Description Versus Prescription

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” is one of my favorite George Bernard Shaw quotes. We think that communication is happening every time two people speak to one another, when that is far from the case. From the Latin communicare (“to share”), communication is the act of …

The Two Risks of Investing

In classic Greek mythology, two hazards awaited sailors attempting to pass the Strait of Messina. On one side was Scylla, a horrifying six-headed sea monster. On the other was Charybdis, a whirlpool that threatened to sink the entire ship. The strait was so narrow that attempting to avoid one invariably put the men within reach …

The Importance of Doing

If you want to get better at something, it’s important to do that thing. Sounds almost too obvious, yet we frequently find ways to rationalize inaction. One of the most common excuses is that we don’t know enough to start. We tell ourselves that we’ll start doing after we’ve learned more. Just one more book …

You Can Sit With Us

In the 2004 cult classic Mean Girls, erstwhile queen bee Regina George is banished from the group’s lunch table after she violates their dress code: Gretchen: Regina, you’re wearing sweatpants. It’s Monday.Regina: So…?Karen: So that’s against the rules, and you can’t sit with us. Like most high schools, the fictional North Shore had numerous cliques. …