to habit change involves friction: in other words, making it difficult to act on undesirable habits and easy to act on desirable ones.»

What society expects of you and what you actually want in life can be different things.

«At any age, setting aside time and intentionality to decipher what motivates you and whether you’ve been living authentically can be enlightening»

There are no quick fixes for low self-esteem: There’s no profound insight your therapist can give you that will suddenly improve your self-esteem There’s no secret mantra that will unlock your inner…

«If you spend your entire childhood learning that you’re not good enough or not lovable, that’s not something that’s going to change overnight.»

Digital distractions are all around us. Here's how to combat them so you can stay focused and productive at work.

«Users were gambling every time they shared a photo, web link, or status update,»

Here’s what to do if you regularly wish you could hire someone to make all your choices for you.

«Keeney advises asking yourself, “What do I hope to achieve by addressing this choice?” and focus on aspects that aren’t easily quantifiable.»

Welcome to the realm of harsh truths, where I, Mark Manson, will make you question everything you've ever believed in.

«Next time you’re absolutely sure about something, take a step back and ask yourself if it’s something you’ll be embarrassed about in a decade.»

Here’s an important distinction about people who spend less than they earn. Frugal, by my definition, means depriving yourself of something you want and could afford. Not wanting something to begin…

«He quickly realized it wasn’t for him. Society told him he should want those things. But it wasn’t what actually made him happy.»

An exploration of Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit, a set of cognitive tools to help you think sceptically and bust bullshit.

«Carl Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit is an informal set of thinking tools and techniques for evaluating arguments and detecting falsehoods»

Wondering how to be successful in life and get ahead of 99% of people? Here are three things you must do, and some downsides to consider.

«The most significant challenge lies in disagreeing with the majority, being right in your contrarian stance, and having the courage to put everything on the line for your beliefs»

How do you achieve your dreams? The right mindset is important. When you have the best thinking pattern, you can execute your goals.

“Until we know we are wrong, being wrong feels exactly like being right.” – David McRaney “I’m just a collection of mirrors, reflecting what everyone else expects of me.” – Rollo May “Basically, when…

«“Life is not a problem to be solved. It’s a paradox to experience. You can believe one thing and also believe its opposite.” – Derek Sivers»

To understand the self, let's embark on a journey of brain-melting ideas that'll leave you questioning your very existence.

Delve into the complex interplay of motivation vs. discipline in the pursuit of your goals. Learn how to harness both forces to create lasting change.

Voltaire, optimism and selective updating

«We are being prevented from accurately assessing risk by elites who are gaming a cognitive glitch to keep business-as-usual on the tracks.»

If you're struggling in life, it might be because your answers to "What do I want to be?" and "What do I enjoy?" aren't the same.

«What are you doing in your life that you don’t actually love, but you’re doing it because of the image it projects or the persona it creates?»

One of the major milestones of our early childhoods comes when we learn, for the first time, how to successfully tie our own shoes. As most of us learned, there are three key steps to making that…

Narcissism is way more complex and, quite frankly, way more annoying than we think it is.

«The past decade or two has seen a very public debate about the possibility of a narcissism “epidemic” in our current culture, especially among young people.»

How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events - Freakonomics

The long read: Hoarding can be distressing and dangerous. But it’s not just a matter of ‘too much stuff’ – it’s a complex condition that requires careful, targeted help

Tidbits I've learned that have made my life better

«If you never learned how to dance at parties/weddings/clubs, you can teach yourself by watching videos of Motown and girl groups of the 60s.»