Quote of the day
Ambiguous tasks are a good place to observe how personality traits bubble to the surface. Although few of us are elite soldiers, we’ve all experienced the kind of psychological distress these trainees encounter on their training run: managing unclear expectations, struggling with self-motivation, and balancing the use of social support with private reflection. These issues are endemic not only to the workplace, but also to relationships, health, and every aspect of life in which we seek to thrive and succeed. Not surprisingly, the leading predictor of success in elite military training programs is the same quality that distinguishes those best equipped to resolve marital conflict, to achieve favorable deal terms in business negotiations, and to bestow the gifts of good parenting on their children: the ability to tolerate psychological discomfort.
~TODD KASHDAN, author of The Upside of Your Dark Side: Why Being Your Whole Self–Not Just Your “Good” Self–Drives Success and Fulfillment
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
How successful people work less–and get more done, Quartz | Tweet
I never go into the office on weekends, but I do check e-mail at night. My weekends are an important time to unplug from the day-to-day and get a chance to think more deeply about my company and my industry. Weekends are a great chance to reflect and be more introspective about bigger issues.
→The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
PSYCHOLOGY
Lying, cheating and arrogance might be morally repugnant, but a little dose of nastiness can be a creative thing.
HEALTH
Why so many of us experience a midlife crisis, HBR | Tweet
A mid-career crisis can happen to anyone. It can hit even those who objectively have the most fulfilling jobs.
→Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up
THE MIND
The long marriage of mindfulness and money, The New Yorker | Tweet
Last month, on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Deepak Chopra described the usefulness of meditation for people on Wall Street.
→The Soul of Healing Meditations
MONEY
The mystery of billionaires’ long marriages, FT | Tweet
It is remarkable how many of the super-successful have stuck by their first spouse.
ECONOMICS
The rise and fall of the hotel mini-bar, Priceonomics | Tweet
It’s 2 AM. You’ve just returned to your hotel room after a night carousing on the town. The corner stores have long-since closed, and you’ve been left tipsy, alone, and in need of an after-hours morsel. And then, like some culinary apparition, it beckons you from the corner of the room: the hotel mini-bar.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Four movies every entrepreneur needs to watch, Forbes | Tweet
Inspiration is tricky, as you never know when or where it will strike. It rarely hits when you need it, coming instead at random times and from random sources.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Notifications are the next platform, TechCrunch | Tweet
As the world moves from web to mobile, we’ve been thinking deeply about how people will discover mobile products and services and how we will find and access all the things we need in our digital lives.
WRITING
Mastering words: Ways to evolve as a writer, Writers Helping Writers | Tweet
It’s human nature to minimize our weaknesses. We hide zits, disguise thinning hair and avoid talking about our embarrassing mistakes. But in writing, covering up flaws can keep us from success.
→The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes 
Deduce or Induce? It’s elementary, Watson…, Live Write Thrive | Tweet
The word deduce has a different meaning than induce.