How to Stop Being Condescending: 5 Steps to Polite Persuasion

A woman pointing at another woman when she's talking to her illustrates how to stop being condescending in communication

Do people respond negatively when you ask them to do something? Could it be because you’ve made them feel like you’re looking down on them? Perhaps you’re a parent trying to get your teenager to respect curfew, or you’re a manager pressing your employees to meet a deadline. George Thompson offers some tips on how to get people to cooperate without making them feel small. Keep reading for Thompson’s advice on how to stop being condescending when you’re communicating with others.

Mo Gawdat on Happiness: 4 Tips to Reprogram Your Brain

A smiling woman holding balloons outside, following Mo Gawdat's happiness tips.

What are Mo Gawdat’s “programming” tips for more happiness? How can you make your brain process information better? In That Little Voice in Your Head‘s section on happiness, Mo Gawdat discusses four tips to help your brain process and respond to information in ways that lead to happiness. By thinking of your brain as a malfunctioning computer, you can logically reprogram it to be happier. Read below for Mo Gawdat’s tips for programming your brain for unlimited happiness.

How to Practice Stoicism: Training & Approaching Adversities

A statue of a man reading a book, pondering over how to practice stoicism.

Do you know how to practice Stoicism? What is the Stoic strategy for handling adversity? According to William B. Irvine, the Stoics’ mental technique for facing adversity was simply to reframe the problem. That is, a Stoic would choose to view it as an opportunity to practice his Stoic virtues—resilience, resolve, resourcefulness, courage, and good humor. Here’s how to implement the Stoics’ strategy for overcoming adversity in daily life.

How to Take Action on Your Goals: 3 Tactics to Reach Success

A man walking up steps above a city illustrates how to take action on your goals

What goals are you trying to achieve? Does your life keep getting in the way of achieving them? When you’re stuck in a rut, nothing but action will get you out—so long as that action is well-considered and productive after taking a pause to review your best options. Continually taking action toward your goal turns progress into a habit that makes future slowdowns easier to avoid. Find out how to take action on your goals with these tactics.

How to Expand Your Comfort Zone: Train to Be Tougher

A woman is nervous to give a speech on stage in front of people, but she must learn how to expand her comfort zone.

Do you feel uneasy stepping outside your boundaries? How can you expand your comfort zone? To use adversity as an opportunity to grow, William B. Irvine recommends that you undergo training that expands your comfort zone. It might sound scary to look for uncomfortable situations, but it’s necessary to experience delight in a wide range of situations. Discover how to expand your comfort zone below.

How to Face Difficulties in Life: 3 Areas to Confront Like a Stoic

A woman facing an obstacle in the road and learning how to face difficulties in life.

Do you know how to face difficulties in life? How would a Stoic approach failure and death? William B. Irvine says there are three key areas of life where you can apply Stoic strategies for overcoming adversity. Namely, he discusses how to approach failure, falls from high places, and death as a Stoic would. Here are the three difficult areas of life where you need to embrace your inner Stoic.

Stop Trying to Be Perfect: 3 Ways to Keep Your Ideals in Check

A young woman looking in the mirror illustrates how to stop trying to be perfect

Why should you stop trying to be perfect? How does perfectionism knock you off your road to success? It’s easy to get mired on the road to success if you expect your achievements to live up to your dreams in every perfect detail. Perfectionists, especially in creative fields, often feel stymied when their work doesn’t live up to their very high personal standards. Learn how Adam Alter frames the escape from the perfectionism trap in three different ways.

Stoicism on Adversity: Using the Framing Effect Against Hardship

A statue punching through a wall, representing Stoicism's adversity method.

What is Stoicism’s adversity methodology? How do the Stoics handle adversity? In The Stoic Challenge, William B. Irvine explains the Stoics’ core strategy of treating adversities as tests of character. He details how to make use of two psychological phenomena to change your relationship to hardship.  Let’s look at what the Stoics said about adversity.

How to Get Out of a Slump: 5 Ways to Kickstart Progress

A worried man holding his hands to his face, wondering how to get out of a slump

Are you stuck in a rut? What are Adam Alter’s recommendations for pushing through the barriers of life? As anyone who feels like they’ve hit a wall knows, the hard part is picking yourself up and pushing on. Alter says that, when you feel like progress has ground to a halt, there are a variety of ways to kickstart it again. Check out how to get out of a slump with Alter’s recommendations.

How to Check Yourself: Monitoring What Your Brain Consumes

A strong determined man showing his brain and that he knows how to check himself.

Do you know how to check yourself? How are you perceiving and reacting to the world around you? By consistently checking yourself, you’re ensuring that only accurate information is given to your brain. You’ll also guarantee that you’re solving problems effectively and handling ruminative thoughts. Author Mo Gawdat provides a few methods to check yourself.