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Wee Bit Wiser: Lessons from 1000+ podcasts

In Wee Bit Wiser, every Wednesday I'll deliver the most valuable insights from the most fascinating people in the world straight to your inbox and help you get slightly smarter every week.

Grandparents thinking about grandkids
Featured Post

Your best weapon is a great story

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) A few years ago, I started trying to convince my parents to move from Michigan to California to be closer to my family and me. They resisted for a while. Just like those parents from that recent Feedback Friday letter who refused to even consider leaving their home even though they were struggling to walk up and down the stairs. We had to have a lot of conversations about their fears, the downsides to leaving, the upsides to moving...

friends voting

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) Every person you keep in your life is a vote in favor of certain values. When you stay close to people who enrich you, enliven you, challenge you — all that good stuff — that’s you saying, “It’s important to me to grow as a human being.” When you stay close with people who neglect you, enable you, maybe even actively harm you — any unproductive pain — that’s you saying, “It’s not important to me to be treated well,” or “It’s more...

hole in fiber

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Get wiser Strong beliefs, loosely held. That principle has been one of my guiding lights over the years. Having a strong point of view on a given topic while not clinging to it — that’s a superpower. Because we all know that no belief is ever 100% right in every case. And even when a belief is right, that doesn’t automatically mean that it’ll lead you to the best outcome. Beliefs are powerful, sure. Essential, actually. But they won’t, on their own, guarantee...

person with thought bubbles showing many goals

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Get wiser Here’s something that’s been keeping me up at night: I’m a human being who can’t do all the things he wants to do in this life. There are companies I want to start, skills I want to master, trips I want to take. There are relationships I want to build, insights I want to achieve, feelings I want to feel. There are so many me’s I want to become. And I won’t get to experience all of them. In fact, I won’t get to experience most of them. I guess that’s...

Speech bubble inside head

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish)/ If you listen to Feedback Friday, you know that we’re big on talking. Talking about your goals. Talking through your problems. Talking to a therapist. Talking to us, obviously. (‘Cuz we’re here to help and you know we need that dooze cruise tea.) Talking to your friends, your family, your journal, your cat — whomever’s down to listen — about the things that matter most to you. Talking is crucial. But there’s also something to be said for...

Emails

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) They say that no one on their deathbed wishes they spent more time at the office. I think it’s safe to say that no one on their deathbed wishes they answered more emails, spent more time in traffic or scrolled more on TikTok, either. (Well, it depends how lit your FYP is, I suppose.) I haven’t died myself yet, but when I’m on my way out, I think I’ll feel the same way. Or will I? Honestly, I’m not sure. I definitely won’t wish I spent...

long to do list worried guy

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Get wiser You’re not avoiding the thing you’re avoiding. You’re avoiding the feelings that the thing will bring up. You’re not avoiding the responsibility you have. You’re avoiding the parts of yourself that the responsibility will reveal. You’re not avoiding life. You’re avoiding yourself. Procrastination, avoidance, denial — these are all ultimately ways to flee the “problem” of having to be you, in a specific moment, doing something you don’t want to do....

Messy drawer

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) There’s a lot of wisdom out there about the art of starting things. Landing a job. Launching a company. Starting a family. Initiating a project. Even cleaning out that one drawer where all your tools and post-its and USB cables end up in a tangled mess. Which is somehow harder than launching a company. (Just me?) But when it comes to the art of ending things… Well, there isn’t really a playbook for that. If you want to find a partner,...

arrow pointing up inside head silhouette

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) You’re not here to be happy. You’re here to evolve. You’re not here to be satisfied. You’re here to grow. You’re not here to be successful. You’re here to learn. I genuinely believe this to be true. And I forget it all the time. Sometimes I feel like Guy Pierce in the movie Memento, except the things I keep forgetting are basic psychospiritual truths. I should get “learning > happiness, you idiot” tattooed on my forearm. Then I’d remember...

worried looking person

Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) We all know that feeling like an impostor is pretty awful. It’s stressful. It’s anxiety-provoking. And the fear of being “found out” — which is the hallmark of all fraudulence — can eat you up inside. But not all impostorism is created equal. In fact, if you don’t feel like an impostor sometimes, you’re doing something wrong. Because feeling like an imposter isn’t always a symptom of fraudulence. It’s also a sign that you’re growing. Here...