The Uncommon Life

Before you commence your journey to an uncommon life in 2012, assess your inventory. Stop, think, and drop. Literally. Identify the items of baggage you’re currently carrying from 2011 and scrutinize every last piece. Read More →

You may not be able to account for and design everything that happens to you in life, but planning for excellence and adventure indisputably increases the odds of both. Realizing this, I have grown accustom to performing a year-end review and creating a plan for the year ahead. And this is some of the most important thinking I’ve ever done. Read More →

There is a difference between giving a 100% effort and adopting the ‘whatever it takes’ mentality. The former demonstrates patience, timing, respect, and an acute awareness of one’s journey, whereas the latter, by definition, disregards it.

An intelligent achiever understands that a great goal does not merely define the outcome; it explains why such a goal is important to begin with. Without this supplementary ‘why’ it’s far too easy to doggedly head in a non-constructive direction and be completely unaware of the fact. Read More →

Countless well-meaning people paralyze themselves in the face of fear, which often leads to the misguided notion that inaction always lessens risk. But in the pursuit of an uncommon life, this is very rarely the case. Our fear-induced responses are a survival tool, but these knee-jerk responses are not an effective instrument for constructing a fulfilling life… Read More →

We all feel proud when we achieve something remarkable. Without a doubt, asking ‘how’ to get a specific result enables us to accomplish more, and to ‘climb the ladder’ more efficiently. This question of ‘how’ helps us think about ways to overcome obstacles and attain our goals – this is all fair and good.

But in order to lead an uncommon life, ‘why’ should always precede ‘how.’ Why is this goal so important? Why did you feel motivated to set this goal in the first place?

Asking ‘why’ before asking ‘how’ ensures that the ladder (the direction you’re travelling in) is leaning against the right wall before you myopically start mounting the summit. Few things are more upsetting than being dissatisfied about the view from the ‘top.’ Read More →

Those who know me are fully aware that surfing is my favorite hobby, but I’ve developed a new appreciation for it. While reading, research, and writing always serve as important sources of information and inspiration, sometimes life has other more “uncommon” ways of offering powerful insights. Read More →

Being uncommon means many things, but it has absolutely nothing to do with reaching the ‘top’ or being part of some arbitrary, hyped-up faction labeled as ‘elite.’ The social, artist, business, or ____ (fill in the gap) ‘elite’ are just higher levels within the status quo. Instead of putting life’s requisites on a socially-ranked pedestal, define your own terms about what matters and what doesn’t. Read More →

Today’s social and technological changes are creating completely new social and interpersonal consequences and some are merely amplifying age-old tenets of success. What is most often overlooked and underestimated, however, is where the new and the old collide.

Amidst all of the change, I continue to see three timeless principles increasing in importance and impacting our personal and professional lives in new ways. I call these factors the 3 C’s of modern currency. Read More →

As humans we desire closure. We long to know not only what has happened, but why it has happened. Whether it’s gossip, a natural disaster, a freak incident, or a success story – we want the 411. We want to know how ‘it’ can be repeated or avoided.

… so we endeavor to explain it. But in doing so, we often limit alternative possibilities. Read More →

There is immense value in being able to think and act independently in a world of conformity and convention – in fact, all innovation and novelty depends on it. It can be challenging to free ourselves from the explicit and implicit forces that keep our brain in the box, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Read More →

What does it mean to be uncommon? Well, it means a few things. Here are some of the most important… Read More →

Advice about the “real world” may come with good intentions, but that doesn’t make it accurate. Don’t “get real” in light of someone else’s definition of the “real world.” What someone else finds true need not become your dogma. Read More →