The Death Deck: How THIS One Simple Choice Turns Your Life into an Inescapable Hellscape

decision death deck

A decision I made 40 years ago still haunts me today. I was 16, and little did I know at the time that I was drawing cards from life’s Death Deck. Life’s Death Deck In Choose Hard, Live Easy, I call life’s Death Deck a pile of cards that are unfavorably skewed with catastrophic outcomes. …

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The Paradox of Modern Decision-Making and How to Ruin Your Life One Easy Choice at a Time

paradox of decision-making

I’ve been dealing with this decision-making BS for 20 years. Every day on my forum, I get a front-row seat to a special kind of madness. “I can’t succeed!” “I keep failing and can’t earn passive income!” “I give up on entrepreneurship!” And then these failed entrepreneurs reveal everything they’ve “tried” and failed at. LOL. …

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26 Simple Mental Models— Decision Wisdom for Life

26 simple mental models for decision wisdom

I spent four years writing Choose Hard, Live Easy which is filled with over 70+ mental models. And throughout the entire process, one ominous warning from Aldous Huxley echoed in my head: “There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, …

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Life’s #1 Winning Cheat-Code: Choose Hard, Live Easy.

choose hard, live easy

I just hit a major goal this week: getting my “Whoop Age” 10 years younger than my actual age. It’s a seminal example of the Hard/Easy Paradox, specifically, The Rule of Persistence as highlighted in Choose Hard, Live Easy – The Art of War for Decision-Making. The Rule of Persistence states that whatever you repeatedly …

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The Parable of a Hollow Life

The Parable of a Hollow Life

Bill is troubled. He says he is facing a dilemma, the parable of a hollow life. “Every night, my home is robbed,” Bill explains. “The burglars steal money, jewelry, and irreplaceable valuables. Some of these things I will never get back. Never.” Tears fill his eyes. Jim looks at him, horrified. “OMG, that’s a nightmare! …

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Are You a Bad Decision-Maker? Take the DEFCON Test and Find Out Where You Stand.

Your life is nothing more than the sum of your decisions. “Future You” always must pay for the sins of “Present You.” My new book launches next week and I must say, I’ve made some boneheaded moves. I’ll elaborate probably in a later newsletter, but the fact remains. Outcomes arrive from decisions. And sometimes good …

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Forget “Carpe Diem” or “Seize the Day”—This Is More Powerful…

The Hourglass of Lifespan

The following are modified excerpts from my new book, Choose Hard, Live Easy—the Art of War for Decision-Making, which is now available for pre-order reservations. You’ve probably seen the phrase “Carpe Diem,” or “seize the day,” on an office wall or proudly displayed on a desk. Forget it; it’s worthless. Instead, think Carpe Momentum, or …

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The Hidden Decision Paradox that Will Write Your Best Life—Or Your Worst

Choose Hard, Live Easy by MJ DeMarco

Decision-making isn’t that complicated when you understand the operating paradox of choice. In fact, it’s pretty simple, but its execution is not. The Art of War for Decision-Making Fact #1: A hidden paradox underwrites your life story, and your mastery of it will determine the quality of your life. It literally is the Art of …

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