“If you have someone who is average, I suggest you do what I’ve started doing: offer to give them a reference to work at your competitors. I seriously did that recently. I liked someone a lot, they were really cool and really smart, but they set their target in life at doing ‘good work’ and having balance in their life…The person left and is happier in their life, and I am happy to open the seat for someone excellent.”

He predicts that unemployment will get worse, and merely good contributors will find their work outsourced to countries offering cheap labor.

Yikes! Do we really have to render ourselves unemployable in the name of a little life balance? Say it’s not so!

Well, this is where I have to disagree with some of his conclusions. Maybe he’s right if he’s just talking about startups. Maybe it’s so hard to hit a home run today that you need everyone on your team to be obsessed with doing just that.

But outside the startup world, I know plenty of people who have gotten by with good, average, mediocre, or even poor performance for years, and I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t continue to do so. While it can be hard to get a job, it’s usually very easy to keep one.

Now, I’m not suggesting that people coast through their careers, doing the least they can get away with. I think that anything worth doing is worth doing well. But this doesn’t mean that performing well enough to exceed expectations has to mean putting in more hours or raising your stress levels. Just a few ideas:

- Don’t waste time. Tackling things with a mild sense of urgency makes them more interesting than just watching the grass grow. If you finish what you’re working on, find something else to do instead of waiting for it to come to you. Skip useless meetings, with the excuse of the big important thing you’re working on.

- Get more experience. This is largely a matter of just keeping your eyes open as things happen. More depth means getting better at what you’ve been doing. More breadth means getting better at more things. Either way, things will tend to get easier over time, if you’re paying attention.

- Communicate better. Ask people if you’re doing what they want instead of assuming. Ask if someone has a better idea than what you’re planning to do. Make suggestions if you see options that might work better.

- Care. If you wouldn’t show up at work with a rumpled shirt and unkempt hair, don’t allow your work to look like that either. Small things can make a big difference. Take that extra step to make sure that your spreadsheet isn’t ugly, your email doesn’t contain random apostrophes, or your program won’t break if someone tries to divide by zero.

Do things like this, and you’ll be far above the line of minimum employability (though perhaps not at a startup), while still having room for that coveted life balance. Excellence optional, not required.

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It

The concept of nasal irrigation originated in ancient India, but it’s starting to catch on in the West (apparently it’s already hugely popular in California). The idea is to take a small pot (the Neti pot being the most popular brand) filled with salt water, pour it in one nostril, and let mucus and debris flow out the other.

It’s been shown to be effective for relieving headaches, congestion, coughs, and various sinus conditions, and I think the shock of using it for the first time is something everyone needs to experience. It’s a pretty creepy feeling, taking a breath and feeling like the air is going straight into your brain. For me, the real test will be allergy season. I’m curious if the Neti pot can make antihistamines obsolete.

What I don’t understand is why people feel the need to use it every day, or even multiple times per day. The nose is for the most part self-cleaning, and I think it just needs a jump-start now and then (getting rid of excess mucus lets your cilia do a better job of expelling it). I think I could go for months or years without feeling the need to do it again.

A few words of warning though. While your tap water is probably safe, you don’t want to risk pouring infected water into your sinuses, as it could kill you. Use distilled, sterile, or boiled water. People with ear problems or certain other medical conditions may not want to use a Neti pot. And there may be some dangers in using one too much.

Overall though, I think the benefits of occasional use greatly outweigh the risks. Now that I know about the Neti pot, I have no idea why we’re still using so many drugs to treat the same symptoms. Have any of you used a Neti pot?

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It

So here it is: Shake the World: It’s Not About Finding a Job, It’s About Creating a Life by James Marshall Reilly. I found it hard to put down, mainly because of all the great interviews with Tony Hsieh, Shawn Fanning, Jessica Jackley, and many others (including Rafe Furst, who is now a defendant in the DoJ’s case against Full Tilt Poker — oops!).

It’s about breaking the corporate mold, ignoring the rules, and creating your own opportunities. For people who seek fulfillment and happiness in addition to money and titles, this book will definitely provide some ideas.

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It

This is the ebook I should have written a long time ago, when I refocused my blog on…well, personal development for polymaths. When everyone and their grandmother expects you to pick a niche, it can be hard to meet expectations and also feel like a complete human being.

So what is the aspiring polymath to do? Everything they want, but you have to be smart about it, and not just chase every shiny object.

Whether your interests include reading, writing, drawing, running, dancing, swimming, cooking, singing, gardening, or underwater basket weaving, this ebook will give you tips for getting the most from a world of infinite possibilities.

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It

Free your feet, and your mind will follow. That’s a marketing slogan for the Vibram FiveFingers shoes, but it also happens to be the truth.

I first heard about these minimalist shoes when Tim Ferriss wrote about them. I always get ticked when I learn that a product has been designed to screw me over, whether it be the QWERTY keyboard, chairs, or in this case, shoes. But I still wasn’t motivated enough to go out and get them.

Later, when I developed shin splints that made it painful to even walk, I figured it was time to try them out. I got the KSOs, one of three styles available at the time, though today there are many more. They cured me pretty much instantly, and I’ve been wearing them on and off for a year and a half since.

The idea behind them is to offer some protection while coming as close as possible to the barefoot experience, letting the foot work the way it was meant to. Normal shoes have a raised heel that throws off your posture, arch support that prevents your arches from working as springs, and thick padding that deprives your nerves of all sensory input.

I love these shoes, and I wish I never had to burden my feet with the traditional clodhoppers we’re expected to wear. They just make walking fun, particularly on soft surfaces or uneven terrain.

There are some downsides though.

One, they’re not exactly office-appropriate. See the Vivo Barefoot Dharma for a compromise you can actually wear to work. They’re very comfortable compared to normal shoes, but no match for the FiveFingers, and I don’t know why they’re so expensive.

Two, you’ll be about a half inch shorter without the raised heel. But then you’ll feel like a giant in normal shoes.

Three, big rocks hurt, so you have to watch your step. They’re certainly not great in the snow, since the freezing water soaks right through.

Four, there’s definitely a risk of injury. Your feet have a lot of joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons that have become very weak over the years, and you can’t expect them to return to full function without a break-in period (which will take a lot longer than you think). Just take it as easy as you possibly can, and stop if you feel the slightest pain.

Finally, some people think that wearing gloves on your foot is not all that fashionable, perhaps calling them “frog feet.” Mine are black/grey so they can escape the peripheral vision of most passersby, but whenever someone noticed them, I used to get prepared to give a long explanation. Today, it seems that most people already know what they are, so they just say they like them or ask if they’re comfortable.

I wish Vibram had an affiliate program, because they’ve certainly gotten enough free advertising from me. Do any of you have them, and how do you like them?

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It

Sounds good in theory, but a better title for this book would have been “Richard Branson’s Résumé.” At least that’s the feeling I had in the beginning.

About a third of the way through, it gets better, and you think, “Wow, Virgin Unite really is doing good things.” But it’s an awful lot of stories, and not a lot you can really put to use.

Great message, but not such a great book. The book I’m reading now, Shake the World, looks like a much better book on a similar topic.

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It

Dirk de Bruin (perhaps better known on the internet as Diggy) has released his Confidence Black Book, a complete 30-day guide to becoming a more confident person in all areas of life.

I had initially assumed that it was about dating, but it really has a much broader scope, covering diet, exercise, relationships, career, and other things. In short, it’s about conquering limiting beliefs that stand in the way of increased happiness, success, and goal achievement.

I appreciate that he based the book on his own personal experiences, as he spent seven years learning how to build confidence and the kind of life he wants to live. That’s how he can say for certain that his stuff works, because he used it all himself.

While I thought he had a lot of good insights in the book, I cheated by skipping the 30 daily tasks he gives. (Tip: don’t do this!) I also skipped over the bonuses (12 motivational videos and an NLP visualization method video, so there’s even more value than meets the eye.

He’s set up an opt-in page to a series of free videos with tips and insight into becoming more confident. I haven’t seen them, but if you want the secret to indestructible confidence, you know what to do.

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It

Think of a two digit number between 1 and 50. Both digits should be odd, but not the same number. Don’t scroll down until you’ve picked a number.

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Is your number 37?

I saw this on a TV magic show a long time ago. A guy was doing this to random people on the street, and there were only two different reactions. Either he’d be wrong, and they’d wonder why anyone would even try such a dumb trick, or he’d be right, and they’d be amazed.

Although it might seem that there are many possible numbers that fit the given conditions, there are only eight (13, 15, 17, 19, 31, 35, 37, 39). And for whatever reason, people pick 37 far more than its fair share – the show claimed it was more than half the time.

So the trick doesn’t always work, but when you guess someone’s number with complete confidence, it’s hard for them not to be impressed.

We know that “people don’t do random,” even when it comes to meaningless things like picking a number. I’d wager that 35 is a common choice and 13 is not, though I couldn’t really tell you why. I actually picked 37 the first time, and changed it to 39 only because I realized that 37 was too obvious.

People have wonderful abilities of intuition and pattern recognition, but a downside of this is the tendency to see meaning when it’s not there. Sometimes a random number really is 19, despite our desire for it to be 37.

Oswin Craton has a nice article about extrasensory perception, and how he was able to make many people think they had some degree of ESP with a test involving questions like the 37 thing.

(However, beware of the straw man argument – out of all the people I know who say they’re psychic, none of them claim to be mind readers.)

Please leave a comment with the number you picked – I just want to see how often this works.

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

- James Madison, Federalist No. 51

Akemi Gaines at Real Life Spirituality left a comment on Secrets Of The Millionaire Dropouts, saying she questioned whether democracy was the best form of government.

Back in 2000, I watched the Great American Think-Off debate, with the topic of “Is Democracy Fair?” (Ironically, this was just a few months before Florida had to recount its votes in the Bush-Gore election.) There were many questions posed with no easy answers, such as “If democracy isn’t fair, then what form of government is better?” and “How can you defend democracy, when Hitler came to power through democratic elections?”

In the end, the audience voted that democracy was fair. (See anything ironic about that?) If I recall correctly, the winner’s main argument was that while people are mostly apathetic, when things really get bad enough, they’ll vote for change. (Though apparently, they’re willing to let things get really really bad first.)

But while we might be able to agree that democracy is fair at least to some extent, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best way. Akemi pointed out some of the problems:

“History has shown democracy fails. In ancient Greece, it deteriorated to mob rule. In modern times, it has become a popularity contest, manipulated by the media. The French Revolution turned to a horrible blood bath and only a brilliant man who enthroned himself could end it.

This is because we cannot agree with what we don’t understand. So our intelligence limits our decision making (= vote). Think what might happen if a company (even a medium size one) is run by democracy. I am sure it will go out of business soon.

But then, when we entrust the pros who know better (sometimes called rulers, sometimes politicians), it creates a perfect ground to breed corruption. We are in a catch 22.”

The part about running a company by democracy reminded me of The Office, when Michael and Jim were both made co-regional managers of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch. Of course, nothing got done because they were too busy trying to overpower each other. As Oscar sarcastically said,

“Look, it doesn’t take a genius to know that every organization thrives when it has two leaders. Go ahead, name a country that doesn’t have two presidents. A boat that set sail without two captains. Where would Catholicism be, without the popes?”

And that’s with just two decision makers. Yes, democracy is very inefficient by nature. Autocracy is very efficient, but then, you take your chances. Oligarchy is in the middle, but who decides who’s on top?

It’s a tall order to fill; a form of government that doesn’t rely on voter rationality, wants what’s best for everyone, enforces checks and balances on itself, and gets things done without red tape. Maybe Churchill had it right:

“Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It

We’ve all heard this lie, and it’s certainly a convincing one. After all, it used to be true. But many people didn’t notice it gradually becoming less true as the world changed, with tuition skyrocketing and job prospects dimming.

In The Education of Millionaires, Michael Ellsberg explores alternative paths followed by millionaire and billionaire college dropouts. His point isn’t that education is unimportant, but that it doesn’t have to come from a lecture hall. He makes a strong case that what it really takes to get ahead today is self education over formal education, practical intelligence over academic intelligence.

Although I’ve read several books on this theme, I found this one to be perhaps the best of them. In fact, the only thing I didn’t love about this book was the title (just because it’s a little bland). Everything else was great.

Specifically, I liked:

• The plethora of interviews and case studies of the rich and famous, including Russell Simmons (fashion), Dustin Moskovitz and Sean Parker (Facebook), Matt Mullenwag (WordPress), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Phillip Ruffin (casinos), and John Paul DeJoria (hair care products)
• The interviews of the not-quite-yet rich and famous (such as he and his wife), whose situations may be easier for most of us to relate to
• The practical information about key success skills such as networking, marketing, sales, branding, and bootstrapping, and his style of “teaching you how to teach yourself how to fish”
• How he anticipates and overcomes objections that most authors ignore, like “well, that might work if you have endless amounts of money to burn, but what if…”

Are we in an education bubble that will burst in the coming years? It’s hard to be sure. In the meantime, consider this book mandatory reading for any student of success, dropout or not.

Hunter Recommends:
Greatness Without Genies: The Law of Attraction for Realists
How to Be Rich And Happy: Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want
How to Finally Find What You Love to Do And Get Paid For Doing It