Category Archives: What Matters Most

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Want to Lose Weight? This is the Most Efficient Way.

With this Method I Lost 20 Pounds in 42 Days and Have Kept it Off

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I used to be one of those annoying people who can eat anything without gaining wait. But over the past several years, that changed. And I developed . . . some cushion. Specifically, I was 20 pounds above my desired weight. But I stumbled into an approach that enabled me to lose 20 pounds in 42 days and keep that weight off for the past three months.

From a weight loss perspective, these chip and popcorn snacks are equivalent. Which would you prefer?

This method has allowed me to eat what I like. I haven’t worked out any more than usual. And it has saved me time and money.

Sounds too good to be true? Well, it’s not without tradeoffs. But it’s the method for me. And if you’d like to trim down, it might be the method for you, too. (more…)

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You’ve Gotta Know When to Hold’em, Know When to Fold’em

8 Life Lessons from 10 Years of Poker, Part 3 of 3

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In my previous post I told the story of the day I lost the most money at the poker tables and the lesson it taught me. Fortunately, not every life-lesson I’ve learned playing poker has come at such cost.

Playing poker with my boys, teaching them to know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em

Can you guess, based solely on how they stack their chips, which of my sons plays looser and which tighter? 🙂

In this final post of this three-part series, I share the last three lessons a decade of poker has taught me, including the single biggest lesson I’ve learned. (more…)

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The Day I Lost the Most Money at the Poker Tables

8 Life Lessons from 10 Years of Poker, Part 2 of 3

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You know those days that just seem to go from bad to worse? My worst day at the poker tables was just such a day.

Roulette wheel showing ball in black slot

Yeah, this is a roulette wheel, not a poker table. And that is precisely the problem….

In 88 games over nearly two years, I had been slowly adding to my winnings. But then came the 89th game…. (more…)

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8 Life Lessons from 10 Years of Poker

Part 1 of 3

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Ten years ago, I bought into a No-Limit Texas Hold’em poker game for $10. I won $72.50. Using those winnings, I bought into another such game, and so on. Ten years and nearly 200 games later, I’ve grown that initial $10 to $2,114. Here’s a chart showing my “bankroll” (money set aside exclusively to play poker) over time:

My Poker Bankroll Over the Last 10 Years

Not bad percentage-wise, but not a huge deal either. At least, not financially.

The bigger deal has been the life lessons I’ve learned or had reinforced along the way—lessons dealing with time, money, and what matters most.

In this three-part series, I’ll share 8 lessons a decade of No-Limit Texas Hold’em has taught me. If you like poker, I hope you enjoy. But whether you like poker or not, hopefully you’ll find these lessons applicable to your life as well: (more…)

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Why and How to Take a 10-Minute Nap

A Scientific Approach to Improving on the Power Nap

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Do you feel too tired in the afternoon to do work worthy of your ability? Or do you feel too drained at the end of the day to give your best to your loved ones? If so, you should take a 10-minute nap during the day. After reading the science behind its effectiveness, I’ve been experimenting with it. And I’ve found it to be a complete gamechanger.

Woman taking a quick, 10-minute nap at her desk

Perhaps, like me, you rarely nap. Perhaps you consider it “unmanly” or even impossible given your job or schedule.

In this post I address those concerns. I argue for the benefits of a 10-minute nap. And I discuss how to pull it off. (more…)

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How to Make a Fresh Start

7 Steps to a Life Course-Correction

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Do you ever feel off course? Like you’re drifting through life or headed in the wrong direction? Or maybe “wrong direction” doesn’t even make sense because the destination itself has disappeared.

Pointer in the sea on the boat.

If so, you’re not alone. Though it can feel that way sometimes.

The truth is that every person makes course-corrections in life—probably thousands of them. I certainly do.

Navigating life is a lot like driving a car. When driving, you spend almost every second adjusting the direction of the car to the desired course. Most of those adjustments are minor, almost imperceptible. But sometimes you make a 90- or even 180-degree turn.

Oftentimes, the need for a course-correction is forced upon us. Something sudden or tragic happens that demands a response.

But we can also take the initiative. We can be proactive in setting a new direction—in making a fresh start.

Twice a year I make a deliberate fresh start. Doing so helps keep me on—or get me back on—the path I want to be on. And when the inevitable tragedy hits, the reorientation is much less jarring.

In two days (on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent), I’m going to make another fresh start. Following is the process I am using to prepare for it. You can use these 7 steps at any time to make your own fresh start: (more…)

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My Top 10 Posts of 2017

Get Outsized Value from These 10 Most Popular Posts

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As 2017 draws to a close, I wanted to recap for you the 10 most popular posts on my blog this year. You should be able to get outsized value from these posts, especially the #1 most popular.

Here are the top 10 posts, starting with the most popular: (more…)

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How to Love Your Job

3 Ways to a Job that You are Passionate about and Good At

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Do you jump out of bed in the morning looking forward to your work? Or is your job boring? Or a grind? Or even something you dread? What would it mean to you to have a job you love?

Man leaning back in his chair, smiling with content about his job

I was recently introduced to a paradigm for thinking about work that I find brilliant. It’s one of those ways of thinking about things that is so simple yet so profound. For most people, I’d wager it is the key to their job satisfaction. (more…)

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21 Ways to Get the Most out of Sleep

Quick Tips from the Book “Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success”

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It’s incredible that we—myself included—give such little thought to something that we spend so much of our life doing: sleeping. When I’m rested, I’m efficient. I’m effective. I am energized to pursue what matters most. Perhaps you feel the same way. But it’s hard to get rested. And being tired makes everything harder, slower, and less enjoyable. Perhaps you agree again.

In his recent book Sleep Smarter, Shawn Stevenson writes, “The research is in, and it’s 100 percent conclusive: When you don’t sleep well, you get slower, less creative, and more stressed, and you underperform.” That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can sleep well.

Stevenson provides 21 essential strategies to sleep your way to a better body, better health, and bigger success. In this post I share the top actionable insight or two that I took from each of the book’s 21 chapters: (more…)

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The One Thing I Want for My 40th Birthday

And How to Double Your Money in a Completely Different Way

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I’m turning 40 this week! Thursday, November 16th is the big day. For a brief moment, I’ll be right on top of the hill. 🙂 And for once, I know what I want for my birthday. Instead of receiving gifts, I want to raise $10,000 for an organization called charity: water. $10,000 is the cost to drill one well and provide clean water for an entire village.

Ugandan holding two bottles: one with dirty water, the other with clean water

Water before and after charity: water provides a well for a village

But let me back up. (more…)