Many people assume that high self-esteem means loving yourself unconditionally, which includes thinking that you’re great at lots of things—perhaps even thinking that you’re better than you are. But that’s not true. As psychologist Nathaniel Branden put it, “one of the characteristics of persons with healthy self-esteem is that they tend to assess their abilities and accomplishments realistically, neither denying nor exaggerating them.” Branden considers self-esteem to include both a sense of efficacy—belief in your ability to deal with the world, and worth—conviction that you are moral.1  ..read more

OSI fellow Kiyah Willis has launched a YouTube channel, where she’ll be posting commentary on cultural trends and current events from a rational philosophic perspective. In her first video, “Why I Left the Left,” she explains the start of her journey. Her future videos will elaborate her thinking and her continuing efforts to make sense of the world so she can think clearly, live fully, and help others to do the same. Join Kiyah as she explores issues of the day applying the principles of reason, individualism, and capitalism—and debunks false alternatives such as wokeism vs. religion, feeling ..read more

Not having enough energy and focus throughout the day can cripple your productivity and, worse, decrease the overall quality of your life. Low energy can make it seem as if your body is actively preventing you from being fully engaged with important work, a favorite hobby, or a loved one. A common kind of energy decline is the dreaded afternoon slump—the energy drop many feel around 12 to 3 pm that annihilates your focus. I used to try shaking this drowsiness off with a nap or a walk—with limited success—assuming that it was just an unavoidable part of being human.  But it is avoidable. A ..read more

Led Zeppelin nearly never materialized. I don’t mean that as mere idle counterfactual history. I mean that the crossroads and obstacles Jimmy Page faced just in forming the band were daunting. There were infinite ways things could have gone wrong, countless roadblocks in the face of which he might understandably have given up. This point crystallized in my mind while reading Mick Wall’s tremendous Led Zeppelin biography When Giants Walked the Earth. First, there was the fact that Page was a well-paid session guitarist. It was a stable (if stale) job that enabled him to buy a nice house in his ..read more

What are your deepest beliefs about reality? Or human nature? Or how we can know what’s true and what’s good? Why do you hold these ideas? Where did they come from? And how are they affecting your life? Such questions point to the importance of philosophy. We all have a philosophy, whether we’ve accepted it consciously or by default. And the philosophy we accept has a profound impact on our lives. Do you dread the future? Or look forward to it? Or give it no thought? Whatever your answer, your philosophy is at play. Can you know reality—as in, what’s really true? If so, by what means? Through ..read more

SL: What’s the most badass conference of the year? Well, when you put it that way, there’s only one answer. As attendees say: “LevelUp is the most badass conference of the year.” —Sebastian “Before this conference, I was depressed and lost. Now, I’m motivated to change my life.” —Olivia “LevelUp is the single best investment I have ever made in myself.” —Steven “I’ve made friends that will last a lifetime.” —Thomas “It was truly life-changing.” —Ella And here are two more reasons not to miss this truly life-changing event: If you (or your friends) are aged 18–29, you can apply for an Atlant ..read more

Have you ever put yourself into an awkward situation because you were trying to impress someone? Perhaps you exaggerated on a date and sounded boastful. Perhaps you got caught embellishing a story to a group of friends. Perhaps you got into a conversation on a complex topic and couldn’t hold your own—but blustered on as though you knew what you were talking about.  This kind of behavior can lead to all kinds of trouble. Distorting the truth to impress people can cause us to lose touch with reality as we build up a fake image of ourselves that we then have to keep consistent. Sometimes we ..read more

You’ve probably heard of the phoenix—a mythical creature that bursts into flames when it dies and is reborn from the ashes. At the end of Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novella Fahrenheit 451, the main character must go through his own rebirth from the ashes. In the story, books are banned, and “firemen” start fires to destroy them. Fireman Guy Montag eventually leaves behind this life of destruction and must start over.1 Alone and with few possessions, he flees the authorities (narrowly escaping his city being bombed) and joins up with several kindred spirits. One of them advises him: Everyone mus ..read more

Sometimes, when we start a new venture, we can overwhelm ourselves with our own high expectations. For instance, a week or two before I started working for Objective Standard Institute, I wrote a long list of things I’d like to achieve in my new job. During my first week, I tried to make as much progress on this list as possible, but I ended up overwhelming myself and was unable to make satisfying progress on any front. The same thing can happen at the start of each new work week. We set (or accept) a long list of expectations for ourselves—projects, tasks, and meetings—that make us want to wo ..read more

Watching your favorite TV show with your significant other (or a close friend) can be hugely fulfilling—if he or she gets what you love about it. And, if you admire the show because it embodies principles you hold dear, sharing it with your other half can also be a great way to remind yourselves of the values and ideas that may have brought you together.  Such is the case with my wife and I, who have just started the ninth season of my all-time favorite TV show, Stargate SG-1. It embodies many of the values that we admire in each other and seek to express in our choices, including rationa ..read more