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Exploring the truth behind inspirational sayings
“Your attitude determines your reality.” “Fear is the only thing holding you back.” “Gratitude is the key to happiness.” Self-help is full of such pithy statements. I bet you’ve seen hundreds of them. They’re usually presented as great insights, key ideas, or even as fundamental principles of the universe. Almost all of these ideas can be shown to be false with just a little analysis. But before we dismiss them all, we need to delve into an arcane-sounding question: What do we really mean by ‘true’? This question is at the core of epistemology — a long-standing branch of philosophy. And though it may seem incredible, there are at least half…
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How to spend less money
There are many ways to get better at money management, though you wouldn’t know it from reading personal development blogs. They pretty much all recommend you plan out a budget and stick to it strictly, month in, month out. You set up a spreadsheet or pay for some shockingly expensive bespoke software and audit your expenditure at the end of every month. It works just fine, but it’s like counting calories. It’s tedious, and there’s a real risk you’ll one day break the diet in an alarming binge. Another approach is to change your mindset when it comes to money. Do this and frugal habits may become automatic. I think…
