Why You Should Stop Using the Term “Delayed Gratification” . . . Right Now

Why You Should Stop Using the Term “Delayed Gratification” . . . Right Now

Change or growth require effort now, hopefully for a reward later. But if you call this "delayed gratification," you're making things harder than they need to be. Plus, you're missing the gratification that's right in front of you.

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How to Make Room For the Sublime in Your Life

How to Make Room For the Sublime in Your Life

If you've ever been awestruck by something you witnessed, and saw the world in a new way afterward, then you've experienced the aesthetically sublime. Turns out, the conditions you need for those experiences happen to be similar to those for a sublime life. 

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How Cravings Bite the Hand That Feeds Them

How Cravings Bite the Hand That Feeds Them

Satisfying cravings is sheer bliss . . . at least at first. Here's how craving works—including why you might crave things you don’t even like—and what happens in your brain when you indulge them.

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Enjoying Uncertainty: How to Convert Your Fear to Suspense, Part Two

Enjoying Uncertainty: How to Convert Your Fear to Suspense, Part Two

In Part One we covered that suspense is a gratifying variation on fear. Now, we dive into four critical differences between the two, and how to start enjoying more of the uncertainty that life brings your way. 

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Enjoying Uncertainty: How to Convert Your Fear to Suspense, Part One

Enjoying Uncertainty: How to Convert Your Fear to Suspense, Part One

Facing the unknown in your life can be scary. But fear, mixed with delight and hope, produces enjoyable suspense. Here's how to start converting one to the other, so you can enjoy your cliffhanger moments.

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How to Achieve Your Goals, Step 6: Considering Your Motivational Chains

How to Achieve Your Goals, Step 6: Considering Your Motivational Chains

How concrete or abstract your goals are, and how you link them together, can have a big impact on your mood and overall well-being and, by extension, on your performance. 

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How to Achieve Your Goals, Step 5: Keeping Your Feedback Loops Running Smoothly

How to Achieve Your Goals, Step 5: Keeping Your Feedback Loops Running Smoothly

Your goal-achievement machinery only operates properly when you have information to work with, so the natural tendency to avoid bad news can gum up the works. Fortunately, you don't need to go far to find what you need to keep things moving. 

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