HUB 5 OF 12 · 22 ARTICLES

Taking the first steps

Start here if you’ve started, and it’s harder than you expected. The practical, unglamorous work of the first few weeks.

  • The Path of Least Resistance

    There’s a well-worn path most people take through life. It’s gentle. It’s easy. It’s crowded with everyone else who’s chosen comfort over effort, safety over risk, acceptance over achievement. It’s called the Path of Least Resistance, and it will almost always lead you to an average destination. Not terrible. Not great. Just average. And if…

  • A Life Stuck Between FOWI and FOMO

    There’s something I call the FOWI-FOMO scale, and it’s based on fear. Because used in the right way, fear is a good thing. It’s a pretty strong motivator, and if something’s going to get you moving in the right direction, fear can be the catalyst you need. The problem is that most people are being…

  • Conservatism Bias and Why You Keep Doing the Things You’ve Always Done

    You trust old information more than new information. You believe the way you’ve always done things is better than trying something different. And that belief, comfortable as it is, is probably keeping you stuck. Welcome to Conservatism Bias, one of the most common cognitive biases you have. It’s the mental shortcut that makes you hang…

  • Discounting

    Would you rather have £90 today or £100 in a month? Have you ever thought about how long it would take for that decision to change? Most of you would take the £90. Right now. Guaranteed. In your hand today. And honestly, that’s exactly the response your brain is designed to give you. It feels…

  • Negativity Bias

    Sometimes the only way to move forward is to first let go of what’s holding you back. And what’s holding you back isn’t usually what you think it is. It’s not the lack of opportunity. Not the missing motivation. Not even the circumstances you blame. It’s the negative event from last week, last month, or…

  • Heaven’s Reward Fallacy

    There’s a condition I see on a regular basis when I talk to patients. It was first described by Aaron Beck, one of the fathers of modern cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), back in 1976, when he was researching the distorted ways people think and where therapy could help. This particular cognitive bias seems to affect…