Max Living

“It may be that the human race is not ready for freedom. The air of liberty may be too rarified for us to breathe…
The paradox seems to be, as Socrates demonstrated long ago, that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves [...]

What motivates you? The answer might surprise you.
Research has shown that money motivates well for rudimentary tasks but isn’t that effective for more complex work.
What we really crave is self-direction, mastery and the desire to make a contribution.

*If you’re reading this in an RSS reader or e-mail, you may need to click the [...]

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” -Annie Dillard
How are you making your life better one day at a time? Please share with us below.

What epitaph would you like on your tombstone?
Think with the end in mind and be proactive, not reactive.
Only then will you change and create using your imagination, conscience and willpower.

*If you’re reading this in an RSS reader or e-mail, you may need to click the title of the post to view the video [...]

There’s a certain way to trap raccoons that is reminiscent of how so many people are trapped in mediocrity.
To trap a raccoon one can drill a small hole in a log, angle nails downward into the hole while still leaving an opening, and place a shiny object at the bottom of the hole.
Raccoons will reach [...]

A man named Steven Brill once set out to test the oft-heard phrase, “You just can’t trust anybody anymore.”
Brill posed as a wealthy foreigner in New York City, and got into several dozen taxis to see how many drivers would cheat him.
Only one out of thirty-seven cheated him.
The rest took him directly to his destination [...]

What types of people should you surround yourself with and spend your time with?
Author and speaker Denis Waitley teaches to associate with people who share the same goals as us, not people who share our same problems.
This is the Master Mind principle that Napoleon Hill defines as, “An alliance of two or more minds blended [...]

What does your view of other people say about you?
More often than not, what we think and say of others says more about us than it does about them.
When we are critical of others it is usually for things that we see and don’t like about ourselves, whether this is conscious or not.
Test this by [...]

Do you often find yourself taking on the responsibilities of others?
Many would-be leaders, in their quest to produce value, end up taking on unnecessary tasks that others are responsible for and thus feed irresponsibility in those around them.
Leaders understand their unique role and do it with excellence, and they allow others to also fulfill their [...]

“The unhappy person resents it when you try to cheer him up, because that means he has to stop dwelling on himself and start paying attention to the universe.
Unhappiness is the ultimate form of self-indulgence. When you’re unhappy, you get to pay a lot of attention to yourself. You get to take yourself [...]