23 Sep 2025
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Equations for a Great Life from Scott Galloway’s Algebra of Happiness

Equations for a Great Life from Scott Galloway’s Algebra of Happiness

Scott Galloway's book, The Algebra of Happiness, isn't a traditional book of mathematical equations. Instead, it uses the concept of algebra to present "equations" or formulas for living a great life, based on Scott’s own experiences and observations. The core idea is that success, happiness, and a great life are a function of several variables, and getting these variables right requires making conscious trade-offs. Scott Galloway is a serial entrepreneur and professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He has several popular podcasts, including his Prof G Pod. This post shares the key equations and concepts Scott covers…
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31 Oct 2024
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Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be

Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be

I was recently reviewing a book about college admissions. In doing so, I thought it would be good to research the answer to a simple question, “how much does the college you attend matter in your future?” I have three children (two currently in college and one in high school) so I wanted to share my findings with them and others. This post summarizes the research, finding that where you go is not who you’ll be. Read on for some simple advice for high school students and parents navigating the college admissions process. Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll…
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04 Oct 2023
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Does Following Your Passions in Life Really Work?

Does Following Your Passions in Life Really Work?

There are many cliches about making sure you have a job that aligns with your passions. That way, you will, “never be bored” and, “never want to retire.” But does following your passions in life really work? Who is doing this right now? And is this even possible for most people? We also wonder if “following your passions” is better advice than “maximizing your natural strengths.” This is the first rule in our Ten Rules for Life, so we are going to explore this difference to share with our readers and potentially adjust our first rule. Following Your Passions in…
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06 Sep 2023
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Sam Altman’s Take on “How to be Successful”

Sam Altman’s Take on “How to be Successful”

Photo Credit: Vox Sam Altman is a computer programmer, entrepreneur, and the current CEO of OpenAI. He was previously the CEO of the incubator Y Combinator and founder (at the age of 19) of a social network mobile app, Loopt. I recently came across a blog post Altman shared in 2019 titled, “How to be Successful,” where Altman shares 13 thoughts on how to achieve outlier success. I am going to read and comment on the 13 thoughts in his post and share my take with the Personal Kaizen community. Will some of Altman’s 13 thoughts be worth adding to…
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21 Sep 2022
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A Simple Tool to Improve Your Work/Life Balance

A Simple Tool to Improve Your Work/Life Balance

Our last post shared how to prioritize and plan based on your key roles. Focusing on all your roles – as a parent, partner, relative, friend, employee, volunteer, etc. – is one way to help you improve your work/life balance. Despite some recent articles and memes about “quiet quitting,” improving your work/life balance is NOT the same thing as quiet quitting. We’ll describe the idea of “quiet quitting” that has recently become mainstream and share a simple tool you can use to prioritize your life and also improve your work/life balance. The Quiet Quitting Meme “Quiet Quitting” refers to doing…
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04 Aug 2021
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Personal Kaizen 10 Rules for Life: Rule 1

Personal Kaizen 10 Rules for Life: Rule 1

Members of the Personal Kaizen team have been developing high-performing organizations for the past ten years and have coached numerous leaders and teams, attended many conferences and events, and read hundreds of books on the topics of improvement and change. This research and experience have led us to adopt some general rules for living the best life. We hope that sharing these Rules for Life will be helpful to you and encourage you to provide feedback for personal kaizen. RULE 1: Maximize your natural strengths. All of us are born with our own personality and a set of skills unlike…
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