Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) I’m about to sound like the crotchety old man I promised myself I’d never become, but there’s something bothering me about the current wave of self-help. It’s the idea that anyone who causes you stress, dysfunction, pain — major or minor — should automatically be cut off. You see this kind of thing a lot in pop-psychology TikToks and therapy memes. A lot of creators seem to believe that any form of tension is automatically a) bad and b)...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Wise up If there’s one underappreciated superpower in this world, it’s listening. Like, really listening. Fully. Actively. Generously. I truly believe that listening well can change your relationships, your results, your overall experience of the world. But there’s a dark side to listening, too. The superpower of listening — when it’s taken too far — can become a fatal flaw. And that fatal flaw is the tendency to hide. To hide in the role of the person who’s...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise They say that most people’s greatest fear is public speaking. Something about all those eyes on you. And sure, talking in front of people can be pretty intense. But there’s something far more terrifying for most people: conflict. Telling someone you’re not happy about something, expressing your anger, receiving theirs — that can be awful. Especially if you weren’t raised in an environment where healthy conflict was encouraged and taught. Which...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise Earlier this year, a small-business owner wrote into Feedback Friday asking me to connect him with a guy I knew years ago who sold “money pills” — literally, supplements that change your “money genes” and make you richer. (‘Cuz those are definitely a thing, and they can definitely be altered by pills that go for $3,000 a pop. Insane.) It was a weird request, because the money-pills dealer in question — a scammy life coach named Carl — died a...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, then you know that I’m a big believer in going above and beyond at work. There’s no better way to develop a great reputation, build strong relationships and prove that you’re earning your keep than by delivering on your responsibilities and then some. It’s also a powerful strategy for sowing the seeds for a promotion. But there’s a caveat to the principle that you should always go the...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) There’s a law of physics that says that the smaller the space something is confined to, the greater the pressure. Economics says something similar — the lower the supply of something, the greater the value (assuming demand stays constant). And we all know that a small, bold piece of art can say way more than a massive, generic one. I remember seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time and being shocked by how small it was. But then, the fact...
6 months ago • 4 min read
Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Get wiser There’s an ancient proverb that goes something like this: Worrying means you suffer twice. I just googled it to be sure, and apparently a character in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them said that, although I’m pretty sure it’s older than that. My friend Ryan Holiday, in his excellent newsletter, attributes this gem to his boy Seneca: “A man who suffers before it is necessary suffers more than is necessary.” But I came across this idea years ago...
7 months ago • 4 min read
Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) It’s not accomplishment that makes life worth living. It’s meaning. It’s not external reward that gives us validation. It’s fulfillment. Ideally, we get to enjoy it all — accomplishing meaningful things, getting money and recognition for the work we find fulfilling. But let’s not confuse these concepts. If you want purpose, pursue meaning. If you want to be rewarded, look for the things that are rewarding. And if you want external success...
7 months ago • 1 min read
Wee Bit Wiser by Jordan Harbinger Something wise(-ish) If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you probably know that I find the whole concept of “manifesting” utter BS. When successful people say they “manifested” their wins, they never mean the kind of abstract, aspirational daydreaming that some people believe will “attract” the life they want. Scratch the surface of those successful “manifestation” stories, and you’ll always find a ton of hard work, focus and follow-through. I’m...
7 months ago • 2 min read